The adoption of multi-cloud strategies has become increasingly commonplace among enterprises seeking to capitalise on the unique strengths of different hyper-scale cloud providers.¹ However, while well-intentioned, this approach can give rise to unintended complexity in the form of ‘spaghetti architecture’.

Comprising disorganised distributed systems lacking consistent structure, abstraction, and modularisation, multi-cloud spaghetti architecture is characterised by dense interconnections between cloud components, overuse of global data and functions across clouds, duplicated logic deployed to multiple clouds, and lack of clear cloud interfaces. 

A broad lack of enterprise-wide alignment means there is a tendency for individual teams to champion their preferred cloud as the ‘one cloud to rule them all’, developing solutions in isolation using the native tools and services of their given provider. As the broader organisation deploys workloads across these disparate, siloed cloud environments, the lack of cohesion, standardisation, and interoperability increases complexity. 

IMPACT ON AN ORGANISATION’S TECHNOLOGY LANDSCAPE

Over time, this uncoordinated approach results in a convoluted knot of interconnected systems and workflows. Technical debt piles up rapidly, making it exponentially more challenging to manage this multi-cloud sprawl and incurring a significant cost. It is estimated that, on average, businesses allocate 28% of their IT budgets to address technical debt, with this figure rising to 40% within large enterprises.² Adding new user journeys becomes cumbersome, leading to time-consuming discussions about infrastructure boundaries.

This complexity rears its head in over-engineered solutions, inconsistencies, security gaps, and compliance issues. Though hidden 'behind the curtain' from the end user's view, choosing the cloud platform for an application and associated tools to develop it has real-world implications for their end-to-end journey experience. Over-engineered solutions, inconsistencies, and security and compliance gaps may go unnoticed at first, but they contribute to a slower, more fragmented user experience. 

For instance, when user journeys touch various cloud providers - from on-premises to Cloud A to Cloud B and back - the result is often a disjointed and less efficient interaction. This complexity not only challenges the maintenance of a seamless user experience but also turns the task of maintaining clear oversight into a neverending challenge.

IS IT POSSIBLE TO UNTANGLE THE ARCHITECTURE?

Addressing spaghetti architecture requires a realignment at both the organisational and technical levels. On the technical front, architecture and platform teams must work to harmonise standards, tools, and processes across disparate cloud environments. This includes adopting consistent infrastructure-as-code workflows, centralised identity and access management, unified monitoring and logging, the path to production controls and intelligent resource allocation to prevent waste.

However, technology alone cannot cut through the sprawl without also addressing cultural silos. To avoid or untangle spaghetti architecture, cross-functional teams must rally around a shared vision and roadmap supported by value stream owners who facilitate coordination.

Organisations can architect rationally with a unified cloud strategy while also tapping into the different strengths of their chosen cloud platforms. Workload placement, collaboration, and standardisation help construct a robust yet flexible cloud foundation to support business goals. 

However, it takes vision and leadership to steer the organisational culture in this more collaborative direction. It requires leaders who clearly communicate the ‘why’ behind these changes while providing teams with the tools and incentives to work in synergy with one another. It is also key that they model and exhibit this mindset themselves.

ACT NOW BEFORE THE KNOT CAN NOT BE UNDONE

As multi-cloud becomes the new normal³, now is the time to address fragmentation - bringing siloed teams together, implementing consistent cloud management disciplines, and forging an agile culture that breaks down barriers.

Below are some approaches Capco has helped our clients design and implement.

1. Establishing a Cloud Center of Excellence (CCoE) to Steer Multi-Cloud Governance and Strategy

Establishing a CCoE is a strategic initiative crucial for holistic cloud governance in complicated multi-cloud environments. This centralised hub, ideally staffed by a team of experts in areas like cloud architecture, security, compliance, and financial management, is pivotal in steering the organisation's cloud strategy. 

The CCoE's mandate should extend beyond mere oversight; it is instrumental in setting standards, enforcing best practices, and ensuring that multi-cloud operations align with the organisation's overarching objectives. Key functions include architectural guidance for optimised cloud infrastructure, rigorous security oversight, adherence to compliance norms, and vigilant cost management. 

Beyond its technical and strategic responsibilities, from our observations, the CCoE also acts as a catalyst for cultural transformation within the organisation, fostering an environment conducive to effective cloud adoption and utilisation. It undertakes the vital task of educating and empowering various teams, equipping them with the necessary resources and knowledge to leverage cloud technologies effectively. This not only accelerates the integration of cloud services across different departments but also ensures a unified and streamlined approach to cloud computing. 

2. Leveraging Microservices and Containerization for Enhanced Cloud Portability

The deployment of microservices architectures and containerisation represents a transformative approach in cloud computing, aiming to decouple workloads from their underlying infrastructure. This approach is pivotal in enhancing the flexibility and scalability of cloud services. By segmenting applications into smaller, independently deployable services (microservices), organisations can achieve a more modular and agile application structure. This modularity is crucial for quick updates and maintenance without disrupting the entire application and associated end-to-end journey. Additionally, containerisation encapsulates these microservices in standardised units, enabling them to operate seamlessly across different cloud environments.

This approach offers a strategic advantage in multi-cloud environments, where the ability to move workloads efficiently between different cloud platforms is essential. By abstracting the dependencies of the underlying infrastructure, microservices and containerisation facilitate smoother and more efficient workload portability. Organisations can avoid the time-consuming and resource-intensive process of rearchitecting applications for different cloud environments. Instead, they can focus on optimising their applications for performance and scalability.

3. Exploring Multi-Cloud Meshes: Simplifying Cloud Management with Unified Control

Exploring solutions like multi-cloud meshes marks a significant step forward in simplifying the management of complex cloud environments. Multi-cloud meshes are designed to abstract the underlying complexities of diverse cloud infrastructures, offering a streamlined and unified control plane for easier management. This technology is pivotal in addressing the challenges of operating across multiple cloud platforms, each with unique features and interfaces.

The key advantage of adopting multi-cloud meshes is their ability to facilitate seamless interaction between cloud services. This interoperability is crucial for organisations looking to leverage the unique strengths of various cloud providers without getting entangled in the intricacies of each platform. Multi-cloud meshes offer a cohesive overview and control of these disparate environments, enabling IT teams to deploy, manage, and monitor resources across different clouds from a single point of access.

4. Embracing Cloud-Agnostic Platforms for Unified Multi-Cloud Management

Adopting cloud-agnostic platforms is the best strategy for enterprises looking to manage their cloud resources more effectively across multiple environments. These platforms are designed to be independent of any specific cloud provider, offering a versatile and unified interface – often referred to as a ‘single pane of glass’. This approach provides a comprehensive view and control over resources scattered across various cloud services, regardless of their individual architectures or ecosystems.

One of the key benefits of cloud-agnostic platforms is the simplification of multi-cloud management. They enable IT teams to orchestrate, monitor, and manage their cloud infrastructure and services from a centralised dashboard, eliminating the need to switch between different cloud providers’ native management tools. This unified management approach not only saves time and reduces complexity but also enhances the visibility of resources and operations across all cloud environments. It facilitates easier deployment, scaling, and management of applications and services, ensuring consistency and compliance across the board.

5. Integrating DevSecOps and Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) for Streamlined Cloud Operations

Implementing DevSecOps workflows and Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) represents a pivotal shift in how cloud environments are managed, unifying and automating key aspects of IT operations. DevSecOps, a methodology that integrates security practices within the DevOps process, ensures that security is a fundamental part of the entire application lifecycle, from design to deployment. This approach minimises vulnerabilities and enhances compliance without sacrificing the speed and agility that DevOps offers. 

IaC, on the other hand, involves managing and provisioning infrastructure through machine-readable definition files rather than physical hardware configuration or interactive configuration tools. By adopting IaC, organisations can automate infrastructure setup, deployment, and management, ensuring consistency, repeatability, and rapid deployment across various environments.

The combination of DevSecOps and IaC enables teams to create a more robust and efficient workflow for cloud operations. DevSecOps brings security into the early stages of the development process, fostering a culture where every team member is responsible for security, thereby significantly reducing the risk of late-stage vulnerabilities. IaC contributes to this by providing a framework for automating the deployment and management of secure and compliant infrastructure. This unified approach streamlines the provisioning and management of cloud resources and ensures that these processes adhere to the highest security and compliance standards.


6. Optimising Cloud Workloads with Cloud Services Brokers for Enhanced Efficiency

Utilising cloud services brokers emerges as a strategic approach to optimise workload placement and cost efficiency dynamically across various cloud platforms. Cloud services brokers act as intermediaries that manage the use, performance, and delivery of cloud services and negotiate relationships between cloud providers and users. 

These brokers offer a unique value in the cloud ecosystem by providing expertise and tools to help organisations select the most suitable cloud services. They play a crucial role in assessing, aggregating, and integrating cloud services, ensuring that workloads are placed in the most appropriate cloud environment based on factors like cost, performance, compliance, and specific business requirements.

The dynamic nature of cloud service brokers allows for real-time adjustments and optimisation strategies. They provide an added intelligence layer, using analytics and machine learning to understand usage patterns and predict optimal workload placements. By continuously monitoring the cloud market for changes in pricing and services, these brokers can dynamically shift workloads between clouds to achieve cost savings and performance improvements.


7. Harnessing AI/ML for Advanced Cloud Optimization Through Monitoring Insights

Incorporating insights from cloud monitoring tools into artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) engines is an innovative approach to optimise cloud architecture and resource allocation continually. Cloud monitoring tools gather extensive data on cloud operations, including performance metrics, resource usage, and system health. Feeding this data into AI and ML algorithms enables a deeper analysis and understanding of cloud environments. These advanced technologies can identify patterns and anomalies that might be invisible to human administrators.

AI and ML engines can automate complex decision-making processes involved in cloud management. They can dynamically adjust resources in real-time, allocate computing power where needed most, and efficiently scale services in response to fluctuating demand. This level of automation and optimisation ensures that cloud environments are running at peak efficiency and are cost-effective and resilient to changing workloads.

Conclusion

Organisations can navigate the multi-cloud era smoothly and strategically with thoughtful technological harmonisation and cultural transformation. This clears the path to operate workloads intelligently across cloud boundaries while avoiding the pitfalls of spaghetti architecture. 

Though the cloud journey grows more intricate, a blend of architectural governance, cross-team collaboration, and cultural cohesion is a trusty compass. By fostering alignment, enterprises can architect for business agility without getting lost in a convoluted web of complexity. The cloud promises immense possibility - but only if the structures are in place to prevent multi-cloud sprawl.


REFERENCES
¹ https://www.hashicorp.com/state-of-the-cloud/2022
² https://devops.com/enterprises-face-growing-technical-debt/
³ https://www.flexera.com/blog/cloud/cloud-computing-trends-flexera-2023-state-of-the-cloud-report/