What Is a Multi-Cloud Strategy?
A multi-cloud strategy is the practice of using cloud services from more than one provider – typically two or more public cloud platforms like AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, or Alibaba Cloud – to run different applications, workloads, or infrastructure components.
This approach differs from single-cloud and hybrid-cloud strategies. To help illustrate the difference:
| Strategy | Description | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single Cloud | Uses services from a single cloud provider. | Simplified billing and support. | Risk of vendor lock-in; limited flexibility. |
| Hybrid Cloud | Mixes public and private clouds (e.g., on-premises + AWS or Azure). | Keeps sensitive data private; flexible architecture. | More complex to manage and integrate securely. |
| Multi-Cloud | Uses services from multiple public cloud providers. | Best-of-breed tools; avoids vendor lock-in. | Requires more skill and coordination; potential cost sprawl. |
A multi-cloud strategy is becoming increasingly common. According to a 451 Research study by Oracle, 98% of enterprises are already using or planning to use services from at least two cloud providers, with nearly a third relying on four or more.
This shift is driven by evolving business needs – resilience, cost optimization, data sovereignty, and agility – and by growing concerns around putting “all eggs in one cloud basket.”
Why Multi-Cloud Matters to Your Business?
Multi-cloud is becoming a practical choice for Malaysian businesses navigating digital transformation, evolving regulations, and regional expansion.
Take a retail chain expanding across Southeast Asia. They might choose to store customer data on Alibaba Cloud for faster access in the region, while using Google Cloud to power AI-driven recommendation engines. A hotel group might run day-to-day operations on Microsoft 365 and Azure, but securely back up guest data to Druva or AWS S3. Manufacturers building smart factory setups could collect IoT data on Azure and process it with machine learning tools on Google Cloud.
Key Benefits & Challenges of Multi-Cloud Strategy
“Going Multi-Cloud” aren’t just tech decisions – they solve real business challenges. For example, some cloud providers offer better tools for meeting PDPA requirements and ensuring data stays within the region. This makes it easier for businesses to stay compliant with local regulations.
Reliability improves as well. When services are spread across multiple providers, operations can continue even if one cloud experiences downtime. Just as important, multi-cloud gives businesses the flexibility to avoid vendor lock-in, making it easier to renegotiate terms or switch providers as needs change.
At Callnet, we’ve seen this shift firsthand. Across industries – from logistics and retail to hospitality and manufacturing – Malaysian companies are adopting multi-cloud strategies. Many of our clients, though we can’t name them publicly, are making the move not just for resilience, but to stay competitive, agile, and ready for what’s next.
If this is your first time hearing about “multi-cloud,” here are three key benefits to keep in mind:
1. Redundancy and Disaster Recovery
Relying on a single cloud provider introduces a single point of failure. If that provider experiences an outage or service disruption, your operations may be impacted across the board. With a multi-cloud setup, backups can be replicated across multiple providers. Failover capabilities ensure that if one cloud fails, another can take over critical services.
2. Flexibility and Scalability
Every cloud provider excels in different areas:
- Azure integrates deeply with Microsoft 365 and enterprise identity systems.
- AWS offers powerful compute and serverless tools.
- Google Cloud shines in AI, machine learning, and data analytics.
- Alibaba Cloud provides strong performance and cost advantages across Asia.
- Druva adds SaaS-based backup capabilities to plug into any environment.
Multi-cloud lets you match the right workload to the right cloud, instead of forcing every application into a single platform. This enables faster scaling of services during high-demand periods and access to innovation across multiple platforms, not just one.
3. Reduced Vendor Lock-in Risk
A single-cloud strategy makes businesses highly dependent on one provider’s ecosystem, pricing model, and roadmap. This can be risky if the provider changes terms / pricing or that customer support in your region becomes subpar.
By adopting multi-cloud:
- Exit and migration become easier, with fewer dependencies.
- You maintain leverage in negotiations with cloud vendors.
- You’re not forced into a long-term ecosystem that may not serve your evolving needs.
Thinking about a multi-cloud setup but not sure where to start?
Building a multi-cloud environment that actually works — technically and strategically — requires more than signing up for multiple platforms.
Callnet Solution can help plan, configure, optimize, and support your multi-cloud deployments across all platforms.
What Are the Challenges of Adopting a Multi-Cloud Strategy?
The benefits of a multi-cloud approach are clear – but they don’t come without trade-offs. For all the flexibility and resilience it provides, a multi-cloud environment also introduces new layers of complexity that businesses must be prepared to handle.
This is where many hit a wall: they start with the right intentions but struggle with execution due to resource gaps, integration issues, or cost mismanagement.
Let’s take a closer look at the common challenges businesses face when adopting a multi-cloud strategy – and how they can be mitigated.
1. Complexity in Management and Integration
Managing multiple cloud environments requires a unified approach to governance, operations, and architecture. Each provider comes with its own tools, dashboards, APIs, and billing systems.
At Callnet, we often see businesses trying to adopt Azure, AWS, and GCP simultaneously without proper orchestration tools or policies in place. The result? Slow deployments, duplication, and frustrated IT teams.
Without the right management strategy, companies often end up with:
- Siloed environments that don’t talk to each other.
- Overlapping services and wasted spending.
- Operational inefficiencies due to inconsistent deployment pipelines.
2. Data Security and Compliance Risks
Multi-cloud environments multiply your attack surface. Each cloud platform has its own set of security tools, shared responsibility models, and compliance certifications.
The challenge lies in:
- Ensuring consistent security policies across platforms.
- Meeting PDPA requirements while managing cross-border data.
- Aligning with sector-specific standards like PCI-DSS or ISO 27001.
If even one platform is misconfigured, sensitive data could be at risk. For example, a company hosting customer data in Alibaba Cloud for local reach must ensure that their backup copies in AWS or Druva don’t violate regional data residency laws.
3. Potential for Increased Costs Without Governance
Ironically, one of the biggest benefits of multi-cloud – cost optimization – can turn into a major drawback if spending isn’t monitored. Without clear visibility and control mechanisms, businesses often experience:
- Unexpected charges from unused or underutilized resources.
- Duplicate service subscriptions across providers.
- Difficulty predicting and managing budgets due to different billing structures.
One client we assisted was paying for redundant storage services on both AWS and Azure simply because their internal teams didn’t realize they were using similar tools for the same purpose.
Bottom line?
Multi-cloud isn’t a set-it-and-forget-it solution. It requires intentional planning, hands-on expertise, and the right tooling. When done right, the challenges can be controlled – and the benefits fully realized.
What Are the Key Components of a Strong Multi-Cloud Strategy?
While the benefits of multi-cloud are clear, achieving them isn’t automatic. As many Malaysian businesses have learned, the real challenge lies in designing a strategy that’s not only technically sound but also aligned with business goals, compliance needs, and internal capabilities.
Instead of jumping into multiple platforms at once, successful companies take a phased and structured approach. That means defining your objectives, choosing the right mix of tools, and putting guardrails in place to maintain control over costs, security, and scalability.
Here’s a breakdown of the key components you’ll need to get right from the start:
| Component | What It Involves | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Cloud Provider Selection | Match workloads to strengths—e.g., AI with GCP, Microsoft stack with Azure. | Avoids forcing tools into the wrong environment and improves efficiency. |
| Interoperability | Use APIs, containers, and agnostic services that can run across clouds. | Enables flexibility and smooth transitions between platforms. |
| Governance & Compliance | Define access controls, data policies, and audit trails across platforms. | Ensures you stay aligned with PDPA and any industry-specific requirements. |
| Automation & Monitoring | Automate scaling, deployments, and incident responses using orchestration tools. | Reduces human error and provides visibility across environments. |
| Security by Design | Build in encryption, identity controls, backups, and endpoint protection early on. | Reduces vulnerabilities that arise from managing multiple platforms separately. |
How Can Real Businesses Use Multi-Cloud?
Not every business has the same challenges – so why should they rely on a single cloud provider? Multi-cloud gives businesses the freedom to mix and match tools from different platforms, tailoring each workload to fit their specific needs.
Let’s explore what this could look like for businesses across key Malaysian industries.
Retail: What if 99 Speedmart Used Different Clouds for Different Functions?
Imagine 99 Speedmart running thousands of daily transactions across its outlets. What if:
- Google Cloud Platform (GCP) powered its analytics engine to monitor stock levels, foot traffic, and promotions in real-time?
- Microsoft Azure handled its HR systems, scheduling apps, and collaboration tools for store managers?
- Druva silently backed up critical transaction data to the cloud, ensuring instant recovery if anything went wrong?
A setup like this could give them faster insights, smoother operations, and bulletproof backup—without being tied to one provider’s ecosystem.
Hospitality: What if Hotels Like Hard Rock Adopted a Security-First Cloud Mix?
Running a hotel isn’t just about guest bookings – it’s about handling payment data, staff coordination, and security across multiple branches. What if:
- Azure and Microsoft 365 took care of internal communication, event management, and real-time housekeeping updates?
- Sangfor’s firewall and security stack protected guest data, managed internet access across rooms, and ensured PDPA compliance?
With the right mix of collaboration tools and cybersecurity, hotels could improve both service delivery and digital trust without overbuilding their IT stack.
Manufacturing: What if Scientex Used Alibaba Cloud for Speed and Dell for Control?
Picture a large manufacturer operating plants across Malaysia, Vietnam, and Indonesia. What if:
- Alibaba Cloud powered its ERP systems and logistics tools to stay compliant and fast within ASEAN?
- Dell Technologies provided a secure hybrid infrastructure at factory floors, connecting machines to cloud analytics without compromising speed or uptime?
This kind of hybrid multi-cloud model could offer the best of both worlds: regional reach with tight control on the ground.
These what-if scenarios aren’t far-fetched – they’re practical starting points. The key is choosing the right cloud for the right job, and designing a strategy that balances performance, cost, and control.
Is a Multi-Cloud Strategy Right for Your Business?
If your business depends heavily on uptime, data privacy, or reaching users across regions, sticking to one cloud provider might actually limit your growth. A multi-cloud strategy allows you to take advantage of different platforms’ strengths while avoiding vendor lock-in.
You might be ready for multi-cloud if:
- You operate in a regulated industry like finance, healthcare, or education.
- Your business spans multiple countries or regions.
- You rely on cloud services for daily operations and can’t afford long downtimes.
- You’re looking to optimize costs by picking the best-value provider for each workload.
- You want flexibility to adapt, grow, or switch tools without being locked into a single vendor.
That said, it’s not all or nothing. Many companies begin with one cloud and evolve into a multi-cloud setup over time. The important part is having a plan – and (shameless plug) a partner who can help you execute it.
How Can Callnet Help Implement Multi-Cloud Strategies?
Callnet works with Malaysian businesses to turn cloud complexity into clarity. With hands-on experience across Azure, AWS, Google Cloud, Alibaba Cloud, Microsoft 365, and Druva – We help you go smart cloud.
Whether you’re starting from scratch or optimizing an existing setup, our team offers:
- Strategic planning based on your business goals and industry needs
- Security-first architecture using trusted tools like Sangfor, Veeam, Dell, and Druva
- Compliance-ready designs that align with PDPA and international standards
- Local consultation and support—we’re based here, and we understand the landscape
- Ongoing optimisation to track costs, performance, and usage across your cloud environments
Our role is to simplify the decision-making, handle the technical heavy lifting, and keep your IT team focused on what they do best.
To get started, contact Callnet Solution for a free consultation!
