Poly Cloud - The newest feather on Cloud Hat

Cloud has been the buzzword for a long time now. Although it started as just another way to store your data but as the time went by it has evolved into multiple things nowadays. Before diving into the conceptual difference between multi-cloud and poly cloud, let us just take a moment and try to brush up on the concept of cloud computing as a process.

Cloud computing, in simple terms, is nothing but storing and accessing your data and application over internet instead of maintaining it in a local server. Although the term “Cloud Computing” is pretty recent but the basic concept behind it, which is network-based computing, is here in the industry, from 1960s.

As spoken earlier, although cloud computing started as the concept of offsite storage and streaming services, but now it has been compounded with providing the users with options like using software, hardware, network etc. over internet. Users can access desktops, different environments, location, frameworks, disaster recovery and more through the “as a service” model. this is known as XaaS or “Anything as a Service”.

As per the latest report by Flexera, almost 90% of the businesses nowadays, are adopting multi-cloud strategy.

Also, in terms of dollars, 37% of the enterprises said that their annual spending against cloud exceeds $12 Million and 80% have confirmed that their spending exceeds $1.2 Million per year.

In short, in todays technology driven business environments, almost every business has realised the importance of Multi-Cloud strategy.

What is Poly Cloud?

In one sentence, Multi cloud is all about levaraging capabilities of multiple cloud environments, whereas, Poly cloud, is all about Cloud spcialization.

Poly Cloud is a strategy, where multiple cloud services are hosted in multiple clouds. It runs different kinds of cloud services on one cloud and hosting others on another cloud. Although they sound similar, there is a principal difference between multicloud and poly cloud, which is the way the business organizes different cloud services, within its general cloud strategy.

Multi Cloud environment means the use of multiple cloud platforms delivering specific service. A multi-cloud environment can help businesses get the very best from different providers. A multi-cloud environment can also help businesses save money by shopping for the best deals available.

Whereas, Poly cloud is the strategy, where you can use multiple cloud providers across your organization and choose the one best suited to a particular project. For instance, one might choose Google for machine learning and data-oriented applications and Azure for hosting Office 365 integrations.

Poly Cloud approach provides a recovery option in case of any unforeseen disasters. In case of a breakdown of one cloud provider, the presence of multiple cloud-based environments helps in avoiding harm to the regular working by offering alternative arrangement. If any single web service host doesn’t operate, work can still go on with other modes of operations in such a multi-cloud environment.

Multi cloud is about using multiple cloud providers in a cloud-agnostic manner, poly cloud is about using specialized capabilities of multiple cloud providers.

The strategy of using Poly Cloud is particularly beneficial, as the businesses have the option to use specific cloud services depending on specific features, that they offer. This strategy is quite intentional in nature, about the way it chooses a specific service.

Combining multiple cloud services is one aspect of strategizing your cloud infrastructure but intentionally choosing a specific cloud service for a specific set of tasks, is way more advantageous for the businesses, in terms of dollars spent and RoI.

Challenges

But it’s not all hunky dories. Poly Cloud is not all about advantages. It has its own pitfalls as well. To begin with it’s not a concrete tool. It is more of an idea or a theory, which means, it takes time to strategize your approach.

• Organizations need time to research, consultants need to be fluent in multiple clouds, to see which cloud services will be best suited for them for which tasks.?
• They would also need to assess their current Cloud architecture to establish what they would need.
• Once that is done, then comes the implementation part of this strategy, which brings another new set of challenges.

It’s not an easy job to accomplish but has innumerable advantages, if done correctly. Pricing, in Poly Cloud strategy also is a very important factor. The concept of a poly cloud strategy is to find specific providers that offer the best in a particular service and more often than not, the best prices, which makes poly cloud strategy, potentially a large investment, in terms of dollars. So, affordability, for small to medium-sized businesses becomes a challenge.

Conclusion

In conclusion, we all need to understand that hybrid cloud, multi cloud, and poly cloud are all, variations of cloud computing.

• For organizations, which require a more budget-friendly approach, a hybrid cloud could be the best solution.
• A multi cloud strategy can give organizations some savings, but its primary objective is to provide organizations, the ability to take advantage of innovations that may develop in near future.
• But Businesses, that require the best of the best, will see that a poly cloud strategy will be the most beneficial.

Depending on what a business needs will dictate how it incorporates the cloud into its business strategy.