How multi-cloud environments can offer increased flexibility and innovation

When I speak to business leaders these days, I very often hear concerns about how they can future proof their businesses against emerging technologies. This is an especially complex question because many of these companies are struggling to keep up with today’s digital needs. In addition to maximizing their ROI on investments, these business executives are tasked with improving their company’s performance in a competitive and dynamic marketplace.

One of the issues that often comes up is deciding on the firm’s enterprise architecture, and whether that will include a multi-cloud, hybrid, or single-cloud environment.

The use of a multi-cloud strategy can push a company toward digital transformation by matching providers with needs across both function and geography. At the same time, a multi-cloud plan can increase the complexity of a company’s network architecture and result in decreased productivity when the cloud strategy is not utilized properly.

To delve into these issues more deeply, I spoke with Evaristus Mainsah, the general manager at IBM Cloud Pak Ecosystem.

Hybrid multi-cloud, in which companies are operating multiple clouds and applications on premises, is most common today. Most often, clients want to know when to upgrade their legacy systems and how to deploy a multi-cloud system securely. They are looking for vendors that have the flexibility and access to technology to help them on the road toward a digital transformation.

We believe that security can facilitate cloud adoption by managing and storing data in a trustworthy fashion. At IBM, we use cutting-edge cryptographic technology that helps enterprises run core applications with single dashboard visibility and multi-platform portability. It also meets all government compliance standards. In addition, all the insights produced on the IBM cloud are the property of the client alone.

For more than 100 years, IBM has been building trust with its clients, and today is no different. Our commitment to responsible stewardship of data has earned us the trust of our customers.

We believe there will be three main trends in the years to come. First, 5G will allow more companies to adopt edge computing as part of their cloud architecture. The technology will also disrupt industries in a number of areas, from manufacturing to retail.

Second, we are seeing a movement toward solutions that are industry-specific. We believe that will continue, building on the momentum from the banking industry, where this is already taking place.

Third, open source software is allowing companies to modernize their network architecture and facilitate their move toward a hybrid multi- cloud. Open source technology promises that enterprises can innovate at scale and prevent lock-in with a single provider.

Our partnership represents a powerful combination. IBM contributes its multi-cloud platform while KPMG is a leader in helping clients make the best decisions for their particular business needs.

At IBM, we prioritize an open system. Our acquisition of Red Hat provides clients with the flexibility to choose the best architecture and apps for their workload requirements. Simultaneously, we partner with experts around the world to tailor the best cloud strategy for individual needs.

This article is based on an article published at KPMG global by Jens Rassloff,