Benefits of Hybrid Cloud Computing

As cloud computing continues to evolve, new solutions emerge. With continued questions concerning security in an exclusively public cloud, enterprises have sought a new solution. One of those potential solutions is a strategy that combines both on-premises IT and public cloud, or, in other words, a hybrid cloud.

Hybrid clouds combine the benefits of public and private clouds to offer a responsive, secure option to enterprises. Public clouds are well suited for many front-office workloads. Private clouds are well suited for mission-critical workloads, where the benefits of cloud are desirable – but the security and assurance of a closed environment are critical. Traditional IT environments are better-suited for workloads that demand the dedication of computing resources.  

The hybrid cloud solution allows on-premise infrastructure (private cloud) and public clouds to operate across multiple standardized technology interfaces seamlessly. This ease of implementation will enable businesses to innovate with agility, improving responsiveness, and lowering operating costs even with the added layers of complexity.

The Best Cloud for the Job

As hybrid cloud continues to grow in popularity, there are variations in adoption across different industries. In regulated industries (such as banking, telecom, government, and healthcare), the cloud mix still leans heavily toward the private cloud. However, in less regulated industries, it tips the other way. Hybrid cloud’s interoperability means that organizations aren’t forced into either environment. Hybrid clouds share services and allow applications, workloads, and resources to migrate between and among public and private clouds. Also, hybrid clouds can help to avoid vendor lock-in. Vendor lock-in creates risk if a vendor suffers production, legal, or financial issues. With the freedom to find the best solution and cloud provider best suited for their needs, companies now have access to the most cloud ecosystem opportunities.

Finding the best cloud for the job, regardless of the cloud provider, allows access to many cloud ecosystem opportunities. These ecosystems increase the potential for unexpected alliances. In fact, according to a recent survey by the IBM Institute for Business Value, 56% of executives said engaging in ecosystems is the most effective way to access new markets.

While application and data portability may seem complicated, applications and data should be built and collected without worrying where they will be stored. Data can move easily from on-premises storage to public and private clouds. Further, in multi-cloud systems, organizations have more control as to what they manage in house, what services they outsource, and when to completely turn over responsibilities.

With these enhanced management techniques and methodologies, companies have more choices now than ever before!

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