Crossprovider

Crossprovider is a term used to describe interoperability and collaboration across multiple service providers or cloud environments. It covers technologies, architectures, and practices that allow workloads, data, identities, or workflows to span more than one provider, rather than being confined to a single vendor.

In cloud computing, crossprovider supports multi-cloud strategies, enabling organizations to distribute resources across different clouds to reduce vendor lock-in, optimize costs, improve resilience, and meet regulatory or data residency requirements.

In identity and access management, crossprovider relies on federated authentication and authorization using standards such as OAuth 2.0, OpenID Connect, and SAML, enabling single sign-on and consistent access controls across provider boundaries.

In data and application integration, it involves connecting services through APIs, adapters, or integration platforms to move data or coordinate workflows across providers.

Common architectural patterns include federated identity architectures, API gateways and contracts, data format standardization, and event-driven integrations using messaging systems or service buses.

Benefits include increased resilience, flexibility, and access to specialized services, along with reduced vendor dependence. Challenges include security and governance, data privacy, compliance, performance, API compatibility, and cost management.

Examples include multi-cloud deployment tools like Terraform or Pulumi, which provision resources on multiple cloud providers; federated identity using OAuth/OpenID Connect for cross-provider SSO; and integration platforms that connect SaaS services across providers.