Hybrid cloud is a computing environment in which two different types of technical infrastructure (often called public cloud and private cloud) work together to enable organizations to take advantage of the specific advantages of off-site and on-site computing.
Microsoft summarizes the hybrid cloud in this way on its website: "When computing and processing demands fluctuate, hybrid cloud computing enables enterprises to seamlessly extend their local infrastructure to the public cloud to handle any spillovers without the need to provide a Three-party data centralizes access to the entire data. Organizations can gain the flexibility and computing power of a public cloud for basic and non-sensitive computing tasks, while deploying business-critical applications and data securely behind the organization’s firewall."
Hybrid cloud is sometimes described as "the best cloud platform in all computing fields." This is because it allows companies to customize their IT infrastructure based on their unique cost-benefit analysis of specific functions. These may include affordable high-speed processing (which may only be provided by cloud computing providers) and the desire to maintain certain mission-critical data or applications in-house, so even Internet connection issues will not slow down the normal operation of the business .
However, hybrid cloud is not without its potential shortcomings, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises trying to deploy such environments without trusted third-party companies (such as managed clouds and managed security experts). The following are some of the main advantages and disadvantages of hybrid cloud that enterprises should consider.
Advantages of hybrid cloud
(1) Cost saving
Because enterprises can use public cloud services on a pay-as-you-go basis, organizations can use cloud computing environments to host resource-intensive applications and use and pay for processing power only when necessary, instead of trying to build internal infrastructure and always host the Processing power. Public cloud providers like Amazon Web Services (AWS) will also allow small businesses to automatically and immediately expand (or shrink) their computing needs on the public cloud, so SMEs can immediately increase capacity when needed.
In addition, in a hybrid cloud environment, companies can also find a more cost-effective way to back up, archive, and protect corporate data instead of trying to build and manage local backup infrastructure (or some of it for redundancy). This is because public cloud providers can use the expertise of both parties to more cost-effectively provide data backup services (and disaster recovery and business continuity services that usually go with them) in their remote and secure data centers.
(2) Reliability
The continuing risk faced by companies that rely solely on cloud computing services is that their connection with cloud providers may fail for a number of reasons. It may be something simple, such as a problem with the company's own on-site router or a malfunction with their network service provider. If a company cannot connect from its office to the rest of the world via the Internet, any business operations that rely on network connections will face downtime.
However, if the company uses a hybrid cloud environment, it may not rely 100% on this persistent Internet connection, so it is unlikely that its normal operations will be affected. For example, companies may maintain copies of their mission-critical applications and customer data on site, which means that even if communications are temporarily cut off, the company can continue to process data and conduct normal business operations.
(3) Labor mobility
Another benefit of hybrid cloud is that it allows companies to access key applications and corporate data through the public cloud through smartphones, laptops, and even home computers, so that employees can work efficiently at any time.
The continuing risk for businesses relying on the Internet is the possibility of Internet disruption (or even a severe slowdown in services in the region). When a company is also using the public cloud to remotely access key applications and corporate data with employees, these employees can now quickly transfer to Plan B through a better Internet service area so that they can resume normal communications and business operations.
Disadvantages of hybrid cloud (and pitfalls to avoid)
(1) Steep learning curve
Because they have limited IT resources and a busy team, most small and medium-sized companies neither have the internal expertise to build an effective hybrid cloud environment, nor the time to learn these best practices on their own.
The decisions involved in implementing this complex infrastructure require that the project must be broken down into actionable tasks before the IT team can make actual progress on the hybrid cloud, which usually has a steep learning curve. If IT departments are forced to rush through or perform this process without the help of third-party experts, they may create a sub-optimal environment with low performance, high costs, and underutilized applications.
(2) Security and compliance risks
A properly set up hybrid cloud environment can provide small and medium-sized enterprises with the highest level of data security and regulatory compliance. However, failure to implement security and compliance best practices may result in the corporate data environment being both vulnerable to cybercriminals and more likely to be punished by data privacy regulations-whether it is HIPAA, SOX, GLBA, FERPA, or anything else. Strict regulations. And the complex and changing laws governing how companies protect customers’ personally identifiable information.
For example, companies need to know what level of physical security the industry experts currently consider for the data center (remember, these best practices will change regularly), and what level of encryption is used for data in transit and data at runtime.
When deploying hybrid cloud infrastructure, the importance of obtaining these detailed information correctly is why SMEs should not try to develop these environments alone, but should use expert services, such as managed security service providers (MSSP).
(3) Compatibility issues
Finally, deploying a hybrid cloud environment without the guidance of third-party experts can cause performance issues across the organization. This is because hybrid cloud involves the integration of multiple different platforms, technologies, and vendors into a seamless customized computing environment. Unless companies know exactly what they are doing, merging these different technology stacks between public and private clouds may cause compatibility issues.
This is another reason for best practices for deploying hybrid clouds, including obtaining the help of third-party experts with expertise in such implementation projects. After an enterprise launches a complex new hybrid cloud facility, the enterprise's private cloud cannot match its adoption of public cloud.
The smart next step: Discuss with experts whether hybrid cloud is suitable for your organization's operations
Obviously, hybrid cloud can bring significant advantages to small and medium enterprises in terms of cost savings, increased productivity and reliability, and can even enhance security and regulatory compliance. However, all of this assumes that the enterprise implements its hybrid cloud in the right way, and this will almost certainly require external help.
If the company's team is considering implementing hybrid cloud, it should do so, and its next step should be to decompose this complex project into a series of actionable tasks. The primary task of an enterprise is to consult a team of experts to understand their operations, budgets, needs, and current IT environment, and let them advise on whether hybrid cloud is suitable for them and how to best implement it.