Implementing cloud computing technology has become an important part of IT strategy for businesses of all sizes. When it comes to choosing the most suitable applications to send to cloud, CIOS often have troubles deciding which form of storage they should use.
Whereas private cloud refers to storing data on company’s on-premise servers, public cloud is a huge server farm managed by an external provider.Public cloud streams applications via the web and is therefore considered instable in terms of security. Considering how valuable business data is to every company, it is reasonable they invest so much thought in contemplating possibilities with public cloud.
What makes it difficult to simply abandon the idea of using public cloud for storing business data, is the fact it is a much more affordable platform than the private cloud. The truth is that both forms can significantly contribute to boosting business efficiency, which is why many CIOs decide to combine their features. Such a customized combination of public and private cloud is known as ‘hybrid cloud’ and has become one of the major areas of IT investments over the last few years.
As long as the cloud strategy is carefully planned, these are the potential benefits of using hybrid cloud.
Affordability.
What made the public cloud popular in the first place is its ability to offer advanced computing solutions at an affordable price. Therefore, companies can get the necessary software tools, without having to worry about hardware maintenance. While the business-critical data remain safe on in-house servers, companies can freely move their less sensitive data to public clouds.
Security.
Security threats in public cloud are indeed various, which is why companies don’t feel very happy about transferring to much workload to external servers. Hybrid cloud makes it possible for a company to decide upon the sets of applications that will be hosted on private servers, and thus make sure its important data is fully protected. After all, one does have to have peace of mind when it comes to data security, as this is the key precondition for a fast development.
Scalability.
In terms of costs and security, private and public cloud can probably be seen as polar opposites. When the two are combined, however, one gets a perfect solution with a potential to scale resources according to his or her needs. Practically, companies can always upgrade their hybrid cloud. With the abundance of applications streamed via the web, it is easy to choose the ones that are suitable for their mission-critical processes. As business develops, managers are free to buy additional servers for storing larger amounts of data, or to subscribe to new public cloud services.
Though hybrid cloud may mean different things for each company, the three features described above are what make it an appealing solution in the current cloud market. Clearly, there are no how-to guides or detailed definitions describing the best hybrid cloud practices. It is up to each individual company to work out their own cloud strategy and decide upon the resources that will be distributed across these two platforms.