Large enterprises are increasingly adopting a multi-cloud strategy, collaborating with multiple providers such as AWS, Microsoft and Google Cloud. Partnerships advertised as exclusive are often not sustainable, reflecting the trend towards diversifying the risks and rewards of cloud services.
Major cloud providers such as AWS, Microsoft, Google and Oracle often announce exclusive partnerships or designate companies as “preferred public cloud providers”. However, these announcements often conceal a different reality, where large enterprises favor a multi-cloud strategy.
It's common for companies to announce partnerships as exclusive, but these alliances are often not as long-lasting as they appear. For example, in 2018, Open Bank de Santander announced that it was fully committed to AWS, but five months later, it called Microsoft a preferred strategic supplier. Another example is Salesforce, which used both AWS and Google Cloud for its services.
These partnerships, although sometimes temporarily exclusive, are designed to attract large reference customers and increase the credibility of cloud providers. Oracle, for example, is seeking to make a name for itself in the cloud sector by forging alliances with companies like Zoom, despite their simultaneous use of other providers such as AWS.
The trend towards the multicloud is gaining strength. According to a report by Flexera, 93% of companies with over 1,000 employees are now using a multicloud strategy, often combining a hybrid cloud with several public cloud providers. This enables companies to diversify their risks and benefit from the specific advantages of each provider.
Companies like ABB, the Swiss multinational, are adopting this strategy by collaborating with Google Cloud, having already integrated Microsoft Azure and Salesforce. Other examples include Volkswagen and Novartis, who use both AWS and Azure for their industrial and research needs.
Exclusive partnerships in the cloud world are often more strategic than exclusive. Large companies are increasingly adopting a multi-cloud approach, choosing multiple providers to meet their specific needs, enhance their flexibility and diversify their risks.
Source : ICTjournal
