Why is interoperability a weakness in cloud computing?

• In cloud computing, interoperability means systems from different cloud service providers can work together and share data.
• Cloud interoperability is not only a technical issue, but also involves the ability to use management tools, server images and other software across platforms.

Interoperability in cloud computing is often seen as both a strength and a potential weakness. On the positive side, interoperability allows different cloud services and components to work together seamlessly, which is crucial for building efficient, flexible, and scalable cloud systems. However, the lack of standardized interfaces and APIs can also be a weakness, leading to vendor lock-in and difficulties in switching between cloud service providers or integrating disparate cloud services, which can limit flexibility and increase costs.

Interoperability in cloud computing

In cloud computing, interoperability refers to the compatibility and capability of system integration and data exchange between different cloud service providers. This issue mainly involves data formats, protocol differences, API compatibility, and security and privacy issues.

In order to achieve interoperability, some key steps usually need to be taken, such as choosing a unified cloud platform interface, using cloud service brokers and adapters, and developing a detailed migration plan.

Cloud interoperability is not only a technical issue, but also involves the ability to use management tools, server images and other software across platforms. This allows users to seamlessly use the same services and applications across different cloud providers and platforms.

However, achieving true interoperability remains a challenge as each vendor’s cloud environment may support different operating systems and databases.

Also read: 5 ideas from Sergey Gorbunov on blockchain interoperability

Reasons why interoperability is a weakness in cloud

Interoperability is indeed a key challenge and potential weakness in the cloud computing space. The reasons are as follows:

1. Lack of standardisation: Currently, there is no unified standard for cloud computing and different vendors have different solutions, which directly affects the interoperability between cloud computing platforms. This lack of standards leads to problems with data interoperability, security, reliability and availability.
2. Difficulty in system integration: Due to interoperability issues, organisations face difficulties in system integration, increasing IT complexity and costs. In addition, applications and data need to be adapted to new environments during migration and be compatible and interoperable with existing IT systems and applications.
3. Barriers to long-term adoption: Experts at the IEEE note that the biggest challenge to the long-term adoption of cloud computing services is not security, but rather cloud interoperability and data migration. This means that even if users have concerns about security, the more significant issue is interoperability between different cloud platforms.
4. Supply chain lock-in: The lack of interoperability in cloud computing also leads to the problem of ‘supply chain lock-in,’ where users may be limited by a particular vendor’s tools, processes, marketplace and software development platform. This lock-in makes it difficult for users to switch freely between different cloud platforms, affecting their flexibility and range of options.

Also read: The future of cloud computing: Exploring hybrid cloud

Practices or techniques to improve cloud server interoperability

The following practices and technologies are effectively improving cloud server interoperability in a multi-cloud environment:

• Use of standard APIs and technologies: To ensure portability and interoperability across different cloud providers, a multi-cloud strategy requires the adoption of standardised APIs and technologies.
• Cloud-native architecture: By adopting a cloud-native architecture, the strengths of each cloud provider can be leveraged and interoperability across cloud services can be achieved.
• Single-view cloud management platform: Using a unified cloud management platform simplifies management and monitoring by providing a single view of multi-cloud environments.
• Network tap and identity/privilege tap: Tap in network, identity and privilege to ensure interoperability for data access and traffic management.
• Data interoperability: The success of a multi-cloud strategy relies on the seamless integration of all systems, which should be able to communicate with each other through continuous and seamless data exchange.
• Container governance and resource optimisation: A cross-cloud strategy allows for interoperability across different cloud service providers, enabling broader resource coverage and efficient resource utilisation.

While interoperability is generally seen as beneficial to the cloud computing landscape, it does present challenges that need to be carefully managed. By understanding these challenges and leveraging the appropriate standards and tools, organizations can mitigate the risks and make the most of the flexibility and scalability offered by cloud computing.