Hybrid cloud deployments have become an increasingly popular choice among enterprises. According to MarketsandMarkets research, the hybrid cloud market is expanding at a 17 percent compound annual growth rate.What’s behind the popularity of the hybrid cloud model, which combines public and private cloud resources in the same environment? Does this setup really deliver the best of both worlds — the scalability of the public cloud with the control of a private deployment?
Some companies hesitate to bring public cloud resources into their IT mix, because they need to keep security operations in-house. Others worry that a hybrid environment will be more difficult to manage due to increased complexity and more infrastructure components. The primary benefits of hybrid cloud are interoperability between cloud types (23%) and the ability to move applications back and forth between clouds (16%), outranking cost (6%) and security (5%), according to IT leaders. — Nutanix, 2018. Here’s a closer look at what factors go into deciding whether hybrid is the best cloud setup for your business, as well as what combination of private and public resources might work for you.
What impacts the hybrid cloud mix?
Here are a few business issues that the hybrid cloud model is designed to address and how those considerations determine the correct hybrid cloud mix for each business.
- Capital expenses versus operating expenses
Public cloud helps with a shift from capital expenses to operating expenses. The public cloud provider takes on the responsibility of the underlying hardware, infrastructure and maintenance, while the business pays only for the service it requires. Conversely, there’s no need for a business to toss aside its own infrastructure investments. The hybrid cloud model helps a business use its existing infrastructure in support of a private cloud model.
- Security
Some business systems demand greater security than others. Systems of engagement, such as mobile apps and social media interactions, may demand less security and become candidates for public cloud platforms. Conversely, systems of record, such as billing, customer account data and research data, require heavier security. Private cloud platforms managed by internal resources may be the best option for these systems.
- Agility to explore and innovate
If your business has a development and test team, it may want public cloud access to quickly spin up and use computing resources for short windows. This agility allows for easy exploration without the expense of procuring private infrastructure. It also provides more freedom to innovate when the team knows resources can be spun up for development, but it can be taken down just as easily if the project doesn’t work as anticipated.
- Workload variability
The public cloud/private cloud mix inside a business also depends on workload and traffic variability. For example, if you run a retail business, traffic may remain steady on your site for most of the year but spike during holidays or sales runs. For this type of business, the ability to use public cloud to handle traffic spikes may be invaluable. A B2B business that only serves one geographic locale may have higher traffic during work days and business hours and experience little traffic, if any, at other times. With a predictable and steady workload, having a hybrid mix that favors private cloud may be the best option.
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How can hybrid cloud hosting help my business?
“91% of IT decision makers said that hybrid cloud is the ideal IT model, but only 18% said they actually use this model today.” — Nutanix. With a hybrid cloud, you get the best of both worlds. In addition to being better for your budget, you can also pick and choose the different aspects of each cloud option that works for your unique needs.
Depending on how much data you have and whether or not it is highly sensitive, you can make decisions that work for you and the growth of your business.
- Customization
One of the great things about hybrid cloud hosting is that you can choose how much space you will need in order to store customer data on a private server. At the same time, you can increase the space located on a public server, as well. If a corporation runs out of storage on a private server, it often has to invest in another, which runs up costs significantly. Hybrid cloud hosting allows you to avoid that spending by storing those files on a less-expensive, public server.
If your business happens to grow, then you can purchase additional space in the future.
- Encourage customer trust
Another reason why many businesses have looked to hybrid cloud hosting as an option is because of the fact that they are storing such valuable data. This can be especially true if your clients share personal information such as their credit card numbers, addresses, and Social Security numbers that could be devastating if compromised or lost. When you have a more complex firewall available through the private side of your hybrid cloud, you can rest assured that you don’t have to worry about a security breach and lose the relationships with clients you have worked hard to form.
- Simple management
Not all of us are tech-minded, and working with a variety of servers does require a little bit of expertise. However, a hybrid cloud typically does not require you to have an entire team to make sure everything is running properly. You might need only one or two people to monitor any changes in your private cloud or who need to be on call for any technical issues. This can potentially cost you much less than having a department dedicated to keeping your server online.
- Flexibility
The use of a hybrid cloud tends to be more flexible than choosing one type of server over another. This can be useful if you expect your business to go through any major changes or if you’re projected to grow within a few years. Having access to a private server can be ideal when you start to gain more customers and you need to be able to store more of their information, maintain any sensitive correspondence, and if your website needs to grow.
Finding what works for your business
The right mix of public and private infrastructure in a hybrid cloud environment depends on enterprise requirements. Companies with variable computing needs and traffic demands often do best with a higher proportion of public cloud, due to the scalability it offers. Startups that need to remain agile and quickly respond to fast-changing markets may also benefit from more public cloud resources. Meanwhile, enterprises in highly regulated industries, such as finance or health care, may lean more toward private cloud rather than public in order to maintain more control over security.
Finding out which model works best for your business requires thought and assessment. Security needs, business maturity and compute demands all play a role in deciding the correct mix of public and private cloud.
Is the hybrid cloud model right for your business?
Fortunately, this isn’t a question you have to answer alone. We can help you explore the right cloud mix for your business and help you learn about all the ways cloud computing can benefit your organization. With Redington cloud Solutions, start your seamless digital transformation journey with ease.
Talk to our cloud experts now to revitalize your business with the amazing benefits cloud has to offer.
