diff --git a/cmd/backend_flag_test.go b/cmd/backend_flag_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2147f8f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cmd/backend_flag_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,102 @@
+package cmd
+
+import (
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/spf13/viper"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/suite"
+)
+
+type BackendFlagTestSuite struct {
+	suite.Suite
+	originalBackend string
+}
+
+func (suite *BackendFlagTestSuite) SetupTest() {
+	suite.originalBackend = viper.GetString(BACKEND_NAME_FLAG)
+}
+
+func (suite *BackendFlagTestSuite) TearDownTest() {
+	viper.Set(BACKEND_NAME_FLAG, suite.originalBackend)
+}
+
+func TestBackendFlagTestSuite(t *testing.T) {
+	suite.Run(t, &BackendFlagTestSuite{})
+}
+
+func (suite *BackendFlagTestSuite) TestBackendFlagExists() {
+	flag := RootCmd.PersistentFlags().Lookup(BACKEND_NAME_FLAG)
+	suite.NotNil(flag, "backend flag should be registered")
+	suite.Equal("", flag.DefValue, "backend flag should have empty default value")
+	suite.Equal("backend name to use", flag.Usage, "backend flag should have correct usage description")
+}
+
+func (suite *BackendFlagTestSuite) TestBackendFlagConstant() {
+	suite.Equal("backend-name", BACKEND_NAME_FLAG)
+}
+
+func (suite *BackendFlagTestSuite) TestViperBindingForBackend() {
+	testBackend := "gcp-us-east1"
+	viper.Set(BACKEND_NAME_FLAG, testBackend)
+
+	result := viper.GetString(BACKEND_NAME_FLAG)
+	suite.Equal(testBackend, result)
+}
+
+func (suite *BackendFlagTestSuite) TestEmptyBackendFlag() {
+	viper.Set(BACKEND_NAME_FLAG, "")
+
+	result := viper.GetString(BACKEND_NAME_FLAG)
+	suite.Equal("", result)
+}
+
+func (suite *BackendFlagTestSuite) TestBackendFlagWithValidName() {
+	validBackend := "gcp-us-east1"
+	viper.Set(BACKEND_NAME_FLAG, validBackend)
+
+	result := viper.GetString(BACKEND_NAME_FLAG)
+	suite.Equal(validBackend, result)
+}
+
+func (suite *BackendFlagTestSuite) TestCommandsHaveAccessToBackendFlag() {
+	commands := []struct {
+		name string
+		cmd  interface{}
+	}{
+		{"IngestionKeyCmd", IngestionKeyCmd},
+		{"getDatasourcesAPIKeyCmd", getDatasourcesAPIKeyCmd},
+		{"DeployCmd", DeployCmd},
+	}
+
+	for _, tc := range commands {
+		suite.Run(tc.name, func() {
+			flag := RootCmd.PersistentFlags().Lookup(BACKEND_NAME_FLAG)
+			suite.NotNil(flag, "Flag should be accessible to "+tc.name)
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+func (suite *BackendFlagTestSuite) TestBackendFlagPattern() {
+	suite.Run("flag not set - should be empty", func() {
+		viper.Set(BACKEND_NAME_FLAG, "")
+		backendName := viper.GetString(BACKEND_NAME_FLAG)
+
+		if backendName == "" {
+			suite.Empty(backendName)
+		} else {
+			suite.Fail("Expected empty backend name when flag not set")
+		}
+	})
+
+	suite.Run("flag set - should use flag value", func() {
+		expectedBackend := "gcp-us-east1"
+		viper.Set(BACKEND_NAME_FLAG, expectedBackend)
+		backendName := viper.GetString(BACKEND_NAME_FLAG)
+
+		if backendName == "" {
+			suite.Fail("Should not be empty when flag is set")
+		} else {
+			suite.Equal(expectedBackend, backendName)
+		}
+	})
+}
diff --git a/cmd/login.go b/cmd/login.go
index a1b57df..1447fec 100644
--- a/cmd/login.go
+++ b/cmd/login.go
@@ -160,6 +160,11 @@ func fetchApiKey(tenantUUID string) (*auth.ApiKey, error) {
 }
 
 func selectBackendName(tenantUUID string, deployFlow bool) (string, bool, error) {
+	if flagValue := viper.GetString(BACKEND_NAME_FLAG); flagValue != "" {
+		// non-incloud architecture is deprecated, so explicitly provided backends are always incloud
+		return flagValue, true, nil
+	}
+
 	var err error
 	var auth0Token *auth.Auth0Token
 	if auth0Token, err = auth.LoadAuth0Token(); err != nil {
@@ -187,14 +192,17 @@ func selectBackendName(tenantUUID string, deployFlow bool) (string, bool, error)
 		return "", false, nil
 	}
 
-	backendId := ""
-	switch len(backendsList) {
-	case 0:
+	if len(backendsList) == 0 {
 		return "", false, ErrNoActiveBackends
-	case 1:
-		backendId = backendsList[0].Name
-	default:
-		backendId = ui.GlobalWriter.SelectPrompt("Select backend:", maps.Keys(backendNames))
+	}
+
+	if len(backendsList) == 1 {
+		return backendsList[0].Name, backendNames[backendsList[0].Name], nil
+	}
+
+	backendId := ui.GlobalWriter.SelectPrompt("Select backend:", maps.Keys(backendNames))
+	if backendId == "" {
+		return "", false, ErrExecutionAborted
 	}
 
 	return backendId, backendNames[backendId], nil
diff --git a/cmd/root.go b/cmd/root.go
index 36bd409..c9478be 100644
--- a/cmd/root.go
+++ b/cmd/root.go
@@ -33,6 +33,7 @@ const (
 	KUBECONTEXT_FLAG      = "kube-context"
 	HELM_RELEASE_FLAG     = "release-name"
 	CLUSTER_NAME_FLAG     = "cluster-name"
+	BACKEND_NAME_FLAG     = "backend-name"
 	SKIP_CLI_UPDATE_FLAG  = "skip-cli-update"
 	INSTALLATION_ID_FLAG  = "installation-id"
 	INVALID_TOKEN_MESSAGE = "Issue with authentication - try again to copy command line and rerun"
@@ -62,6 +63,9 @@ func init() {
 	RootCmd.PersistentFlags().Bool(SKIP_CLI_UPDATE_FLAG, false, "disable automatic cli update check")
 	viper.BindPFlag(SKIP_CLI_UPDATE_FLAG, RootCmd.PersistentFlags().Lookup(SKIP_CLI_UPDATE_FLAG))
 
+	RootCmd.PersistentFlags().String(BACKEND_NAME_FLAG, "", "backend name to use")
+	viper.BindPFlag(BACKEND_NAME_FLAG, RootCmd.PersistentFlags().Lookup(BACKEND_NAME_FLAG))
+
 	RootCmd.PersistentFlags().String(CLUSTER_NAME_FLAG, "", "cluster name")
 	viper.BindPFlag(CLUSTER_NAME_FLAG, RootCmd.PersistentFlags().Lookup(CLUSTER_NAME_FLAG))