4 Common Misconceptions About Multicloud Applications

Building and deploying multicloud applications is an increasingly popular strategy to improve app performance and uptime. Even so, there are many misconceptions around multicloud application development, creating unnecessary confusion and hesitation among engineering teams. Let’s debunk four common myths about multicloud architecture.

Myth #1: Redundancy Is the Only Advantage of Multicloud

Developers commonly think that multicloud architecture focuses primarily on redundancy. While redundancy can deliver higher availability and disaster recovery by distributing workloads across multiple cloud environments, that’s not the only advantage of a multicloud strategy. The flexibility and optimization opportunities provided by multicloud are equally significant.

Organizations can leverage the strengths of different cloud providers to optimize performance, cost and compliance. By strategically distributing workloads, businesses can achieve greater agility, scalability and geographic reach. For instance, consider a global online retailer that relies on high-quality images to enhance customers’ shopping experience, utilizing an edge computing service provider alongside a cloud platform like AWS for compute-intensive tasks like image processing.

An edge-optimized platform can execute lightweight JavaScript code at the edge of the content delivery network (CDN). This brings computing resources closer to end users, reducing latency and improving performance. When a user requests an image, an edge platform intercepts the request, retrieves the original image from the server, and applies optimizations such as resizing and compression based on the user’s device and network conditions. This reduces the load on origin servers, accelerates content delivery and decreases bandwidth costs.

For advanced image processing tasks, the retailer can leverage cloud image and video analysis and machine learning (ML) services, which enable efficient processing of large image volumes, extracting valuable insights and delivering personalized experiences.

By combining edge computing and image processing services, online retailers can achieve enhanced performance, scalability and cost efficiency, demonstrating the multifaceted benefits of a multicloud approach.

Myth #2: Multicloud Is Too Complex

We often hear that managing multiple cloud environments exponentially increases complexity. However, modern tools and best practices can help alleviate these challenges. Open source technologies such as Kubernetes and Jenkins play a pivotal role in simplifying multicloud management.

Kubernetes’ unified orchestration layer enables organizations to manage workloads across diverse cloud environments seamlessly. For example, you can employ Kubernetes for container orchestration and Jenkins for CI/CD automation. Kubernetes facilitates deploying microservices-based applications consistently across development, testing and production environments. Features such as service discovery, load balancing, autoscaling and self-healing help ensure high availability and reliability.

Jenkins streamlines development and deployment processes. Its high customizability and extensive range of plugins make it adaptable to different cloud environments and tools. Jenkins integrates with various cloud platforms and version control systems, facilitating a smooth CI/CD pipeline. In a multicloud setup, Jenkins can scale horizontally to handle varying workloads, ensuring efficient CI/CD processes even in dynamic environments.

The combination of Kubernetes and Jenkins helps reduce manual effort, enhance observability and maintain consistency across multiple cloud environments.

Myth #3: Multicloud Is More Expensive

Another myth is that multicloud applications are inherently more expensive. On the contrary, multicloud applications can lead to significant cost savings through workload optimization. By leveraging the best services from multiple cloud providers, organizations can optimize costs while enhancing performance and user experience.

For instance, major media streaming platforms can utilize cloud computing services for networking and a cloud platform’s AI and ML services for content recommendation algorithms. Tapping into a distributed network of global data centers enables streaming platforms to deploy edge servers strategically, reducing latency and ensuring reliable content delivery. Advanced networking features like load balancing, content caching and distributed denial of service (DDoS) protection further enhance reliability and security.

For example, AI and ML products like Google Cloud’s enable platforms to provide personalized content recommendations without maintaining costly on-premises infrastructure. By paying only for resources consumed during model training and inference, platforms can optimize costs while delivering high-quality streaming experiences. This combination of edge networking and compute capabilities with cloud AI and ML products demonstrates how multicloud strategies can be both cost-effective and efficient.

Myth #4: Multicloud Security Is Difficult

Managing security in a multicloud environment can seem daunting, but modern solutions offer robust security measures that enhance overall security. For example, using a single control plane for security protection facilitates holistic observability and consistent security policies.

A global edge platform provides comprehensive security for multicloud environments. Deploying security controls closer to end users and potential threats helps enhance security measures and ensure high availability. Additionally, the right tools can conceal a cloud infrastructure’s origin, preventing direct access and reducing the risk of targeted attacks.

Unified management platform and automation tools can provide granular visibility into security events, compliance status and policy enforcement across all workloads. This centralized approach simplifies security management, operational overhead and consistent security enforcement. By integrating these tools into their multicloud strategy, organizations can strengthen their security posture, mitigate risks and improve their applications’ resilience and compliance.

Drive Innovation and Simplify Operations with Multicloud

Building multicloud applications can be challenging, but the challenges can be minimized with solid processes and resources in the cloud and at the edge. An effective multicloud architecture helps organizations get the most out of each cloud platform’s strengths, resulting in better performance, improved cost efficiency and more consistent compliance. In the end, the team can achieve better observability across distributed systems and scale more reliably, all while leveraging familiar open source tools.

A multicloud strategy also fortifies security and resilience. It adds a layer of protection, ensuring that your applications are robust, compliant and safeguarded against evolving threats. Rather than being intimidated by a multicloud strategy, you can effectively use it to drive innovation and achieve operational excellence.

If you’re interested in learning more about how to get started, check out the technical documentation on Akamai EdgeWorkers.