In recent years, hundreds of thousands of businesses have migrated some or all their workloads to the cloud. Cloud migration delivers unparalleled accessibility and flexibility. But security and compliance concerns mean that certain workloads must remain on premises. Hybrid cloud solutions offer the best of both worlds.
Essential Definitions
- Public cloud – A cloud service managed by an outside vendor and shared by multiple organizations. Companies rent server space in one or more data centers and access data and resources over the internet. The vendor provides the equipment and manages the infrastructure.
Public clouds offer scalability, reliability, and lower capital expenses. However, the organization loses some control over cloud data security and pays more in operating expenses.
- On-premises private cloud – The equipment that makes up the cloud lives onsite, managed by in-house IT resources. Only one organization uses the data center, accessing the cloud via the internal network. Private clouds offer increased security and greater control than public clouds, but they cost more and require more resources.
- Hosted private cloud – A third-party vendor hosts and maintains the cloud infrastructure offsite, but servers remain dedicated to a single organization. This means increased security and scalability, as well as decreased capital expenses. But private clouds still increase operating expenses and require relinquishing some control.
- On-premises legacy system – Legacy systems involve a traditional data center rather than a cloud. The organization houses and maintains the infrastructure onsite. This offers control and security but reduced flexibility and accessibility. Like on-premises private clouds, it also proves costly and resource intensive.
- Hybrid cloud – A hybrid cloud includes a combination of one or more public clouds with one or more private clouds and/or on-premises legacy systems. An essential characteristic of hybrid clouds involves orchestration among the various environments, allowing for seamless connectivity.
Hybrid Cloud Delivers Greater Flexibility, Scalability and Business Continuity
Because a hybrid cloud offers a variety of computing environments with tight connectivity among them, it delivers several key benefits. Perhaps the greatest benefit involves flexibility. By using a mixture of public and private clouds, as well as on-premises data centers, companies can put workloads and datasets in the environment that makes the most sense.
For instance, the organization may keep sensitive data or mission-critical applications on premises for enhanced security, while moving less critical operations to a public cloud. And portability between environments means that the organization can easily move a workload from one environment to another as needed.
In addition to flexibility, hybrid cloud solutions offer near-instant scalability. This delivers particular benefits to companies that experience fluctuations in demand, such seasonal shifts for retail businesses. When the organization needs temporarily increased storage space or computational capacity, they can access that without over-provisioning onsite data centers.
With modern hybrid cloud architecture, portable workloads mean improved business continuity. For instance, when applications can run either on premises or in the cloud, the organization can avoid downtime in the event of a service outage or disaster.
Business Scenarios that Call for Hybrid Cloud Strategy
Hybrid clouds prove beneficial in several situations. As indicated above, they allow businesses to put data and workloads in the environment best suited for them, taking advantage of the benefits of each type of environment.
Also, hybrid cloud solutions allow organizations to migrate to the cloud gradually. Migrating to the cloud can prove complex and time-consuming. By migrating in stages, companies can determine over time which workloads work best in a public cloud versus a hosted private cloud or on premises.
For organizations that depend on big data analytics, hybrid clouds provide the ability to supplement on-premises capabilities with the increased processing power of the public cloud. And for industries that need to process data closer to the source, hybrid solutions facilitate edge computing.
Cloud Services Providers Ease Hybrid Cloud Deployment
Hybrid cloud solutions offer distinct benefits, delivering the agility and power that organizations of all sizes need to compete. However, deploying, securing, and maintaining a hybrid cloud solution can prove complex.
Working with a cloud services provider such as eMazzanti substantially eases the process. With extensive expertise in deploying cloud solutions and managing network security, our consultants will guide your organization through designing and implementing the optimal cloud solution for your business needs.
