Enterprises are realizing migrating to the cloud is a necessity rather than just another opportunity. The question most organizations face when using the cloud is whether they should use a private cloud, public cloud, or hybrid cloud solution which is a combination of both private cloud and public cloud solutions. To understand hybrid cloud options, it's important to understand what public and private clouds are and how they work.
Understanding Public Cloud and Private Cloud
In the public cloud, resources which may include storage, computing power applications and infrastructure is available by service providers over the internet. Maintenance and management of the infrastructure and services are carried out by the service provider. Resources available on the public cloud are shared, where data and applications of multiple users are stored in the same system. The public availability of the cloud is perceived as less secure and vulnerable to data breaches.
A private cloud on the other hand is not accessible to the public and the resources are catered exclusively to the organization. The set-up and management can be done by third-party service providers, or the organization can choose to have the private cloud managed in-house, by setting up data centers and servers on-premise. Apart from enhanced security and complete control over the infrastructure, a private cloud environment can be customized according to the specific needs of the organization. Private cloud solutions can be very expensive and in instances where the infrastructure is on-premise, require dedicated resources for maintenance.
Considering a Hybrid Cloud
The hybrid cloud market is expected to grow to $97.6 billion by 2023."
As both private and public cloud models have their distinct advantages and disadvantages, organizations increasingly choose a hybrid cloud model which combines the advantages of both models. In instances where organizations use more than one public cloud from different cloud service providers or/and multiple private clouds, the architecture is referred to as multi-cloud architecture. The hybrid cloud environment provides organizational flexibility by facilitating sharing of data between on-premise data centers (private cloud) and public clouds as well as taking care of orchestration between all platforms. This way hybrid cloud scales up business margins while ensuring better performance and security.
Advantages of Hybrid Cloud
Flexibility
Requirements vary with each organization which may not be adequately met when using an existing environment or infrastructure. With a hybrid cloud environment, organizations can utilize the strengths of both public and private cloud solutions to come up with a unique solution that addresses their specific requirements. For instance, public clouds offer better performance and scalability which enterprises can take advantage of without relinquishing control over data and applications. These can be managed in the private cloud when necessary.
Cost-Effectiveness
Setting up a hybrid cloud can be expensive but in the long run, it can save money. One of the reasons why businesses chose the hybrid cloud model is that the private cloud can be very expensive. With hybrid cloud, spending on the private cloud can be reduced and only sensitive information is saved there while the rest of the operation can be used on the public cloud. The Hybrid cloud can also be an economical option when migrating data in response to changing business requirements.
Scalability
With a hybrid cloud, businesses can scale their workloads to meet demands that emerge as businesses evolve. Specific operations can be migrated to the cloud to meet demand spikes, which can be handled by cloud services. With cloud automation, businesses can scale up resources automatically in response to changes in demand. This helps businesses be agile to handle the requirements of customers without any delay which is critical for a modern business’ competitive advantage.
Security
Although public cloud service providers put in place several security mechanisms to keep data safe, the fact that the cloud is publicly available, and the resources are shared between multiple users, does not instill confidence in organizations when it comes to data security. In a hybrid cloud environment, organizations can store sensitive information in the private cloud or on-premise infrastructure which is more secure and gives companies complete control over the infrastructure.
Conclusion
Hybrid cloud solutions offer the best of both private and public cloud models while addressing the shortcomings of each model as well. Hybrid clouds give businesses greater control over data and infrastructure while providing greater agility and scope for innovation. They also ensure business continuity and reduction in cost, interoperability, and compliance. As more businesses continue to adopt this model, this trend will continue to rise.
