A hybrid cloud is a combination of two or more types of cloud environments for multiple uses. Hybrid cloud deployments are made up of public and private clouds that also have the option of containing on-premises legacy infrastructure.
And for a cloud to be truly hybrid, it is essential that the different environments available are properly interconnected with each other, thus forming a well-organized infrastructure.
Let’s start with a small definition
Hybrid cloud is a type of IT architecture that ensures some level of workload execution, harmonization, and administration across various environments.
It can have several compositions:
At least one private cloud and at least one public cloud
Two public clouds minimum
At least two private clouds
A local environment (often called “On Premise”) connected to at least a public or private cloud
In terms of operation, that of the public and private clouds that are part of a hybrid cloud does not differ from their independent organization. Thus, the local area network (LAN), the wide area network (WAN) and VPN (virtual private network) and the APIs allow the connection of several computers between them. For their part, the resources are fractionated via containers or a virtualization solution and are centralized in Data Lakes (“data lake”).
These resources are then distributed by the management software to environments where the execution of applications is possible. This later facilitates the on-demand provisioning process by the authentication service.
How can a hybrid cloud be used?
Hybrid cloud models enable on-demand capacity enhancements. They are also intended for several professional uses while serving several purposes:
Meeting regulatory compliance requirements: Some industries must comply with data protection regulations to avoid severe financial penalties, although not all data must be consolidated in a private environment. This is why the hybrid cloud is the ideal solution to adopt since it commits companies to comply with regulations.
Launching new applications: Cloud-based organizations often face several risks when planning to launch something new.
The cloud significantly reduces risk by minimizing the requirement for a substantial upfront investment. Therefore, the company can launch its new application and finance the resources used only instead of paying upfront (in case of failure, the company does not suffer a big loss of money by having to depreciate equipment unnecessary).
Efficient management of irregularities in computing functionality: An application can operate efficiently in its environment but require more computing power the next day. A hybrid cloud refocuses the different needs in terms of computing capacities in order to ensure the continuity of the operation of the service.
Here are the main advantages of the hybrid cloud
By achieving the intended objectives, the hybrid cloud offers several advantages:
Efficient response to peaks in demand: The company launches the majority of its processes in a private cloud and then uses a public cloud in order to obtain additional computing power. It is thus ready to be on the attack in the face of possible increases or accelerations in the workload.
Multiple more varied technologies: With the public cloud, the company has the opportunity to introduce technologies that are not easy to run in a private cloud, such as the data processing operation.
Avoided or minimized downtime thanks to backups: When a cloud becomes unusable, the company can resort to the other cloud to overcome service interruptions.
A significant economic gain: By opting for the maintenance of an internal data center (such as a private cloud), costs may be incurred and a lot of resources may also have to be used for optimal efficiency. Thus, by transferring certain elements to a public cloud, the company is no longer obliged to keep as much infrastructure on site, thus resulting in a considerable reduction in costs.
A secure backup of data, even the most sensitive: Opting for a hybrid cloud for the storage of so-called sensitive information (banking data for example) allows you to have more controlled control over the security parameters: the company has the opportunity to store sensitive data in a secure private cloud and use the public cloud to run other applications.
Companies and hybrid cloud: several possible options
All types of businesses can use the hybrid cloud. To sum up, regardless of the size and challenges of each company, the hybrid cloud will sooner or later be necessary for your company and will allow you, among other things, to have a reliable, adaptable and above all sustainable business model.
In addition, before opting for one of the available solutions, it is useful to know the types of environments and the options that can be had at the level of hybrid clouds, especially in the professional environment:
Multiple public clouds: Individual servers can be distributed across multiple organizations via virtual machines. To do this, server space is used at the heart of the same physical server.
An on-premises private cloud: This type of cloud represents a data center entirely dedicated to an organization and its servers are not shared with another user. Additionally, on-premises private clouds are secured and maintained at the enterprise level rather than an external provider.
Private Cloud Hosting: Similar to an on-premises private cloud, this option allows servers to be completely dedicated to a single company. The only difference is that the servers of a hosted private cloud are not located on the premises of the organization: a third-party host ensures the maintenance and preservation of the servers in question. The company thus has access to the cloud via the Internet instead of an internal network.
Managing a hybrid cloud can be quite complex since each cloud solution has its own particularities. By opting for Provectio’s services, you have access to a personalized interface allowing you to freely manage all your cloud services and to have a functional and efficient system.