Milind Malthankar: Shaping the Future — Journey from Legacy Foundations, Micro Services to a Multi-Cloud First World

Micro Services to a Multi-Cloud First World

In today's rapidly evolving global market, attracting and keeping customers has become more challenging than ever. Customers now expect instant access, seamless experiences across multiple devices, zero tolerance for delays, and high standards for reliability, security, availability, and trust. At the same time, the explosive growth of global data—fueled by digital technologies, IoT devices, artificial intelligence, and cloud computing—is adding to the complexity. Businesses worldwide are navigating the dual pressures of rising customer expectations and escalating service delivery costs.

Malthankar states that "adopting multi-cloud infrastructure has become essential for organizations aiming to meet today's ever-changing global customer needs." he explains it in simple terms: "Think of multi-cloud as a team of clouds working together. Instead of relying on a single cloud provider, organizations tap into multiple cloud environments—public, private, or hybrid—and connect them so they function as one unified system. That means better flexibility, faster service delivery, and no vendor lock-in." Industry needs more experts like him, whose extensive experience includes modernizing numerous legacy systems, implementing microservices architecture, and leveraging cloud computing and multi-cloud infrastructure. His hands-on expertise and contributions to several prestigious organizations set him apart as a leader in this rapidly evolving domain.

Milind Malthankar
Milind Malthankar

He began his professional career in the early 1999s after earning a master's degree in computer science, during a period of rapid technological advancement and growing dependence on data for business strategy. With deep expertise in transforming monolithic applications into microservices architectures and leveraging the power of cloud computing and cloud infrastructures, he has guided numerous organizations in migrating from traditional on-premises infrastructure to the cloud infrastructure. He recalls, "During my time at John Deere from 2007 to 2014, as we worked to serve a global customer base, microservice architecture offered a much-needed relief from the limitations of monolithic systems. At the time, it felt like we had discovered a magical solution to our challenges." While that approach was effective then, he notes that today's customer demands have evolved significantly, requiring constant innovation and adaptation. While reflecting on his experience with microservice architecture, he expressed serious concerns about the complexities of data communication between services—highlighting issues around accessibility, reliability, resilience, fault tolerance, and the scale of data synchronization required. "It's easy to fall in love with microservices," he noted, "but having too many of them introduces significant challenges in maintaining data consistency."

Malthankar, a cloud technology strategist with over a decade of experience, noted that "One of the most complex aspects of cloud adoption is the migration of legacy systems—critical components that businesses depend on daily." He highlighted the common challenge organizations face in maintaining data synchronization across various cloud services. Drawing from his experience at Paycor Inc., he recounted a scenario where his team needed to integrate the company's flagship Human Capital Management (HCM) solution with third-party modules. To address the data synchronization issues, he proposed an innovative approach utilizing Azure infrastructure, including Event Grid, App services, Azure functions, and message queues, to ensure seamless communication between the systems.

Milind has leveraged his deep expertise in microservice architecture to deliver complex, high-profile, customer-centric applications throughout his career. He has contributed to major projects at companies such as John Deere, Thomson Reuters, U.S. Bank, Paycor Inc., and is currently making an impact at Covetrus Inc. "At Covetrus, I developed key components and deployed them to the cloud-based App Service infrastructure, which are now utilized by various teams across the organization," Malthankar shared. While he acknowledges that many organizations have adopted cloud computing as a solution, the growing global user base and rising customer expectations are introducing new and complex challenges. He emphasizes the need for a shift toward multi-cloud computing, stating, "It's time to move organizations to multi-cloud, as traditional cloud computing comes with many limitations." He explains that conventional cloud solutions often lead to vendor lock-in, limited data sovereignty and compliance, reduced flexibility and scalability, performance bottlenecks, latency issues, and a single point of failure, making them a significant bottleneck in today's fast-evolving digital landscape.

"When you combine microservices with multi-cloud, you're really unlocking the next level of agility and scalability," says Milind Malthankar, a seasoned expert in cloud architecture and enterprise transformation who's helped several global enterprises modernize their infrastructure. "Microservices, by design, break applications into smaller, independent services. Each service does one thing really well and can be developed, deployed, and scaled independently," he explains. "Now imagine running those services across multiple cloud environments—maybe your authentication service is on AWS, your payment gateway on Azure, and your analytics engine in a private cloud. That's the power of a multi-cloud."

While working with organizations to smooth their journey to adapt to multi-cloud infrastructure, he shares that "Interoperability is the biggest technical hurdle. Different providers have different APIs, data formats, and service models. Standardizing these interfaces without compromising security or performance is complex." "Multi-cloud adds complexity—but the payoff is huge," he says. "You're not locked into a single vendor, you get geo-redundancy, better performance by placing services closer to users, and you can optimize costs across providers. Plus, if one provider goes down, it doesn't take your whole app with it." He emphasizes that it's not just about technology, it's about strategy. "If you're building microservices today, you need to think cloud-agnostic. Multi-cloud gives you that flexibility. It's how modern apps stay resilient, scalable, and globally accessible."

He suggests that "organizations which are willing to adapt, should start small and focus on interoperability from day one. Choose partners who are committed to open standards. Also, invest in a robust governance framework to manage data sovereignty, security, and compliance. Most importantly, have a clear understanding of your data strategy—multi-cloud is a tool, not a solution in itself." "It sounds complex," he admits, "but with the right strategy and tools, it becomes a smart move. You're spreading your risk, improving performance, and meeting global customer expectations more effectively. It's no longer a luxury—it's a necessity."

He is passionate about sharing knowledge and mentoring others. He is currently serving as a judge for the Globee® Technology Awards, Artificial Intelligence Awards, Golden Bridge Awards, and Disrupter Awards. He has emphasized the unique opportunity to witness the creativity and impact of global nominees, which continually enriches his perspective on emerging technological advancements. He also serves on the editorial boards of several journals and organizations, such as the International Journal of Management & Information Technology, the International Society for Computer Science and Information Technology Research, and many more.

Looking ahead, Malthankar envisions a future where businesses no longer think in terms of a cloud provider, but rather a network of clouds working seamlessly together. "We're heading toward a cloud environment where applications, data, and services can move freely across providers and regions, driven by business logic, performance needs, and regulatory compliance." He believes that as AI, IoT, and edge computing continue to grow, multi-cloud will become even more critical. Enterprises will need the agility to deploy microservices at the edge, analyze data in real time, and maintain compliance across borders. A multi-cloud makes that possible. His outlook is clear: "The future is open, flexible, and interconnected. And multi-cloud is the bridge that will take us there."

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