Cloud services have revolutionized the way businesses operate, delivering instant access to data, applications and resources at the touch of a mouse. Accessibility through a mix of public cloud services, SaaS applications, private clouds, and on-premises infrastructure has become the norm, helping companies to operate with greater agility, scale faster and reduce IT costs. It should come as no surprise, then, that 90% of organizations are predicted to adopt a hybrid cloud approach by 2027.
As beneficial as hybrid and multi-cloud environments are, however, they present their own fair share of challenges—particularly when it comes to security, management, and cost control.
Remote and hybrid workforces—made largely commonplace in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic —have cast a light on the complexity of multi-cloud adoption, raising important questions about how best to navigate latent connectivity concerns, security and data privacy risks and cloud management strategy, among others. As businesses continue to make this shift, it’s critical to consider the unique nuances of a hybrid deployment and leverage infrastructure and resources that proactively address these challenges while simultaneously delivering the efficiencies and advantages that we’ve come to expect from multi-cloud environments.
The Hidden Cybersecurity Threats in Hybrid Environments
Cyber threats thrive in complex, multi-cloud environments. With workloads spread across different platforms—each with its own security protocols—gaps are inevitable. In fact, 61% of organizations reported experiencing cloud security incidents in 2024.
For organizations operating in flexible multi-cloud environments, one security flaw or oversight can quickly overshadow any agility benefits. Misconfigured cloud settings, insufficient encryption, and weak identity and access controls, for example, can introduce significant risks into a hybrid cloud ecosystem. Poorly managed permissions can expose sensitive data to unauthorized users, while unprotected data moving between clouds can become vulnerable if not safeguarded properly. Not to mention gaps in identity management systems, which can lead to account takeovers and data breaches.
Unfortunately, we see these scenarios too often. The dangers of an ill-secured cloud environment, as recently evidenced by a newsworthy ransomware attack, call attention to the need for standardized multi-cloud security protocols to ensure careful and consistent protection of corporate data, whether it sits in a public cloud, private data center, or cloud-based web application or is traversing the gateways of all three.
Cloud security risks like these are particularly concerning for companies operating in highly regulated environments, where stringent compliance requirements, such as HIPAA (healthcare) and GLBA (banking), demand that organizations implement, review and maintain security controls and procedures to protect sensitive information. With over 80% of data breaches involving data stored in the cloud, the stakes are high. Organizations in these industries must be vigilant in managing their cloud environments to avoid significant compliance penalties as well as legal, financial and reputational consequences.
Balancing Cost Efficiency with Performance in Hybrid Cloud Environments
Although the emergence of the cloud initially led to a flurry of cost-savings as businesses transitioned from hefty on-premise infrastructure investments to predictable OpEx-driven budgets, the growing complexity of hybrid and multi-cloud environments has begun to re-introduce cost challenges. Managing multiple cloud providers and integrating various platforms can lead to unexpected expenses across cloud services, such as underutilized resources, data transfer fees, and disparate pricing models. In 2024 alone, 69% of IT professionals reported budget overruns within their organization’s cloud spending.
To effectively manage these costs, businesses need a solution that simplifies the complexity of connecting and managing diverse cloud environments. This singular approach, by way of a managed connectivity solution, can not only ensure better resource allocation but also reduce the overhead associated with managing multiple cloud and ISP providers. Implementing a centralized, flexible cloud connectivity solution can significantly streamline operations, optimize spending, and pave the way for more secure and scalable cloud architectures.
Optimizing Multi-Cloud Connectivity for Security and Scalability
Think of managed connectivity as the backbone of any secure and effective hybrid or multi-cloud environment. Operating as a private, scalable, and redundant multi-cloud connectivity solution, it acts as a “glue”, providing businesses with a centralized hub through which they can build secure, direct connections to public clouds, SaaS applications, data centers, and office sites.
Consider these benefits:
- No need to rely on the slow, costly process of purchasing individual ISP lines to each cloud provider or site. Managed connectivity streamlines the process, enabling faster deployment and cutting down on latency.
- No need to predict the specific capacity requirements for each cloud provider or location. Multi-cloud connectivity means one flexible connection dynamically scales as new cloud services are added, simplifying access and cutting down on unnecessary costs.
- No internal training or management needed. Managed connectivity solutions are operated by experienced IT service providers who not only handle initial deployment and connect you to the cloud services you need, but take on the responsibility of ISP vendor management, further easing your administrative burden of IT.
Enhancing Business Growth through Effective Cloud Connectivity
Hybrid and multi-cloud environments offer incredible benefits and will continue to do so as the future of digital transformation unfolds. But managing a complex cloud architecture effectively requires not only considering your business as it stands today, but future-proofing your environment in a meaningful way that that simplifies security, reduces complexity, and helps control costs without sacrificing performance.
To ensure lasting success, businesses operating within hybrid or multi-cloud ecosystems should consider the value managed connectivity solutions can offer to enable more secure, scalable and manageable cloud operations. Relying on a trusted IT partner with the knowledge and expertise to design, implement, and manage a multi-cloud strategy will ultimately reduce headaches and allow businesses to concentrate on core operations and growth.
About Mike Fuhrman
Mike Fuhrman is CEO of Omega Systems and has more than 30 years of operations, product development and leadership experience in the IT industry. He leverages his deep knowledge of business operations and his passion for technology to foster an environment that helps customers, employees and organizations thrive. Mike is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force and a graduate of The Citadel, where he is a current member of the executive advisory board for the School of Engineering.
