The Hybrid Cloud: Comprehensive Solutions from Combined Resources
The hybrid cloud is a combination of a public or private cloud service that manages a company’s data and computing functions on remote servers and a network of on-premises computing facilities managed by the company’s own IT professionals. The hybrid cloud is a cloud services management strategy that allows a company to manage different aspects of its data in different ways.
For example, a hybrid cloud strategy might include using public cloud services for tasks such as customer relations management, data storage, or a set of workplace tools that can be accessed by all employees from any location. But for critical or sensitive data that could be vulnerable to security risks in a public environment, the same company could use a local network with on-premises hardware, managed by its own IT staff and accessible only to employees with appropriate credentials.
Some companies might choose to use a private cloud service over the public cloud. Some of its data and tools may be stored remotely on servers not shared by users in the public cloud, with an on-site network for essential, confidential files. This combination of a third-party cloud service – with specific tools for specific functions and an on-site network for critical functions involving sensitive data – is rapidly becoming the cloud service model of choice for a growing number of users.
Whether a hybrid cloud consists of a public or private cloud service in combination with a local network, its components work in sync to carry out all the computing functions a company needs. This provides a comprehensive solution that supports mission goals as well as the needs of specific projects and tasks.
Multi-Cloud Options: Diversity and Flexibility
Multi-cloud computing is another way to combine the strengths of multiple cloud types to meet a variety of business computing needs. A multi-cloud solution can leverage the power of the hybrid cloud along with the resources of available public clouds to build a network that supports specific tasks, projects, and functions within the company. Recent statistics on the state of cloud computing reveal that companies with a multi-cloud strategy use an average of six different clouds, utilizing the available tools of each at need.
Multi-cloud computing allows users to spread data storage and functions across multiple remote servers, which can provide backup and protect data from loss or compromise in the event that one cloud service fails or is hacked. A multi-cloud approach also allows users to “mix and match” functionality to tailor a solution that uniquely addresses a company’s needs at any given time, and to drop or add functions in response to changing goals and workloads. Multi-cloud computing can embrace a variety of combinations, such as an on-site network plus two or three public clouds, a group of public clouds offering desired services, or a suite of public and private clouds for different essential functions.