Cloud solutions are getting popular with enterprises adopting modern cloud infrastructure to move from traditional systems to an agile structure. There are lots of benefits to adapting the hybrid cloud for entrepreneurs. Most of them already have their own private cloud networks, allowing them to collaborate easily, reduce storage costs, and enhance scalable capacity. Tech giants like Amazon, Google, Microsoft, and Oracle along with other small service providers are leveraging the cloud trend too, having built public cloud offerings.
In public cloud computing, service providers make resources like virtual machines, applications, storage, etc. accessible over the internet, offering services to multiple clients using the same shared infrastructure. Whereas in a private cloud, the services are offered behind a farewell, and the servers are exclusively used by an enterprise; information being accessible to its users only.
In the present times, enterprises are moving to a hybrid cloud model which is a combination of both public and private clouds. The hybrid cloud encompasses best features of both of these cloud environments. It promises the control and security of the private cloud and the flexibility and cost-effectiveness of the public cloud. Enterprises are considering the hybrid cloud as an essential and natural evolution from the traditional business models. According to Gartner, by 2020, 90% of organizations will adopt hybrid infrastructure management capabilities.
From affordability to agility, read on to discover why enterprises should adopt the hybrid cloud platform.
Affordability
As per IBM’s research, 54% of the executives consider lowered cost of technology as the reason for implementing the hybrid cloud. A public cloud tends to be more affordable than a private cloud, and hybrid cloud adopters can balance their needs to be cost-effective.
In the hybrid cloud, enterprises get an option to pay for only the extra cloud space used. There is no need to spend on massive infrastructure and employ maintenance staff. They can instead move some of their computing needs to the cloud. There is only a simple monthly fee structure associated, which proves to be cost-efficient. Enterprises can, therefore, adjust the size of their cloud services based on the demands of the customers or size of the organization rather than investing in maintaining an in-house system.
With less money spent on infrastructure, more funds can be used on the projects meant to take the business forward. As per a study carried out by IDG Research Services in conjunction with Dell EMC, 24% of executives could reduce their average IT cost due to hybrid cloud implementation.
Security
The major challenge facing enterprises with the public cloud is the security of their data and applications. There might be certain applications or some sensitive data requiring a high level of security. They can be stored in a private cloud while the public cloud can be used for added capacity when needed and to store information required for day-to-day operations. Data stays safe since it is hosted internally and accessed through encrypted means with complete data security.
The hybrid cloud, therefore, allows keeping customer data on a dedicated server, helping enterprises to leverage the high performance of the cloud along with ensuring an agile and secure environment.
Flexibility and Scalability
Data is easily available for access from anywhere in a public cloud. A private cloud, on the other hand, facilitates hosting security compliant applications. This ensures flexibility to enterprises looking for both security and mobility.
The hybrid model ensures portability – applications and data can be moved across clouds or your data center with minimum downtime and without causing disruption to employees or customers. The ability to move between the private and the public cloud easily makes this model preferable for enterprises, where they get an agile IT environment and benefits of both the worlds.
The hybrid cloud also offers an opportunity to scale out to a cloud environment for specific workloads. It allows enterprises to scale resources up and down as per their business requirements. They can add new hardware, software, and services whenever needed.
Agility
The hybrid cloud model is becoming the ultimate choice for enterprises looking to respond quickly to changing clients’ expectations along with meeting increased compute, networking and storage needs. It enables faster time-to-market for new products and services to attract customers. A hybrid cloud offers the architectural framework for a dynamic IT environment, allowing enterprises to easily handle unpredictable fluctuations in usage and optimize clients’ experience. In times of heavy usage, enterprises can utilize the public cloud to experience fewer outages and less downtime.
Innovation
Enterprises like having constant R&D to stay ahead of the competition. Conducting R&D, however, costs time and money and requires new IT infrastructure. Moreover, if your idea doesn’t succeed, your resources are wasted.
The hybrid cloud provides a platform where a completely new idea or service can be tested and experimented and then scaled if found successful. With the pay-as-you-go model and increased security, the hybrid cloud offers a perfect environment for testing without any need of arranging for computing infrastructure.
Connectivity
The public cloud sometimes faces the problem of network issues resulting in slow or poorly performing applications. This is specifically visible during peak traffic periods. Enterprises can leverage the private cloud to reduce the inconsistent performance of the public internet, which can lead to an improved user experience. For certain high-speed functions, apps can be run on the private cloud. The hybrid cloud, therefore, allows allocation of computing resources in a more effective way for better connectivity. It also reduces distance-based latency by ensuring that the infrastructure is delivered from users’ nearest location.
Analytics
The hybrid cloud environment is vital for an efficient strategy that needs different workloads and big data. Key business decisions based on analytics require collecting real-time data from multiple sources and different systems. To fulfill these real-time needs, enterprises require computing power and storage as per their exact needs.
Final Note
The hybrid cloud provides a competitive advantage to enterprises by empowering them to bring changes with agility and enhancing customer experience. However, before adopting the hybrid cloud, it is important to consider factors like individual usage requirements, the sensitivity level of your data, industry regulations, budget, etc.
An effective hybrid cloud strategy can help enterprises to decide which workloads and applications to move to the public cloud and save costs. The hybrid cloud can give your enterprise too an opportunity to innovate new functionalities and resources by striking the right balance between the on- and off-premise computing. One size does not fit all and the hybrid cloud with its ‘mix & match’ agility approach creates an efficient, modular and flexible IT system.
