The work environment has changed significantly over the past decade. Almost every solution and service is connected via the internet and is cloud-based, offering better connectivity and performance while decreasing downtime.
However, the more cloud-based solutions are incorporated into a network, the more complicated it becomes to manage and secure the network and cloud applications.
These challenges affect many aspects of the network environment, including deploying new applications, provisioning, and operations.
It is important to understand the challenges of this environment so you can avoid them in your network.
Coeo understands how important reliable network connectivity and performance are and has delivered thousands of solutions to organizations and has helped them manage their solutions to avoid significant network downtime.
By the end of this article, you will understand the challenges of the multi-cloud network environment and how to avoid them from affecting your network.
The main challenges with the multi-cloud network environment
The cloud network environment has become a popular trend over the last few years and has improved the network and application performance of organizations.
However, there are some challenges with the multi-cloud network environment that organizations need to manage. These challenges include:
Reduced visibility and difficulty securing the network
With so many different cloud-based applications, it can be difficult to have visibility into the network. The different solutions and services incorporated into your network often reduce visibility and as a result, lead to a reduction in security.
In addition to the various solutions and services creating visibility challenges, using different providers can cause issues viewing the network because of the different access controls that vary between providers.
Your organization's team can have difficulty viewing the network and setting the proper security rules which can affect your network security.
It is important to be able to view your network and manage the security so you can avoid cyberattacks and data breaches.
Difficulty managing compliances
Organizations in a variety of industries have network compliances that they must follow to avoid penalties or other legal consequences. For example, all healthcare organizations must comply with HIPAA policies to avoid a host of legal consequences.
Using solutions and services incorporated into your network from different providers can make it difficult to secure your network and comply with the policies and regulations placed on your network.
Since every provider is different your organization needs to understand how these services and solutions integrate.
This will enable you to understand how the movement of data from one service to another affects the data so you can determine whether these solutions and services will allow you to remain compliant with the policies and regulations required in your industry.
Cost management
Having multiple cloud solutions and services from different providers can make it difficult to manage the costs of these solutions and services.
Since the cost for each solution and service is likely unbundled and different across all providers, it can be difficult to keep track of these expenses which can lead to a larger expense each month.
Different Service-Level Agreements (SLAs)
Service-Level Agreements (SLAs) are a legal contract that defines the service level that is expected from a provider.
These agreements outline the metrics by which the service is measured and the consequences that occur when the agreed-upon level of service is not met.
However, if your organization has different SLAs across multiple providers, there may be different levels of service requirements across each solution or service.
These different restrictions and service levels will likely result in inconsistencies in network performance and security.
If you would like to speak with our team to learn more about the problems of the multi-cloud network environment or ask any questions you may have you can schedule an appointment.
How SD-WAN can help avoid the challenges of a multi-cloud network
Now you understand the potential challenges of a multi-cloud network. However, it is also important you understand how to avoid these challenges so they do not affect your network.
Installing an SD-WAN solution can help your organization deal with some of the challenges of the multi-cloud network.
SD-WAN is an overlay network that is built on top of underlying network connections. Since SD-WAN is an underlying network, it is flexible when it comes to what the underlying connection may be whether it’s fiber, LTE, or broadband.
Because of this flexibility, SD-WAN enables you to manage your network while still using other carriers regardless of who delivers your SD-WAN solution.
This means that if your organization is looking to install an SD-WAN solution you can do so by connecting it to other carriers incorporated into your network infrastructure.
This provides your organization with flexibility and gives you full control over the vendor you want to use.
Additionally, SD-WAN is a flexible solution that enables you to customize it to your organization’s needs.
Flexible SD-WAN providers enable you to see metrics inside your network that alert you when your network is down. This allows you to see what services within your network are working properly and which are not.
Additionally, not all services have 100% uptime. However, with SD-WAN, you can have a backup connection to avoid as much downtime as possible.
For example, if an organization has a broadband connection, and the connection goes down, they can have an LTE backup to activate and direct traffic through to ensure network uptime.
Next steps to improving your multi-cloud network environment
Now you understand the main challenges with the multi-cloud network environment and how installing an SD-WAN solution into your network can help you address those challenges.
This will help you determine whether an SD-WAN solution is the best choice to avoid challenges with your multi-cloud network environment.
Organizations can’t operate effectively with network connectivity issues that result in network latency and decreased employee productivity.
While the multi-cloud network infrastructure is often a good solution to improve network performance, it can also be difficult to view the network.
Coeo understands how important reliable network performance and visibility are and has delivered thousands of network solutions such as SD-WAN to improve network visibility and performance.
We want you to understand the drawbacks of the multi-cloud network environment and how SD-WAN can help address these issues to determine whether it is a good choice for your organization.
If you would like to speak with our team to learn more about the problems of the multi-cloud network environment or ask any questions you may have you can schedule an appointment.
Now that you understand what the main challenges are with the multi-cloud network environment and how SD-WAN can help improve and avoid these issues, read this article to understand more about how SD-WAN helps with disaster recovery:
