What is Multi-Cloud?
Multi-cloud is a cloud computing model that describes the simultaneous use of IT services from various independent public cloud providers (such as AWS, Microsoft Azure, or Google Cloud) in an IT environment. It serves to select the most specialized solution for different workloads, optimize costs, or minimize dependence on a single provider (vendor lock-in).
Strategy and Concepts: Multi-Cloud vs. Hybrid Multi-Cloud
A multi-cloud strategy is a company’s targeted approach to distributing its digital resources across multiple cloud platforms. The goal is to increase resilience through redundancy or to maximize flexibility in the selection of software features.
This model is often extended to Hybrid Multi-Cloud:
- Definition: Here, a company combines the services of several public cloud providers with its own local infrastructure (private cloud).
- Function: Sensitive data often remains in the private cloud, while scalable computing power is flexibly sourced from various public cloud providers.
Why Multi-Cloud? Current Market Data
According to the Bitkom Cloud Report 2025, this approach has become the standard in the German economy:
The main reasons for this trend are the avoidance of downtime and access to “best-of-breed” technologies from various providers.
Multi-Cloud Governance as a Success Factor
An often underestimated aspect is the complexity of management. Experts advise investing early in Cloud Management Platforms (CMP). Without central control for security protocols and cost control across all providers, companies risk so-called “shadow IT” structures and exploding expenses.
