In recent years, the cloud revolution has profoundly transformed the IT management models of companies in all sectors. A majority of them now use multiple applications and cloud hosting services, integrated within the same information architecture.
This so-called “multi-cloud” model has imposed itself because of its many operational advantages, but it does raise many questions that must be anticipated in order to reap all the benefits in complete safety.
Heterogeneous situations but common problems
The use of multi-cloud operates according to different methods depending on the data management policies specific to each company. While it is particularly common to use separate vendors for infrastructure, platform, and application needs, many organizations are now using multiple Iaas, PaaS, and SaaS services simultaneously.
A choice which corresponds to the desire to prevent excessive dependence on a supplier but which is explained above all by the technical adaptability it allows. By opting for dedicated services for each need and from suppliers specialized in each task, network administrators can design IT architectures perfectly suited to business needs and always optimally sized. Financially, it is also a way to take advantage of the fierce competition between cloud providers to take advantage of the best prices available for each service.
These undoubted operational advantages, however, pose many problems, and in particular that of the considerable complexity of cybersecurity efforts. In a context of a significant increase in cyberattacks, linked in particular to geopolitical tensions and new opportunities provided by the digitization of companies, the accumulation of cloud services is also synonymous with the multiplication of potential security breaches. The interconnection between cloud services specific to multicloud architectures can thus lead to the uncontrolled circulation of sensitive data and personal data, the processing of which is now strictly regulated.
A comprehensive review of security policies
For companies aware of these issues, the gradual adoption of the multi-cloud model must therefore be accompanied regularly by a comprehensive review of security and data processing policies. Due to the constant evolution of cloud solutions, the technical, legal and regulatory compliance of all services must be reassessed at regular intervals, taking into account the uses and the critical nature of the data exchanged.
Particular attention must be paid to securing APIs due to significant differences in maturity between providers on this subject. Despite the high complexity that characterizes the data flow pattern within a multi-cloud environment, the objective must be to achieve a unified view of the application ecosystem in order to derive an appropriate security plan. A task in which the close cooperation of the company’s partners and its cloud providers is indispensable.
An optimization lever
This procedure of constant reassessment of the infrastructure and its security should not be conceived as a simple precautionary measure. Beyond cybersecurity, the overlapping of sometimes redundant tools and the complexity of IT architectures can sometimes strain the productivity of IT departments and business teams.
Because it provides a better understanding of the company’s application environment, rigorous management of multi-cloud challenges can therefore also be the starting point for optimizing security processes as well as business processes.