6 essentials for a seamless hybrid multi-cloud strategy

One crucial approach for meeting an organization's specific needs is adopting a hybrid multi-cloud strategy. This strategy involves using a blend of private and public cloud environments and multiple cloud service providers, creating a cohesive system that combines different cloud infrastructures, tools, and services. This integrated approach allows organizations to fully leverage the benefits of the cloud, such as cost savings, efficiency, flexibility, and scalability.

To successfully implement a hybrid multi-cloud strategy, expert guidance and support are vital to navigate the complexities of cloud computing. The following section outlines 6 key areas that are essential for a seamless hybrid multi-cloud strategy:

1. Cloud architecture design and planning: Creating a blueprint for success

Crafting a comprehensive cloud architecture plan tailored to specific business objectives is vital. For the healthcare organization GeriMed, the Flexential team designed a HIPAA-compliant hybrid cloud solution, facilitating the seamless migration of patient data without compromising security or compliance requirements. This involved meticulous consideration of data residency, access management, and disaster recovery planning to ensure the integrity and confidentiality of patient information, with great results. GeriMed has become a leading tech company in the long-term care market, leveraging data for rapid and sustainable growth.

2. Cloud security: Safeguarding your digital assets

Ensuring data security continuity is a top priority in the cloud. By leveraging advanced security technologies, such as multi-factor authentication, encryption, and robust firewall configurations, businesses can confidently migrate sensitive workloads to the cloud, complying with strict industry regulations and security standards, including robust Disaster-Recovery-as-a-Solution (DRaaS) capabilities for data protection and business continuity in the event of unforeseen disasters.

3. Cloud operations management: Navigating complexity with ease

Navigating the complexity of hybrid multi-cloud infrastructures requires expert guidance and management to effectively leverage resources. Organizations often struggle with diverse cloud architectures and service providers, creating a high level of complexity and increasing the need for expert management. Cloud operations management is pivotal for optimizing performance, ensuring high availability, and achieving cost savings.

At Flexential, we understand these challenges and provide expert guidance for managing the complexity of hybrid multi-cloud environments. We offer a range of solutions, such as Hosted Private Cloud Advanced Access, to give organizations complete control over their cloud environments. Additionally, we offer proactive monitoring, performance tuning, and disaster recovery services to ensure the efficient and secure operation of cloud infrastructure components. Our expert team provides ongoing support to address any issues and minimize downtime, safeguarding business operations and ensuring the continued availability of mission-critical applications.

4. Change management: Paving the way for smooth transitions

Change management plays a pivotal role in leading organizations through the complexities of cloud migration, with Harvard Business Review indicating that 70% of digital transformations fail due to inadequate change management processes. By implementing a forward-thinking change management strategy that anticipates and addresses resistance to change, organizations can navigate the challenges of cloud migration more effectively. By fostering a culture of innovation, providing ongoing training and support, and transparently communicating the benefits of cloud adoption, businesses can pave the way for smooth transitions and achieve successful outcomes in their digital transformation journey.

5. Workload placement: Optimizing resource allocation for efficiency

"Let your workloads be your guide" is a core principle at Flexential, emphasizing the importance of aligning workload placement with specific business requirements. Determining the appropriate placement of workloads across different cloud environments is critical for optimizing resource utilization and enhancing performance. Strategic workload placement considers factors such as data sovereignty, cost efficiency, and latency requirements. By leveraging the guidance of workloads, organizations can effectively distribute workloads across public and private clouds and multiple cloud service providers. This approach allows organizations to align their workload placement strategies with their specific business needs and achieve optimal performance within their hybrid multi-cloud environments.

6. Vendor management: Orchestrating collaborative success

Seamless collaboration with multiple cloud service providers and vendors is crucial for successful cloud migration, and managing multi-vendor ecosystems is essential for the integration of public cloud services with private infrastructure, facilitating the harnessing of the full benefits of hybrid multi-cloud environments.

Fostering a hybrid multi-cloud strategy requires strong thought leadership and expertise across these areas, ensuring a seamless and successful cloud migration that unlocks the full potential of the cloud and embraces enhanced agility and innovation.

“GeriMed has always been and will continue to be the leader in service innovation for our independent pharmacy customers by actively developing tools to meet the ever-changing healthcare dynamics. To deliver these services and tools to our customers, GeriMed must have a reliable, scalable and cost-effective IT infrastructure. Flexential has proven itself as our valued hybrid IT partner.”

—Karen Sims, Vice President of IT Services and Data Management, GeriMed

If you're ready to accelerate your hybrid multi-cloud strategy, consider joining an exclusive Fast-Track Cloud workshop for hands-on insights and practical guidance from industry experts. Set your organization up for long-term success in cloud migration with Flexential.