What is a key challenge with using multiple cloud providers?

Using multiple cloud providers introduces several challenges that can complicate cloud management and operations.

Increased cost can arise because organizations may not take full advantage of the pricing structures and discounts offered by individual providers. When businesses utilize multiple clouds, they may miss out on cost-saving opportunities due to the fragmented nature of their resources and spending.

Service level discrepancies are significant concerns when operating across various platforms. Each cloud provider has distinct service level agreements (SLAs) that outline their commitments in terms of uptime, performance, and support. These differences can complicate the overall reliability and performance guarantees, making it difficult to ensure a consistent user experience across all environments.

Complex integration is another major challenge. Each cloud provider has its own set of APIs, configurations, and tools that may not easily integrate with those of the others. This can lead to increased development time and effort required to ensure that applications and services work together seamlessly, increasing overhead in managing those interactions.

Therefore, recognizing that all these aspects—cost, service level discrepancies, and complex integration—are inherent challenges when using multiple cloud providers explains why the overarching summary of these issues is that they all contribute to the complexity of a multicloud strategy.