Cloud nine? Maybe with Hybrid Cloud

In the past couple of years, cloud computing and hybrid cloud in particular have changed everything around us. More and more organizations have started to use cloud computing as the competitive advantages they have been searching for. We could say that cloud is the answer. Whether we are talking about private, public, or hybrid, business all over the world have shifted their strategies towards an agile environment. This is great, however, I would like to talk more about one cloud strategy in particular, and that’s the hybrid cloud.

The hybrid cloud has taken a huge leap in the last couple of years. Recently, I came across a survey which stated that the “hybrid adoption” grew three times in the past year, increasing from 19% to 57%. For me, this is clear evidence that more business are understanding the huge potential hybrid cloud has to offer. The backbone of my previous statement is from simple figures on i have found on cloud statistics. Here’s what cloud can offer:

• 49% increased collaboration
• 45% business agility and flexibility
• 43% better end customer experience
• 40% increased ability to innovate

After seeing the numbers who wouldn’t want to migrate to the cloud?

The Hybrid’s superpowers

So, we’ve already decided that hybrid cloud is becoming a favorite among business of all sizes, but let’s see exactly why- I’ve compiled a shortlist with the most important benefits that hybrid cloud can offer.

• Increased architectural flexibility
• Increased technical control
• Better security
• Compliance options
• Utility billing
• Technical predictability
• Operating system choice
• Fostering innovation

What about building your own hybrid cloud environment?

Designing your hybrid cloud model is not an extremely difficult process to conduct, even though you need to have certain skills. More and more organizations are thinking about building their own cloud model rather than choosing from the existing ones. The main reasons for their decision is the control you have over the results. Below are the main steps you need to follow to successfully build your hybrid environment.

• Conduct a cloud readiness assessment and a business impact analysis

Moving to the cloud means that you are extending your current platform into a cloud model. As it was expected, this process needs to be very well planned. So, the first and most important question you need to ask yourself and the team is – is my business ready for the cloud? You can only find this out by conducting a proper cloud readiness assessment and a business impact analysis. At the end of the day, you will understand if your platform, workloads, applications and users are ready for a cloud migration, and what the impact on your business will be.

• Choose your hardware

After deciding that you are ready for the cloud movement, it’s time to think about servers, networks and compute platforms. In simpler words, you need to select your hardware. The good news is you’ll have plenty of which to choose from.

• Design a virtual platform

Cloud means virtual, so, you need to think about virtual controls. You will need virtual logical management, monitoring controls and virtual security services. This is an important step, and you need to pay extra-attention when selecting all these systems. A right cloud platform needs to scale according to your business needs, be efficient and improve cloud resiliency.

• Integrate replications and distribution mechanisms

Your data is one of the most valuable assets your business has, so you need to ensure the maximum security. First, you need to understand how your data is being moved, optimized and backed up. Data replication is not a very easy process to conduct unless you don’t know, first, what data are you replicating and where it’s going.

• Incorporate Automation

Automation is what everybody is seeking nowadays, and hybrid cloud makes it easy. While creating your own hybrid model, you need cloud-based automation tools, which meet your business objectives.

• Management

Management is the final step you need to consider in your journey towards the hybrid cloud of your dreams. Being prepared for whatever challenges you might encounter along the way, will keep you in the business and will give you the competitive advantage that you were looking for. In the end, it’s all about having control over your business, and over the technologies that you are using.  

Whether you are choosing to build your own hybrid cloud or an already “packed” hybrid cloud you will have a brand new hybrid cloud environment – that will definitely take your business to cloud nine!