Understanding the Multi-Cloud Journey - From "Cloud First" to "Cloud Smart"

As an educator and tech strategist, I have the privilege of working with many of the world’s leading technology companies.?VMware,?the sponsor of this post, is one. The opinions expressed in this post may or may not reflect the views of any company I work with. My goal is to make technology more accessible and beneficial for all.

VMware's Multi?Cloud Maturity Index Report: A few surprises

VMware's recently released its "Multi?Cloud Maturity Index Report", based on a survey of nearly 6,000 organizations worldwide. The report states, "While 38% of organizations reported using multiple public clouds two years ago, that number has increased to 64% and is expected to grow to 72% over the next five years." A significant surge to multi-cloud. No surprise here, though.

A surprise? Despite the surge to multi-cloud, only one in five organizations has arrived at a point in their cloud journey where they have achieved the "strategic advantages of multi-cloud" outweighing its "inherent complexities," a quality VMware calls "Cloud Smart".

To get a better understanding of what's happening with multi-cloud, I chatted with Chris McCain, Technologist Director with VMWare. The author of several books on cloud virtualization and infrastructure design, he is often traveling the globe providing advice to VMware customers and partners about strategy for next-generation data center design. A cloud architect, he has a particular passion for design - with business alignment!

Starting with the Basics: the Multi-Cloud Journey - its Business Advantages and VMware's role

"At its core, multi-cloud is about an organization's ability to take advantage of technologies outside of an on-premise data center," McCain explains.

Many businesses are looking to take advantage of the proprietary cloud offerings from "hyper-scalers", such as Google, Amazon, Oracle, and Azure, notes McCain. Businesses need to assess the advantages of each and determine which ones they should use, he explains.

The VMware Advantage? Experience. Talent. Robust, unique, agile solutions for multi-cloud design, management, security and resiliency. A leader in next-generation data center design. Relationships. We'll explore each attribute explore more.

"We have relationships with all of the hyper-scalers", McCain points out, but he is quick to add that VMware is agnostic as to which cloud an organization chooses.

The key, according to McCain, is ensuring that the organization's cloud design decisions are aligned with its business objectives.

McCain notes that organizations should mature from a rush to "cloud first" to an understanding that "cloud smart" requires a deliberative design process.

VMware empowers organizations to seamlessly take existing workloads and move them into one or more of the architectures of the "hyper scalers" so that the operational model is consistent between on-premises and cloud, McCain explains.

"We simplify the operational model," McCain says, "by leveraging VMware infrastructure." McCain touts that VMware helps customers get to "cloud smart" through a more seamless and secure transformational journey.

"It doesn't matter to us which one of them (cloud providers) a customer wants to go to, we want to be the partner that helps them to get there in an easier fashion," says McCain.

"Cloud Smart": Evolution of "Cloud First'"

"'Cloud Smart' is the evolution of 'Cloud First'", McCain explains. "Cloud smart" is about "doing your due diligence to ensure that what you put in the cloud actually belongs in the cloud," McCain explains.

"Cloud First is jumping the gun," cautions McCain.

"Early on, there was a rush to 'cloud first' without considering the demands or security of the workload," McCain says.

Another surprise from the VMware Multi?Cloud Maturity Index Report? A sizable percentage of organizations acknowledge a multi-cloud skills and talent shortage. A gap VMware hopes to bridge.

"Let's validate that cloud is the right place and then let's validate which cloud is the right place to put it," McCain recommends.

"If you're going to put something into the cloud there must be business justification for it going to there," McCain advises.

Repatriation - often a consequence of skipping careful cloud design

Repatriation, returning workloads from cloud to back on-prem has been a byproduct of skipping the cloud design phase, McCain cautions.

Pause. Make sure that your cloud strategy is aligned with your business needs and strategy. "You have to be proactive with designing your multi-cloud architecture - and that comes with business justification." McCain explains.

McCain points out that another advantage of VMware as a partner is that organizations are provided with a foundation enabling them to seamlessly modify cloud configurations as desired "because the underlying architecture remains the same."

Cybersecurity and Resiliency

When you move to multi-cloud, "you are expanding the attack footprint exponentially by placing workloads in different locations," McCain cautions.

"On premise, we have the ability to provide an internal firewall, through VMware NSX, in front of every single workload in the data center," McCain points out. "Security technologists can apply security at every single virtual machine. This also happens in the VMware cloud."

"We are built into the infrastructure. Security being built in."

VMware NSX: security virtualization platform

"Part of 'cloud smart' is asking 'how are we going to establish security on-prem and in cloud and in a manner that is easy to manage," McCain observes. "For some it's still like the Wild West, there hasn't been security."

Environmental Sustainability

A byproduct of VMWare's distributed architecture? Sustainability.

"That's our architectural difference," McCain says. He notes that with the many capabilities it brings new strengths and efficiencies while also minimizing the carbon footprint, increasing sustainability. "It's a win-win," McCain say. "Sustainability is a byproduct of the efficiencies we bring. That's VMware."

Some final take-aways

I asked Chris for some final takeaways:

1. There has to be a business justification for cloud.
2. Look at the economics of where you are going and why you are going.
3. Design the environment. How are going to communicate? How are going to secure things? What are the technologies available? Understand all of the ramifications?
4. It's about your due diligence.
5. And it's about be being proactive, so that you don't have to be reactive.

VMware Multi?Cloud Maturity Index Report

A good place to explore how your organization is doing compared to others on the multi-cloud journey:

The VMware Multi?Cloud Maturity Index Report.