Multicloud has a unique set of challenges, opportunities and considerations. With so many complexities to navigate, companies are seeking a seamless multicloud management experience. To explore this topic, Dell Technologies held a panel with Tracy Woo, Senior Analyst at Forrester Research and Jose Mourao, IT Director, Martin County, Florida, to hear about their experience in the field. Elizabeth Carbone, APEX Product Marketing Manager at Dell Technologies, led the conversation to uncover more about the key happenings in modern multicloud and predictions for what’s to come in 2023 and beyond.

Tracy set the stage about the need for multicloud management by sharing findings from a recent Dell-commissioned Forrester Study, Unified Consoles Create a Seamless Multicloud Management Experience. Here are some of the memorable moments from the discussion.

Cost and Security at the Forefront of Transformation

There are numerous multicloud challenges that companies are maneuvering, with security, cost and integration being three prominent ones. In the newly released Forrester report, more than half of respondents cited security challenges and high cloud costs as very challenging to grapple with. During the webinar, the participants discussed ways companies are trying to maximize their cloud resources, while also safeguarding their environment from security risks. And security is a top priority for Dell customer Jose Mourao. Jose highlighted the need for a secure infrastructure solution to power Martin County’s sensitive tax collector data – a solution Martin County found in Dell’s APEX Private Cloud. Organizations will continue to look for ways to streamline their multicloud operations and reduce risk in the future.

Driving Seamless Multicloud Strategies

As users juggle multiple clouds and workloads, there is a strong need for centralized cloud management. For many companies, operating on a single cloud was the first step. As the focus shifted to multicloud, organizations face mounting complications with implementation, delays and integration issues. It’s not surprising, then, that third-party cloud management consoles are seeing an uptick in adoption. Selecting a third-party solution is growing in popularity, with significant projected growth during the next two years. The Forrester study found that 83% of decision-makers agree that adopting a single, unified console to manage their organization’s cloud and IT services in one place would help them achieve their business outcomes better.

Companies are taking a close look at where to place their workloads in the face of myriad considerations. Costs, business objectives, performance and compliance all play a major role in developing the right multicloud mix. As companies look for efficiencies wherever possible, some may opt to spread their data layer across multiple clouds for a mixing and matching of best features from different cloud providers to implement a “best of” scenario while striving for consistency across their clouds.

A Look Ahead

Moving forward, the panelists agreed the shift from single cloud to multicloud by intention is a growing strategy. Integration with multiple systems is paramount, as 85% of firms say they’ll implement multicloud in the next 12 months.

The Dell APEX portfolio is multicloud by design and delivers the public cloud agility users love and the private cloud control companies need – all based on the industry-leading technologies you trust to drive your business.

Tune in to the replay or visit the Dell APEX website to learn more.