In recent years, there has been a seismic shift away from traditional cloud models. Today, 92% of organisations are now using more than one cloud provider, ushering in the era of multi-cloud. Driven by the need for greater flexibility, resilience and performance, multi-cloud strategies offer undeniable advantages. However, they also introduce a new layer of operational complexity that many teams are not fully equipped to manage.
One of the most pressing challenges is the shortage of skilled cloud professionals. This talent gap not only exacerbates operational difficulties but also creates a bottleneck for innovation and growth. To succeed in this environment, businesses must shift their focus towards reducing their dependency on niche expertise and unlock the full potential of their cloud environments.
The skills imperative
Currently, cloud skills are rarely service-agnostic. The reality is that cloud computing has evolved into a multi-platform domain, far from the single-skill discipline it once was. Each major provider, such as AWS, Google Cloud or Microsoft Azure, offers its own unique set of tools, interfaces, compliance frameworks and security protocols. Navigating these differences requires a broad and deep skillset which is hard to find among talent to manage environments effectively.
The talent gap is significant. According to Manpower research, 76% of IT organisations report a shortage of skilled professionals capable of managing the growing complexity of multi-cloud environments. The consequences of this are serious, including slower innovation, increased risk of misconfiguration, and higher operational costs as teams struggle to maintain consistency and control. Additionally, when experienced employees leave, they often take critical knowledge with them, creating knowledge silos and gaps that are difficult to bridge.
This is no longer just a staffing issue; the accelerating pace of modern technology is outpacing the ability of businesses to adapt. The talent shortage has become a strategic risk that threatens the agility and resilience businesses need to compete.
Getting the most out of your cloud talent
Rather than competing in a tight talent market, businesses should focus on empowering the teams they already have.
This begins with reducing the technical burden of managing multi-cloud environments. Traditional setups often rely on a fragmented mix of tools and deep-platform expertise, which limits collaboration and creates silos. In many cases, businesses have engineers who are confined to working on isolated parts of the cloud stack, an approach that runs counter to how a “true” multi-cloud strategy should operate.
A “true” multi-cloud strategy should aim to simplify complexity. This means unifying management across providers and enabling in-house cloud engineers to work seamlessly across different environments. For businesses facing a shortage of cloud talent, this is a strategic imperative.
In practice, unified management means adopting low-code or no-code APIs that allow engineers to work in familiar formats, regardless of the underlying cloud provider. Since most businesses already use platforms like Google Cloud or AWS, a cloud-agnostic strategy should focus on integrating these services in a way that maximises the value of existing skills.
This strategic shift doesn’t mean lowering standards, it means raising the baseline so more team members can contribute to managing and optimising cloud infrastructure. By reducing reliance on niche expertise, businesses can democratise cloud operations, accelerate innovation and build resilience at scale.
Delivering on multi-cloud’s promise
The promise of multi-cloud is flexibility, cost-optimisation and resilience. But the reality is that many businesses are struggling to realise these benefits. The reality is that managing multiple cloud providers often leads to fragmented visibility, inconsistent governance and spiralling costs.
Each provider typically requires its own set of tools for networking, security and automation, each with its own distinct interfaces and steep learning curves. This complexity undermines the very advantages multi-cloud is meant to deliver.
A true multi-cloud strategy should simplify, not complicate. A cloud-agnostic approach achieves this by consolidating controls into a unified management layer. Centralising workloads across providers into a single interface is a key step in gaining clarity and control over your infrastructure. This simplification doesn’t just reduce errors and overhead, it equips businesses with the tools to scale. With unified tools, businesses can manage more infrastructure with fewer resources, optimise cloud spend more effectively and respond to changing needs with greater agility.
In an environment where IT increasingly underpins operational efficiency, simplification is no longer a “nice to have” but increasingly a competitive advantage.
Simplifying complexity
The IT talent shortage is a real and growing challenge, but it doesn’t have to be a barrier to cloud success. Businesses don’t need to wait for the perfect hire to move forward.
By simplifying stack management and embracing “true” multi-cloud strategies, businesses can unlock the full potential of their existing teams. The path to cloud success lies in simplifying complexity, not adding to it, so businesses can scale with confidence and agility.