A hybrid cloud allows organizations to unify private, public, and on-premise cloud infrastructure, creating an optimal IT configuration. There are several benefits enjoyed from implementing this modern system in your business. In this article, we’ll provide a detailed hybrid cloud definition, the benefits of using a hybrid cloud, why you should introduce it to your business, and more.
A hybrid cloud provides a flexible, cost-optimal, and single IT infrastructure by combining on-premise, public, and private cloud services. It integrates these three functions and creates a distributed computing environment for organizations to utilize the most appropriate computing model.
You should consider hybrid multi-cloud when using more than one cloud service provider. It helps companies achieve their business and technical objectives more effectively by:
Enabling companies to combine the best cloud services and functionality from different providers
Allowing enterprises to assign specific cloud computing environments for the different workloads
Enabling organizations to transfer workloads between private and public clouds depending on the current situation
There are two variants of the Hybrid Cloud configuration; traditional and modern architecture. The conventional architecture focused on transforming significant portions of an organization's on-premise data to a private cloud before connecting it to a public cloud environment. AWS, Microsoft Azure, and IBM Cloud are good examples of standard off-premises public cloud providers.
The traditional hybrid architecture achieves this by using sophisticated enterprise middleware and prepackaged hybrid solutions to unify management tools for monitoring and integrating cloud resources across all environments.
The resulting IT infrastructure was ideal for several uses, and they are:
Security and Regulatory compliance
Scalability and resilience
Rapid adoption of new technology
Enhancing legacy applications
VMware migration
Cost-saving and resource optimization
Modern hybrid cloud architecture focuses more on supporting portable workloads across your cloud environments and less on physical connectivity. It also emphasizes automating workload deployment to the best cloud environment depending on the business situation and objectives.
Several trends contribute to the shift from traditional to modern hybrid cloud architecture. Organizations are now confident in digital transformations to leverage cloud-native technologies by modernizing legacy applications and building new applications. These native technologies enable the consistent and reliable deployment, development, management, and performance across cloud environments and vendors.
Since public and private clouds no longer have physical addresses to connect to, companies continue to embrace modern hybrid architecture. Most cloud vendors now host their client's data in off-premises data centers on virtual private clouds or virtual private networks. These firms can also rent and use dedicated infrastructure from third-party providers.
Modern hybrid cloud infrastructure guarantees you the ideal IT infrastructure that supports unified hybrid multi-cloud environments by:
Supporting development and deployment of cloud-native applications across the different cloud types and vendors
Providing a single operating system to work across all environments
Featuring a container orchestration platform to help automate application deployment across different cloud environments
The public cloud uses the internet to deliver cloud computing and shares it across organizations, while the private cloud is dedicated to your organization. Using a hybrid cloud allows your company to leverage both private and public clouds in your functions, improving efficiency.
The total ownership cost for your IT infrastructure is a significant consideration in most companies. Using a private cloud reduces the TCO significantly without compromising the efficiency of your workload. They also deliver explicit functions not available on public cloud providers.
Cloud vendors host private clouds in an on-site data center or one rented from a third party to create an organization-specific environment. This infrastructure allows you to intervene promptly when the time comes by providing more control over your data and infrastructure. You become more equipped to use advanced analytics to predict future events, making it easy for your IT department to monitor application deployment.
The level of customization offered by private clouds is another significant benefit. The technical and business requirements vary with every interaction and depend on business objectives, company size, and the industry. Private clouds allow organizations to choose systems that meet their individual needs by focusing on infrastructure aspects like network characteristics and specific storage.
The difference in security features offered by private clouds is more significant than that of their public counterparts. The configuration provides access to the data stored and managed by the servers for your company only, significantly improving data privacy. If your servers are on-site, the internal IT team is enough to handle your servers.
You will not find public cloud services everywhere because the infrastructure is limited to specific regions. In some areas, it is practically impossible to access public cloud services, making the private cloud the best alternative. A private cloud also proves effective for businesses with branches worldwide.
The most significant benefit of the public cloud is it offers an excellent opportunity for businesses to scale up their infrastructure and processes. It allows firms to increase or decrease resources automatically and effortlessly, depending on the dynamic business needs and market conditions.
The public cloud makes it easy for companies to back up their data, applications, and other resources across different regions. The vendors offer automated disaster recovery services to deliver geographic diversity and redundancy, supporting compliance strategies and business continuity.
Companies managing their infrastructure require larger staff, resulting in higher employee costs. However, the public cloud allows automation of time-intensive and error-prone functions in the firm, and management is the vendor's role. It becomes easy for businesses to programmatically scale applications, deploy resources and adapt capacity without compromising the IT function.
Switching from on-premise data handling to public cloud infrastructure significantly reduces costs. Your business eliminates all charges related to hardware maintenance, storage, networking, software licenses, and other expenses. Most vendors also offer a pay-as-you-go package that allows you to pay only for the resources you need.
Compromised Data Security- You have less control over the security of your data since you never know under what restrictions your data is operating.
Price- The more you scale your business performance, the higher your operational cost-per-hour expenditure rises.
Higher Costs- The initial charges for the private cloud are relatively higher, as you will need to repay the purchased equipment costs.
Less Flexibility- It becomes more challenging to handle the ever-changing business needs as you scale your business.
One reason for the popularity of hybrid cloud infrastructure is that you can access company data anywhere at any time. Companies with a global and remote workforce view desktop virtualization as a critical advantage, hence the need to use a hybrid cloud. This infrastructure gives businesses the flexibility to give remote employees access to on-demand company data.
Companies that want more security for their data through a cost-effective method of operations should consider a hybrid cloud infrastructure. It allows firms to house their business-critical, core, and sensitive information on private servers. You can also offload the less-sensitive data and applications to the public cloud.
A hybrid cloud model allows your organization to automatically respond to demand changes, which is a critical factor in competition and innovation. It optimizes IT performance and provides the needed agility to meet the changing business demands, helping you increase your marketing speed.
You are guaranteed premium control over your company data by using a hybrid cloud infrastructure. By reducing the potential exposure of your data to unauthorized individuals, the infrastructure improves security.
Switching to a hybrid cloud infrastructure is one of the best decisions a company can make. The infrastructure exposes your business to several advantages, improving efficiency and productivity in different functions and processes.
Companies should consider switching to hybrid clouds once they observe their current system cannot keep up with the changing business needs. Instead of sticking to one environment for all your workloads, why not upgrade and use specific settings for specific workloads?
Companies also find switching to hybrid cloud solutions is an effective way to maintain a competitive advantage and remain in the industry. If you notice your firm lagging, it is time to switch to a hybrid cloud.
If your workloads are constantly changing: It allows you to dedicate dynamic workloads to the public cloud and use the private cloud for more sensitive workloads.
If your business processes big data: A hybrid cloud allows you to use a private cloud to guarantee data security on company data, while public cloud resources focus on running some big data analytics.
If you want to modernize your IT infrastructure: A hybrid cloud provides you with an opportunity to utilize the different IT environments, which is a trend embraced by most companies to gain a competitive edge in the modern industry.
If you want to experiment with the cloud: There are many advantages to hybrid cloud, and you can only get firsthand experience by implementing it in your operations.
If you want flexibility for the future: A hybrid cloud infrastructure allows you to match data management requirements with the ideal environment for satisfactory results.
Businesses that use a hybrid cloud infrastructure are better positioned for growth and improved efficiency in their processes. The configuration allows your business to easily switch between private, public, and on-premises clouds depending on your data management requirements.
Veritas is a hybrid cloud data service that effectively meets the demands of modern workloads and traditional applications. Trust that Veritas can help you realize the full potential of your hybrid cloud solutions by simplifying data complexities that stunt productivity.