Cloud computing may have been around for several years, but many enterprises are just now starting to realise the existence and benefit of a hybrid cloud environment. Since the late 2000s, hybrid cloud computing has been growing in popularity, and for good reason—it provides the best of both a private and public cloud structure by allowing data and applications to be shared between them.
Move to a Hybrid Cloud Environment
Hybrid cloud environments also offer best-in-class security, scalability, flexibility, and customisation. When computing and processing demand fluctuates, hybrid cloud computing enables enterprises to scale their on-premises infrastructure up to the public cloud so that any overflow can be handled without giving third-party datacentres and hosts access to their data.
Why Move to a Hybrid Cloud Environment?
In short, hybrid cloud computing gives enterprises the flexibility and the computing power of the public cloud for basic tasks, while keeping business-critical applications, data, and information on-premises in the private cloud. Here are three reasons why you should consider moving to a hybrid cloud environment:
1. They are more affordable
Hybrid cloud environments are now more affordable than ever. They are able to take advantage of existing infrastructure, meaning businesses do not need to spend as much money upfront. When creating a hybrid cloud environment, it is possible to use the public cloud for applications like data storage while simultaneously keeping the company’s more sensitive computing needs in-house.
Using a hybrid cloud environment also eliminates the need for businesses to make huge capital expenditures to handle short-term increases in demand because it can be scaled up or down in response. With a cloud environment, you only pay for what you use instead of having to foot the bill for a full service that may eventually remain idle, becoming a money sink.
2. They are more flexible
Although businesses that use traditional computing and storage solutions may have complete and unfettered control over their systems, this level of control comes with a price. Maintenance obligations, operating costs, security considerations, and day-to-day management all come into play. Furthermore, scaling and updating these systems can be expensive and time-consuming, and this can lead to an attitude of “We’ll do it later!” when it comes to implementing critical updates and patches — this puts assets at risk.
In contrast, cloud environments are highly scalable and are maintained offsite by a third-party. So, mixing the security and stability of in-house solutions with flexible and scalable third-party cloud servers means that businesses get the best of both worlds and do not have to worry about managing everything in-house.
3. They are more secure
Hybrid cloud environments are a great way to combat the inherent security vulnerabilities of public cloud services. Although public cloud services are getting more and more secure by the day, they are not bulletproof and there is still a heightened chance of a security breach when compared to in-house IT infrastructure.
With a hybrid environment, the mixture of local and public solutions means that compliance issues and performance requirements can be met while still getting some of the benefits of a cloud environment.
And on the subject of security, while public cloud providers do offer enterprise-level security, this does not absolve customers entirely from their responsibility to protect their own data, enforce access control, and educate those using it. Many customers do not understand this and instead believe that it is the responsibility of cloud providers to take care of security – it is a shared responsibility.
Hybrid Cloud Computing — The Best of All Worlds
Moving to the cloud from an in-house IT infrastructure does not mean relinquishing total control of your environment. And when you move to a hybrid cloud environment, you get the best of both worlds — all the benefits of cloud computing with the lowest possible risk of data exposure by mixing assets between the public and private cloud.
