According to [[International Organization for Standardization|ISO]]/IEC 22123-1: "multi-cloud is a cloud deployment model in which a customer uses public cloud services provided by two or more cloud service providers". <ref>{{Cite journal |title=ISO/IEC 22123-1:2023(E) - Information technology — Cloud computing — Part 1: Vocabulary |journal=International Organization for Standardization |pages=2}}</ref>
Multicloud is the use of multiple cloud computing services in a single heterogeneous architecture to reduce reliance on single vendors, increase flexibility through choice, mitigate against disasters, etc. It differs from hybrid cloud in that it refers to multiple cloud services, rather than multiple deployment modes (public, private, legacy).<ref name=rouse>{{cite web|last1=Rouse|first1=Margaret|title=What is a multi-cloud strategy|url=http://searchcloudapplications.techtarget.com/definition/multi-cloud-strategy|publisher=SearchCloudApplications|access-date=3 July 2014|archive-date=5 July 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140705144927/http://searchcloudapplications.techtarget.com/definition/multi-cloud-strategy|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=king>{{cite web|last1=King|first1=Rachel|title=Pivotal's head of products: We're moving to a multi-cloud world|url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/pivotals-head-of-products-were-moving-to-a-multi-cloud-world/|website=ZDnet|access-date=3 July 2014|archive-date=4 July 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140704070709/http://www.zdnet.com/pivotals-head-of-products-were-moving-to-a-multi-cloud-world-7000030737/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>[http://www.groovypost.com/reviews/multcloud-manage-multiple-cloud-accounts/ Multcloud manage multiple cloud accounts] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230117181025/https://www.groovypost.com/reviews/multcloud-manage-multiple-cloud-accounts/ |date=2023-01-17 }}. Retrieved on 06 August 2014</ref>
