Managing data across multiple systems is increasingly complex. Enterprises must balance performance, security, and scalability across diverse environments. Multi-cloud storage provides a practical solution, enabling organizations to store, manage, and secure data across various platforms. This approach offers flexibility to align storage resources with business priorities, whether optimizing costs, meeting compliance requirements, or enhancing operational efficiency.
Why Enterprises Adopt Multi-Cloud Strategies
Multi-cloud strategies address key challenges in modern IT environments. For example, compliance with data sovereignty laws, or leveraging different providers for specific use cases.
Additionally, by diversifying across multiple clouds, enterprises reduce their exposure to risks like vendor lock-in or platform outages. This distribution not only strengthens resilience during downtime but also supports innovation by providing access to a broader range of cloud-native tools and services tailored to evolving business needs.
Strategic Advantages of Multi-Cloud Storage for Enterprises
Performance and Service Choice
A multi-cloud setup allows enterprises to choose the best services for specific workloads. For instance, AWS S3 may be ideal for scalable object storage, while Google Cloud excels in machine learning integration. The result is a flexible, high-performance IT environment tailored to the business’s unique needs.
Strategic Resilience
Disruptions such as cyberattacks or outages can cripple operations. Multi-cloud strategies inherently enhance resilience by distributing data across multiple zones and platforms. This ensures that even if one provider experiences downtime, business continuity remains intact.
Cost Management
Cloud vendors are aware of their competition – which you can use to your advantage! When negotiating cloud consumption commitments, it may be advantageous to discuss multi-cloud strategies, pushing vendors to earn your business.
Avoiding Vendor Lock-In
When an organization is technically or contractually locked in on a single platform, the cost of switching platforms can be steep. Pushing for multi-cloud architectural designs, and seeking solution vendors focused on platform interoperability, can mitigate these challenges.
Enhanced Security and Compliance
With ransomware targeting backups in 93% of cases, security is a critical component of storage strategies. Exploring cloud vendors’ support for immutable storage, encryption, and logical air-gapping is a great way to protect sensitive data. Compliance is equally vital, with multi-cloud strategies allowing businesses to meet regulatory compliance requirements like GDPR, HIPPAA, ISO27001.
Implementing Multi-Cloud Storage in Large Organizations
While the benefits are clear, implementing a multi-cloud strategy requires careful planning and execution. Enterprises face unique challenges, including integration complexity and the need for robust governance.
Vendor Lock-out
When an organization is prevented from freely accessing or moving their data hosted/managed by a vendor, multi-cloud strategies can feel like handcuffs. Solution-providers can help enterprises mitigate these challenges by offering platform interoperability, data mobility, centralized management, and licensing agreements that future-proof for changing cloud strategies.
Governance and Control
With data spread across platforms, maintaining governance becomes critical. Cloud adoption frameworks can offer proactive guidance to enterprises looking to maintain, optimize, and reduce risk in managing complexity and data sprawl. These frameworks also stress best practices such as role-based access control (RBAC), least privilege permissions, and routine audits to prevent unauthorized access and ensure compliance.
Case Study: Ciox Health’s Multi-Cloud Transformation
Ciox Health, a leader in healthcare data management and part of the Datavant Group, handles over 50 million medical record requests annually. Ensuring uninterrupted access to this data is mission-critical, as delays can directly impact patient outcomes. To meet this challenge, Ciox implemented Veeam Data Platform — Advanced Edition, leveraging Veeam Backup for AWS and Microsoft Azure.
Challenges and Solutions
Challenges:
Ciox needed a vendor-agnostic solution to support its diverse multi-cloud strategy, spanning AWS, Azure, and colocation data centers. The company also required robust tools to handle immutable backups, ensure uptime, and enable agile migrations.
Solutions with Veeam:
- Non-Stop Data Access: Veeam ensures 100,000+ medical records are accessible per minute across multiple clouds.
- Immutable Backups: Daily backups of 500TB of data are securely transferred between clouds for less than $20,000 per month.
- Agile Data Management: Veeam simplifies data migrations, saving time and reducing costs during data center consolidations.
Results
Ciox achieved remarkable success with its multi-cloud strategy:
- Enhanced Resilience: Immutable backups safeguard critical healthcare data from cyber threats.
- Cost Efficiency: Significant savings on data protection and migration costs, maximizing operational value.
- Operational Flexibility: Cloud-agnostic tools allow seamless workload shifts across platforms, enabling ongoing innovation.
This transformation exemplifies how advanced multi-cloud solutions empower organizations in regulated industries to enhance agility, reduce costs, and improve outcomes.
Future Trends in Multi-Cloud Storage for Enterprises
The Role of Edge Computing
As enterprises expand their IoT ecosystems, edge computing will play a pivotal role in multi-cloud strategies. Storing and processing data closer to its source will reduce latency and improve real-time decision-making.
Quantum Computing’s Influence
Quantum advancements will disrupt traditional data storage paradigms. While still in its infancy, quantum computing could enable hyper-secure encryption and more efficient data management within multi-cloud ecosystems.
AI-Driven Optimization
AI is becoming integral to multi-cloud strategies, offering predictive analytics and automation capabilities. For example, solutions like Microsoft Copilot and AWS CodeWhisperer allow IT teams to optimize DevOps efforts, detect anomalies, and reduce operational overhead.
Conclusion
Enterprise multi-cloud storage is no longer just a technical choice—it’s a strategic necessity. By leveraging the strengths of multiple platforms, businesses can optimize costs, enhance resilience, and ensure compliance with evolving regulations.
At Veeam, we believe that your data shouldn’t be boxed in. Our streamlined migration capabilities and broad support for platforms running on the edge, in the datacenter, and hyperscale clouds enable organizations to free their data and make the best decisions for their business needs.
Learn more about Veeam’s commitment to data portability.
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