AS AFRICAN ENTERPRISES PROGRESS THROUGH THEIR DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION JOURNEYS , THEY INEVITABLY HIT THE CLOUD DECISION FORK . WHAT ARE THE OPERATIONAL BENEFITS AND CHALLENGES IN ADOPTING A MULTI-CLOUD PLATFORM APPROACH ?
EDITOR ’ S QUESTION
AS AFRICAN ENTERPRISES PROGRESS THROUGH THEIR DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION JOURNEYS , THEY INEVITABLY HIT THE CLOUD DECISION FORK . WHAT ARE THE OPERATIONAL BENEFITS AND CHALLENGES IN ADOPTING A MULTI-CLOUD PLATFORM APPROACH ?
One of the most striking benefits is when enterprises allocate workloads across multiple cloud platforms to enhance performance by matching each workload with the most suitable cloud infrastructure . Top executives from Mindware , ManageEngine , Seagate , respond .
The rapid evolution of cloud computing demands constant adaptation for businesses . To thrive , enterprises need a strong foundation in cloud architecture , design , and skilled IT professionals . This ensures alignment with business goals , top-notch security , performance , and scalability . Additionally , cloud optimisation and management expertise are crucial for efficiency and cost control .
Proper governance and compliance are essential . Professionals who understand cloud governance frameworks , auditing , and compliance monitoring are vital to avoid costly missteps . Automation and DevOps practices are game changers . Without them , development cycles can be hindered , impacting the ability to adapt to ever-changing business needs .
The best way to get ahead of bloat is with transparency in your cloud environments . This is where SLAs come into effect , with metering and monitoring capabilities so organisations get a clear view of costs and usage . Also , IT analytics , AI and reporting can go further to spot anomalies and anticipate waste before it makes its way to the balance sheet .
Adopting a multi-cloud strategy allows enterprises to be flexible in their approach , which lets them transform according to their business needs by scaling resources across different cloud providers . This also enables enterprises to leverage cloud services for better performance and mitigate the risks involved in using just one cloud provider .
When it comes to adopting multi-cloud , arguably one of the biggest challenges is around costs . According to the Flexera 2024 State of the Cloud Report , managing cloud spend was cited as the top challenge facing organisations . Organisations should beware of cloud egress charges where providers charge customers for network usage based on the amount of data transferred out of the cloud , but not into the cloud .
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