Multicloud vs hybrid cloud: Which one is right for your organization?

Check out the pros and cons of multicloud and hybrid cloud deployment models, and get advice on what to consider when weighing your options.

In previous decades, cloud computing and digital data storage have become staples of modern business. Though this technology was often reserved for only the largest organizations, it has now become a widely accessible solution for many companies. Hybrid multicloud platforms can change the ways in which businesses conduct themselves, and understanding their benefits and disadvantages can help organizations become more productive and secure.

In 2019, the Harvard Business Review published a study that detailed specific strategies for implementing multicloud technologies. The data exposed not only helpful information for adopting cloud computing but also shed light on the complex nature of multicloud systems. Multicloud technologies can be complicated, especially as they evolve, but learning about them, and the hybrid models others swear by, can allow organizations to flourish long-term.

Cloud computing is not easily defined. There are multiple ways to describe and use cloud systems, which contributes to the confusion surrounding the technology.

At its simplest, multicloud can be described as a collection of public cloud programs running aspects of a business in the interest of improving operations and reducing costs. This approach allows companies to pick and choose which tools they’d like to use in an attempt to maximize productivity. Multicloud computing operates via a public platform-as-a-service (PaaS) network, allowing companies to access cloud servers and change subscription details instantly.

Hybrid cloud systems, alternatively, also take advantage of private clouds in addition to public software. This can be useful for larger companies or for those that deal with sensitive information. Though both hybrid cloud and multicloud technologies have their merits, they are both used in vastly different circumstances.

Multicloud technology involves using multiple cloud platforms to conduct business. This allows companies to produce, distribute and manage their business without having to invest in physical infrastructure and data servers. Multicloud is especially useful for small enterprises. In previous decades, organizations would have been forced to purchase their own servers and maintain them personally. That is no longer the case.

Multicloud systems run on a pay-as-you-go basis. This is, in addition to cost-effectiveness, is one of the biggest benefits of using multicloud. Customers can pay for special tools when needed and cancel them at any time.

In addition, cloud platforms like those offered by Amazon, Google and Microsoft include options for organizations depending on what they produce. Businesses producing apps, for example, can take advantage of developer tools from within the cloud.

These tools encompass the basic components that make up multicloud and hybrid cloud technologies: infrastructure as a service (IaaS), software as a service (SaaS) and PaaS. Multicloud itself is mostly centered around IaaS and PaaS.

Multicloud computing, therefore, is quite versatile. The benefits gained from using one cloud platform become even more numerous when applied to multiple platforms operating in tandem. In fact, research suggests that more than 60% of multicloud organizations use three or more public cloud platforms.

But, multicloud isn’t perfect for every company, and the debate over hybrid versus multicloud platforms is valid considering the organizations that tend to operate in a hybrid cloud environment.

As the name implies, a hybrid cloud model merges two different types of computing: public cloud software and private infrastructure. While similar to multicloud, hybrid cloud differs in one clear way.