Hybrid cloud is a solution that combines a private cloud with one or more public cloud services, with proprietary software enabling communication between each distinct service. A hybrid cloud strategy provides businesses with greater flexibility by moving workloads between cloud solutions as needs and costs fluctuate.
Hybrid cloud services are powerful because they give businesses greater control over their private data. An organization can store sensitive data on a private cloud or local data center and simultaneously leverage the robust computational resources of a managed public cloud. A hybrid cloud relies on a single plane of management, unlike a multi-cloud strategy wherein admins must manage each cloud environment separately.
Uniform management of public and private cloud resources is preferable to individually managing cloud environments because doing so reduces the likelihood of process redundancies. Separately managed environments increase the risk of security loopholes if each solution is not fully optimized to work with the others.
Hybrid architecture best practices eliminate many security risks by limiting the exposure of private data to the public cloud.
Hybrid cloud infrastructure generally includes a public infrastructure as a service (IaaS) platform, a private cloud or data center and access to a secure network. Many hybrid models leverage local area networks (LAN) as well as wide area networks (WAN).
Businesses adopting a hybrid strategy typically start with an IaaS solution and extend functionalities to the private cloud. To deploy a hybrid strategy effectively, the public and private clouds must be compatible with each other so they can communicate. In many cases, the private cloud is constructed to be compatible with the public solution..
In recent years, IaaS providers such as Amazon, Google and Microsoft have made it easier for businesses to connect their local resources to a public cloud solution. Application programming interfaces (API) improve native interoperability between services. Additionally, hybrid architects may deploy a hypervisor layer to generate virtual machines that connect to the public cloud via another software layer responsible for orchestration among cloud environments.
Hybrid cloud benefits
The benefits of a hybrid cloud strategy stem from the solution’s ability to give IT leaders increased control over their data. Essentially, the hybrid model provides the business with multiple options so that stakeholders can pick an environment that best suits each individual use case.
Most businesses do not utilize the same level of computation power every day. In fact, an organization may find that its resource needs only balloon during one specific time of year. For instance, a health insurance application may need double the computing power during open enrollment. Rather than paying for those additional resources to sit idle for most of the year, an organization can save on costs by extending their private resources to a public cloud only when necessary.
A hybrid model requires much less space on-premises compared to a strictly private model. A business can deploy a private network on-site to handle internal needs, then automatically extend to the private cloud when computational resources exceed local availability. This model can benefit startups that can’t afford to invest in a huge private data center as well as established enterprises that need to scale in a cost effective manner.
Who uses hybrid cloud?
Businesses across the spectrum of industries have moved toward hybrid solutions to reduce costs and strain on local resources. From the financial sector to the health care industry, hybrid cloud environments have proven to be effective at not only improving computing and storage power, but also optimizing the scarce resource of physical space. Many organizations simply don’t have the room available to deploy servers on-site.
In the health care space, data privacy is paramount, and privately held computation resources are lacking. A hybrid cloud model is an ideal solution because it allows medical groups to retain patient data in a secure, private server while simultaneously leveraging the advanced computational power of a public IaaS model. Simply put, any industry that benefits from public cloud applications can also benefit from the hybrid model.
How is hybrid cloud managed?
Managing hybrid cloud is a complex task because each cloud solution has its own API, storage management protocols, networking capabilities, etc. Mastering each solution’s complexities is possible, but perhaps not sustainable. For that reason, professionals responsible for hybrid cloud management often construct a single interface to manage all cloud services seamlessly.
Building such an interface requires a team that is familiar with handling cloud solutions and getting disparate networks to communicate effectively. Fortunately, enterprise-grade management tools are available to help IT managers get their system up and running.
