Modern companies rely extensively on their IT environments to service customers and support business operations. In many cases, the computing environment needs to address widely diverse initiatives. A typical company may need to maintain an e-commerce solution, support a mobile workforce, and provide employees with the necessary tools to do their jobs effectively.
Failing to meet these goals can result in substantial competitive disadvantages and losing customers to market rivals. Companies may find it virtually impossible to address all business requirements using a single IT solution. A popular method of addressing the challenges of maintaining an effective IT environment is by utilizing hybrid cloud solutions.
What is a Hybrid Cloud Environment?
A hybrid cloud environment is constructed with a combination of private and public cloud resources and services. Each type of cloud offers advantages that may address specific business objectives.
Private cloud
A private cloud is a cloud infrastructure used by only one organization. It may be hosted on-premises in a company’s data center or by a third-party provider. A defining characteristic of a private cloud is that its resources are not shared with other customers.
A private cloud offers several advantages over a public cloud solution. These advantages include:
- Enhanced security to protect mission-critical and sensitive data and applications;
- Complete control of the environment by the organization;
- Freedom to customize the environment to meet unique objectives.
Public cloud
A public cloud is a shared cloud environment offered by third-party cloud service providers (CSPs). Examples of public cloud providers include Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services (AWS), and Google Cloud Platform (GCP). Customers interact with the public cloud environment via an internet connection.
Public cloud solutions offer some distinct advantages over the private cloud model, including:
- Essentially limitless scalability to address changing business requirements;
- Cost-effectiveness by only paying for resources that are being used;
- Enhanced resiliency by enabling systems to be restored in alternate geographic regions.
Integrating Private and Public Clouds
A hybrid cloud solution provides a range of services designed to address a company’s specific business objectives. Achieving the maximum benefits from a hybrid cloud involves the effective integration of the private and public clouds that make up the infrastructure. This integration can take several forms.
- Unified management – Companies should implement tools designed to manage both private and public clouds from a single interface. VAST View is an excellent example of the comprehensive type of management tool required to efficiently manage a complex hybrid cloud environment.
- Data and application portability – Ideally, organizations can easily move data and applications between their public and private clouds. This may become necessary to respond to evolving business requirements.
- Integrated services – Companies can leverage the strengths of multiple clouds to design integrated services that efficiently address business objectives and provide an enhanced customer experience.
- Reliable and secure connectivity – The various clouds need to be able to communicate securely to support efficient data transfer. This is often accomplished with dedicated connections or virtual private networks (VPNs).
Benefits of Implementing a Hybrid Cloud Solution
Companies are accepting a greater degree of complexity when adopting a hybrid cloud approach. The challenges of managing this complexity can be rewarded by the multiple benefits available when selecting a hybrid cloud solution.
- Cost efficiency – Companies can minimize capital expenditures by using public cloud services for workloads that do not involve sensitive or high-value data. Private cloud servers, which typically are more expensive, can be reserved for critical applications which demand enhanced security.
- Flexibility – The ability to house workloads in public or private clouds enhances the flexibility available to meet evolving business requirements. Organizations can quickly adapt and shift the focus of specific applications or data resources between their public and private clouds.
- Scalability – The public cloud component of a hybrid environment provides the scalability necessary to meet today’s constantly changing business landscape. Companies can take advantage of the resources of the public cloud to address busy times for the business and reduce consumption when possible. They can save a substantial amount of money by leveraging the public cloud in this way.
- Data security and compliance – Organizations can separate and secure sensitive data and applications by processing them in their private cloud. This makes it easier to demonstrate compliance which may be a requirement when processing some type of regulated data.
- Disaster recovery and business continuity – A hybrid cloud enhances an organization’s ability to recover from a disaster and maintain business operations. Plans can be developed to recover both clouds when necessary. If issues arise with the private cloud recovery, applications can be restored to the public cloud to avoid extended outages. They can be moved back to the private cloud when the issues have been resolved.
- Access to emerging technology – The public cloud component of a hybrid environment typically makes emerging technology available to organizations. Companies can take advantage of new technologies without making large capital investments.
- Improved performance – Companies can improve performance by locating workloads in the most suitable cloud. Applications and data can be hosted closer to end-users, minimizing latency and offering an enhanced user experience.
VAST’s Solutions for Hybrid Cloud Environments
VAST has a variety of services designed to help companies implement and optimize a hybrid cloud environment. Organizations working with VAST will find a reliable strategic partner with which to navigate the complexities of a hybrid cloud approach. Following are some of our solutions that directly address the challenges of supporting a hybrid cloud.
- VAST View provides a unified platform for managing all aspects of a hybrid cloud environment. The tool covers everything from migrating to the cloud to optimizing and efficiently orchestrating workloads in a private or public cloud.
- Cloud infrastructure services leverage our expertise to help your organization select the most beneficial environment for your business. We work with you to determine if a private, public, or hybrid cloud solution best addresses your requirements.
- Cloud backup-as-a-service (CBaaS) is a managed backup solution that protects your valuable data no matter its location. Create reliable backups from on-premises, private, and public cloud environments.
Talk to the experts at VAST today and learn how we can help you get the most value from your hybrid cloud environment.
