As enterprises once again examine their internal IT roadmap, the reduction of their cost and risk remains paramount. In this context, hybrid cloud continues to provide the best option. With on-premise and/or a private/public cloud blend from multiple providers, hybrid cloud offers scalability with the flexibility to run workloads on premises or on the cloud and even switch providers. Furthermore, a hybrid approach enables the adoption of common management and software development capabilities across the environment.
Alongside this, a 2022 Flexera State of the Cloud Report states the primary reason for cloud adoption is access to data anytime from anywhere, with desktop virtualisation being key for companies with a widely distributed and remote workforce. There are numerous other reasons to adopt a hybrid cloud model, many of which we explore on our Your Infrastructure. Your Way. homepage. But to get you started, here are six of the best:
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.1. Agility that fosters innovation
- Responding automatically to demand fluctuations enhances the capacity for innovation and staying ahead of the competition.
- Speed to market is integral to a competitive edge in today’s breakneck business environment.
- Hybrid cloud helps increase this velocity by optimising performance and creating the necessary agility required to meet evolving business challenges.
- Hybrid cloud doesn’t limit businesses to private on-premise infrastructure. Workloads are easily expanded to facilitate faster test>prototype>launch cycles.
2. Scalability and control at every level
- Hybrid cloud provides greater control over data. As needs evolve and demand fluctuates, businesses can scale workloads accordingly.
- Hybrid also allows for increased automation through adjustable cloud settings able to respond automatically to shifts in demand, increasing performance and efficiency.
- When extra capacity is required, there’s no need to purchase new hardware or install additional features. A hybrid cloud provider’s data centre takes care of all maintenance. All that’s required is to make a request, and more or less capacity can be initiated in minutes.
- Alongside this lies the flexibility to select the optimal cloud environment (public or private) to run an application or workload. Say, public cloud for day-to-day data that’s not confidential, and private cloud for more sensitive and confidential files.
3. Reduced costs for the future and beyond
- Cost is a key factor for many. Hybrid cloud solutions not only deliver better security and control of data, but they also add a cost-effective way to scale operations to meet spikes in demand and easily accommodate long-term growth.
- Hybrid cloud allows for core, business-critical, and sensitive data to reside on private on-premises servers whilst offloading less sensitive data and applications to the public cloud.
- When demand spikes, hybrid cloud users can avoid large capital outlays to expand infrastructure and instead only pay for what they use. If demand levels out, costs mirror accordingly.
- End users don’t need to own all the essential pieces of the puzzle (secure data centre, servers to receive the data and virtualise, etc.). Decreased power, cooling and physical maintenance costs also contribute to cost savings.
4. Unobstructed business continuity
- In the event of a failure or disaster, business operations can continue as usual with minimal downtime or interruption.
- By improving business continuity, potential downtime reduces, again resulting in cost savings.
- The hybrid cloud backup process generates a local backup, and then a backup of the backup is replicated off-site. Data can also be replicated to two off-site locations.
- It’s also possible to keep specific data backed up in order to comply with government regulated standards (e.g., HIPAA, PCI, SOX). Clouds are constructed to meet the needs of these verticals. So if a local backup device is damaged or destroyed, files are located off-site and can be accessed with ease.
5. Improved support for modern working practices
- Hybrid cloud provides flexibility to support this workforce with on-demand access to data that isn’t locked to one central location.
- Hybrid cloud infrastructure allows for movement of core/sensitive data to private on-premise servers, whilst key applications and services remain available on the public cloud, accessible from anywhere with the correct and approved access.
- Hybrid cloud solutions allow for improved onboarding through interactive training sessions and real-time support. Microsoft Teams can be used to nudge recent hires throughout their training and remind them of all the reasons they joined.
- Hybrid cloud offers features previously only available to large companies, improves business communications, makes price points more accessible, and provides better access to the technology needed to collaborate with global partners and expand reach into the international arena.
6. Improved security and risk management
- Data control increases and security improves by reducing potential exposure.
- Data and workload storage can be selected based upon compliance, policy or security requirements.
- Hybrid environments also allow for standardised redundant cloud storage, an important aspect of disaster recovery and data insurance.
- Centralised management allows for strong technical security implementation measures — including access control, orchestration, encryption, automation and endpoint security — so risk can be managed more effectively.
Putting the theory into practice
To sum up, a hybrid cloud solution can help businesses realise their ambitions of expanding operations and improving outcomes. It helps to achieve these goals by simplifying working environments and increasing security within a budget-friendly framework that continues to generate cost savings over time.
To find out more about how a hybrid cloud can help your business evolve, visit the Your Infrastructure. Your Way. homepage and gain access to related resources or register for our upcoming in-person events.
