A Hybrid Cloud is simply a term that defines the combination of compute and storage products from public cloud providers and private, on-premises hardware.
This could be as simple as running file system storage from your in-house server and Email from a hosted Platform such as Microsoft O365. Highlighting a more sophisticated example, consider a SaaS provider that delivers a web application 24x7x365. This application may run 75% of its workloads in a consistent, static fashion. But the other 25% may fluctuate radically depending on the time of day or season. A company like this may want to run the 75% on a dedicated, high performance server infrastructure. The more volatile 25% would be suited best in public Cloud infrastructure that can dynamically scale up and down when it is needed.
In this blog, I will explain how a Hybrid Cloud can be used to benefit all types of businesses.
Hybrid Cloud Models: Which Works For You?
Determining how to architect a Hybrid Cloud depends on how your business uses computing and communications. As technology changes, it’s empowering businesses to transform the way they operate. I don’t want to focus on small business basics such as O365, this topic is about Cloud Storage, Cloud Computing and Cloud Providers like AWS (Amazon Web Services), Azure (Microsoft), and GCP (Google Cloud Platform).
The benefit of a hybrid cloud is enabling the highest level of control, while still managing scale and costs at the same time. The easiest example of a Hybrid Cloud Infrastructure would be a Private Cloud (in your own data center or with Hosting partner) securely integrated with a public Cloud such as AWS, Azure or GCP.
Software and networking tools are needed to help manage a hybrid cloud services. Public clouds will have to by securely connected to the private data center using virtual gateways or direct connects. Public clouds have gateways built into them so you can easily set up secure connections. Then you’ll need automation tools that can manage scaling of the public infrastructure. Azure will be mostly Powershell, while AWS users will likely leverage more API powered tools – many built into the platform itself. Engineering will have to think in defined workloads and establish a scalable base that can be balanced across infrastructures.
The goal is to make the operation as efficient as possible, so Dev and Ops can use the resources available and scale when needed. Efficiency is a directly reflection of costs, which can escalate quickly at scale in a public Cloud environment. Running static workloads in a private cloud hedges costs, while scaling into a public cloud saves time and work related to provisioning and procurement. If you are truly looking to take advantage of a Hybrid Cloud architecture, you must explore the benefits of being cloud native. What you want to do is avoid any specific vendor lock in, the goal is 100% cloud mobility for your data.
Platforms (PaaS) and Serverless infrastructures are also available with public Cloud providers. These are specific environments where you can simply develop code directly into the system (Platform). Traditional, 3rd party server apps would not run in these platforms because there is no need for an operating system. Platforms are used by developers who are creating new apps with specific use cases like IoT, social media or even building into a CRM like Salesforce. This hybrid model demonstrates how a company would run their apps in one OS-Based environment and others in a Platform.
Advantages of Going Hybrid
Because every business is different, there is no right or wrong way to embrace cloud computing. IT generally requires a good amount of capital and the business will want to get good mileage on their investment. A hybrid cloud deployment is about efficiency, the following examples different ways businesses can find value from a Hybrid Cloud.
Reduced IT Costs:
A Hybrid Cloud embraces a combination of static hardware investments with the flexibility of the public Cloud. Leveraging public Cloud infrastructure is renting computing like a utility, and it will cost a premium vs doing it yourself. If you already have an investment, why would you kill it in favor of “going cloud?” Architecting a hybrid infrastructure gets you the best of both worlds. Plus, if done correctly, centralized management can be accomplished across two environments.
Storage Space:
Storage, an expensive component of IT infrastructure, can be one of the most accessible ways of starting a Hybrid Cloud solution. Technology has evolved, enabling networks to extend into public clouds by simply mapping a bucket of storage though a Cloud gateway. In addition, there are many out of the box cloud solutions that businesses can subscribe to that can take the corporate file system off your hands and into the Cloud.
Scalability & Flexibility:
The ability to flex into a cloud is easily the most compelling advantage of Cloud computing. Why pay for it all the time if you only need it for a short period – just turn it off. The idea within a hybrid cloud is that static workloads are run within the corporate infrastructure (private Cloud), while overflow workloads can be pushed out to a public Cloud. One example is data processing, where a public cloud can ingest TBs of data and process it, then return the analytic results when done. With the extra resources and processing power of a public Cloud, this could be done much faster than with the limitations of scale within a private environment. Another example is seasonal adjustments, where retail companies may have to increase exponentially over the Holidays. Turn it on – turn it off.
Faster Services:
The Cloud helps you accommodate computing needs on demand. There’s no need to procure additional hardware and hire a team to manage it. Today, it’s easier to push a button and let it scale in AWS. Also, a Hybrid Cloud can help with high your performance needs. If you need GPU processors and SSD storage, it would behoove you to run these in house because the cost to use resources like this in a public Cloud can be quite expensive. This is part of balancing workloads and defining them to the part of your infrastructure that makes the most sense.
When to Utilize a Hybrid Cloud
There are many use cases for leveraging a Hybrid Cloud infrastructure. It is always specific to each company’s unique needs the following highlights some examples of when it should be considered.
Geographic Content Distribution:
If 75% of your business is based in a region that is close to your data center, a private environment would suffice to serve them. Public Clouds like AWS, Azure and GCP have network availability zones in strategic areas around the globe to help with this issue. Infrastructure, Network and Content Delivery can all be managed through a Hybrid Cloud deployment, giving you a global reach on demand.
Competitive Velocity:
In the Internet world, the speed to doing business can make or break your business. If you were launching an application into the market that needed to scale quickly, there’s no better way to accomplish this than to use a public Cloud. The application is likely independent from the office environment, a place that will still require traditional IT operations run within your data center.
Control and Compliance:
Businesses that must comply with regulatory requirements (think finance, medical, government), will want to have more control over their computing environments. When done right, the Cloud can be compliant, but many organizations still want to have their data right under their noses. If you run most of your workflows in your own environment, it will be easier to manage, secure, and report to auditors. If there is a need, the public Cloud will help scale temporary workloads.
Cloud Transitioning:
Businesses that are operating on legacy infrastructure may want to plan on moving to the cloud but must deal with a sunk investment in their own data center that will last several more years. A hybrid Cloud might be a way to start the process of moving to the Cloud. Over time, management can transition from Private to Hybrid to 100% Public if it matches their business needs.
Upcoming Hybrid Cloud Trends
The move to the Cloud has incredible momentum and we believe that it will continue to trend in that direction. For most small businesses, the transformation will continue with the applications they use becoming SaaS powered. For companies that run in-house applications and develop technology, they will have to determine what cloud strategy will solve most of their problems. Here’s several trends we will see evolve in the next couple years.
Data Portability
With new technologies emerging, the path to data sovereignty and vendor agnosticism is becoming clearer. With containers and micro-services becoming more relevant, it will become easier to move data across diverse platforms in a uniform method.
Back-Up and Recovery Across Platforms
We are now seeing that data, and entire system images, can be ported easily from one platform to another and restored in great time. This plays into Disaster Recovery strategy planning and even creates a new DR hybrid environment. Having Images stored off site in the Cloud cuts down the cost of running an on-demand Disaster Recovery operation.
Edge Computing
As we have moved our data out of offices and into the Cloud, a new need is now emerging that is requiring computing back on-site. A lot of this is fueled by IoT (Internet of Things) and AI (Artificial Intelligence) so they can run fast analytics at the site and quickly communicate back to the Cloud for fast decisions. Autonomous cars, with onboard server systems communicating to the master Cloud, would be a perfect example of this.
Multi Cloud Management
As more and more Clouds are leveraged, the need for a centralized, single pane of glass to manage everything becomes more of a requirement. Businesses that embrace a multi/hybrid Cloud operation will need to invest in these to keep their systems under a management team that is nimble, all seeing, and far reaching.
Summary
Cloud computing will continue to transform how businesses use technology to power their business. A Hybrid Cloud is a very strong methodology that provides the best in scalability, security and cost management.
Mindcentric, a leading IT and Cloud Infrastructure management company in San Diego, has been advising companies on strategic technology decisions for 20 years. We would love to discuss how Cloud or Hybrid deployments can impact your organization.