Multi-cloud architecture: patterns that work and lock-in traps

Reasons that hold up

• A regulator or customer requires a particular provider or region.
• One provider offers a service you genuinely need.
• An acquisition left you with two clouds.
• You want a real exit option for a critical workload.

Patterns

• Workload per cloud: each application runs on one cloud, chosen for fit. Simple, and the most common.
• Portable core: containers and open standards for the parts you may move.
• Active-passive recovery: a second cloud holds backups or a standby.

Lock-in traps

• Building on a proprietary service without an exit plan.
• Data that is cheap to enter and costly to leave.
• Team skills spread too thin across providers.
• Treating “portable” as free; abstraction layers have a cost too.

A decision test

For each dependency, ask what it would cost and how long it would take to replace. Accept lock-in knowingly where the benefit is high, and avoid it where the exit cost is out of proportion.

IICTP is a new independent credential and is not ISO/IEC 17024 accredited.