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How cloud silos are holding organisations back
Wed, 21st Apr 2021
FYI, this story is more than a year old

When organisations have multiple cloud deployments, silos can develop that keep data separate. While this separation can sometimes be desirable, cloud silos can create barriers when it comes to extracting maximum value from data, minimising cost, and enabling fast business operations. Organisations need to unify their cloud silos with a fundamental data management strategy.

Every time an organisation creates a new cloud instance, a new barrier is erected between that data and the rest of the organisation's data. If a data management strategy isn't considered from the outset, organisations may soon find that their data becomes so comprehensively siloed that their value to the company drops dramatically.

Organisations that fail to address these silos and build in portability of their data may be unable to use that data to deliver meaningful insights. When organisations put that data to use, they can create new customer experiences, new services and expand their customer base; failure to do that may mean the organisation stagnates in a quagmire of data.

Overcoming the challenges presented by having cloud silos requires organisations to develop a robust data architecture. Having a common data platform should form the foundation of the data architecture, one that decouples applications and their data from their underlying infrastructure, preventing organisations from being locked into a single delivery model.

Working with a multi-cloud architecture is valuable because it helps organisations utilise best-in-breed services from the various cloud service providers. It also reduces vendor lock-in, improves redundancy, and lets businesses choose the ideal features they need for their operations.

It's important to have a strong multi-cloud strategy to ensure the business gets the right mix of security, performance, and cost. The strategy should include the tools and technologies that consolidate cloud resources into a single, cohesive interface for managing cloud infrastructure.

Hybrid clouds bring public and private clouds together. The ideal approach for organisations with complex cloud deployments is to bring hybrid and multi-cloud ecosystems into a single agile data plane that removes silos and barriers, unifying data and apps, and providing a unified interface for all cloud resources.

Organisations are continuing to look to digital transformation to accelerate growth, yet relying on legacy infrastructure limits their ability to transform. Data is the transformational goldmine; however, storing and processing vast amounts of data requires a clear storage strategy that leverages the power of the cloud without letting data silos grow. A hybrid, multi-cloud environment can provide the solution.

The right storage solution can dissolve silos across clouds by providing straightforward, flexible migration of data with a consumption model, avoiding significant capital outlays, the risk of running out of capacity, or lack of data mobility. Getting the storage strategy right can ensure digital transformation projects are successful; getting it wrong can stymie efforts to transform and introduce costs and risk into the organisation.

It's important to work with a storage specialist that can map a path to a successful hybrid, multi-cloud strategy that ultimately delivers results in digital transformation projects.