Cloud without overheating: how to use multi-cloud and not drown in bills

Cloud technologies are no longer a luxury, but an infrastructural standard. But if earlier companies simply moved their IT to the cloud, today almost everyone lives in a multi-cloud reality. According to Flexera, 89% of organizations in 2024 will use multi-cloud strategies, combining several providers - AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, and on-premises solutions.
Why is that? Because it is flexible. Because it is fault-tolerant. Because sometimes one cloud is simply not enough.

But there's a catch - managing this cloud zoo is not easy. 82% of companies cite cost control as their main challenge. Therefore, in 2024-2025, the agenda will include: cost optimization, security, automation, and the architecture of hybrid solutions.

Why does a business need a multi-cloud?

Minimization of risks
If one provider fails, another will back it up. This is not a theory - in 2023, failures at major hyperscalers cost companies millions.
Some data (for example, personal data in the EU) cannot be stored in "any" cloud - a choice is needed.
Flexibility and speed
Launch products faster, scale infrastructure, perform checks, and conduct testing on different platforms.
Cost optimization
Each cloud has its own pricing policy. By distributing workloads, you can save up to 30-40% of the budget - especially with proper automation.
More opportunities
Access to the best tools from each cloud. For example, use AI services from Google Cloud and the big data stack from AWS, without being limited to a single vendor.

What's wrong with multi-cloud?

Rising bills: without billing automation and analytics, it's easy to overpay.
Solution: FinOps practices - monitoring, automatic scaling, choosing regions with cheaper rates.
Fragmented management: each platform has its own interfaces, policies, IAM.
Solution: Terraform, Kubernetes, and other orchestration tools.
Security and compliance: the attack surface increases, data is in different jurisdictions, and there are risks of violating GDPR, DORA, and others.
Solution: Unified access policies (for example, through HashiCorp Vault).
Lack of a unified picture: it is especially difficult to control traffic, access, and the interdependencies between services.
Solution: Raise the level of abstraction and automation - this is about a platform approach: observability, IAM, service mesh, and DevSecOps.

How to implement a multi-cloud strategy and not regret it

1. Don't grab everything at once.

Start with one priority direction. For example:

Migration of client analytics to GCP (BigQuery, Looker).
Storing sensitive data in a private cloud based on OpenStack.
Using Azure AD for SSO and IAM.

2. Conduct an audit and pilot

Create a map of current resources.
Launch a pilot project in a multi-cloud architecture - for example, a microservice on Kubernetes, deploying to AWS and backing up to Azure.
Gather feedback from DevOps, security, and finance.

3. Streamline FinOps

Tools like CloudHealth, Kubecost, or Azure Cost Management will help track where the money is leaking.
Policies are mandatory: resource limits, auto-shutdown of dev environments after working hours, tagging by projects.

4. Automate everything

Use Terraform, Ansible, and CI/CD to ensure deployment works the same in any cloud.
Install observability platforms like Datadog, Prometheus + Grafana to avoid getting lost in logs.

5. Centralize management

Examples: Anthos by Google, Azure Arc, VMware Tanzu - platforms for managing hybrid and multi-cloud environments from a single dashboard.

Examples from practice

Coca-Cola uses AWS, Azure, and GCP for different tasks: analytics, multimedia, logistics.
Airbus built a hybrid cloud based on OpenShift, combining local data centers with AWS and Azure.
Shopify optimized expenses with its own FinOps engine - savings of over $100 million in two years.

What's next: what to prepare for in a multi-cloud future

Multi-cloud strategies are no longer seen as a temporary solution or an intermediate stage. This is the new IT reality - and it becomes more complex and smarter every year. Here is what is shaping the cloud landscape on the horizon of 2025-2027:

1. FinOps is coming into the spotlight

When multiple clouds are in use and each engineer can deploy a cluster "just in case," the infrastructure bill grows exponentially. Trend: the emergence of FinOps departments, the implementation of platforms like Spot, Apptio, CloudHealth.

2. Kubernetes as a single point of control

Containers have already become the de facto standard, and Kubernetes is the main "language" of the multi-cloud. It allows applications to be run on any platform without rewriting the infrastructure for each provider.
Trend: growth of multi-cloud PaaS and cluster management services (Anthos, Azure Arc, Tanzu).

3. DevSecOps as the norm, not a buzzword

The more complex the architecture, the more important it is to embed security into processes from the very beginning. Trend: shift left, security as part of CI/CD, implementation of OPA, HashiCorp Vault, Snyk.

4. Conscious rejection of vendor lock-in

No one wants to "stick" to a single cloud anymore - especially after the price increases and restrictions from providers. The solution? Betting on open-source and standards. Trend: the popularity of Terraform, OpenTelemetry, Crossplane, and other cloud-agnostic tools.

5. AI manages clouds (literally)

From manual infrastructure setup, we are moving towards automation with AI/ML. Algorithms predict load, scale services, optimize costs, and even fix failures before you even know about them. Trend: self-healing infrastructures, AI for Ops, platforms with ML optimization.

6. Stricter laws - smarter architectures

Data sovereignty, compliance, industry requirements - all of this is not disappearing, but rather intensifying. Trend: growth of private clouds, local zones, and out-of-the-box compliance tools.

Multi-Cloud: Your Next Strategic Move

Multi-cloud is not a trend, but a reality. The question is whether you know how to manage it. Uncontrolled growth of cloud infrastructure is fraught with risks and expenses. But if you approach it systematically, it's your trump card: scale, fault tolerance, speed of development.

Ready to bring order to the multi-cloud? We will help:

Develop a multi-cloud and hybrid cloud strategy.
Implement automation and security.
Set up monitoring, FinOps, and CI/CD for multiple platforms.

Write to us - and we'll turn your cloud headache into a competitive advantage.

Summary:

Cloud technologies have become an essential infrastructure standard for businesses, with many organizations now adopting multi-cloud strategies that integrate multiple service providers. This shift is driven by the need for flexibility, fault tolerance, and the ability to manage various workloads effectively. However, managing a multi-cloud environment presents challenges, particularly concerning cost control, which is a primary concern for a significant majority of companies. Effective strategies for multi-cloud implementation include starting with a focused approach, conducting audits, and utilizing financial operations management tools to optimize costs. Automation and centralized management are also critical, enabling seamless deployment and oversight across different platforms. Successful examples of multi-cloud usage can be found in companies like Coca-Cola and Airbus, which leverage various cloud services for different operational needs. Looking ahead, the landscape of multi-cloud strategies is evolving, with a focus on financial operations, Kubernetes management, and embedding security within development processes. There is also a growing trend against vendor lock-in, with businesses favoring open-source tools to maintain flexibility. As data compliance and sovereignty issues become more prominent, organizations are expected to enhance their architectures to meet these demands. Ultimately, while multi-cloud presents complexities, it also offers significant opportunities for scalability and innovation when managed effectively.