Cloud-based services have become the norm in today’s world. Everyone is looking to leverage cloud-based services, from small businesses to global enterprises, to cut costs, increase user access, and lower operational burdens. That’s why more and more companies are adopting a hybrid cloud strategy.
A hybrid cloud system can securely store sensitive data in the public cloud while giving end users access to that data from their preferred device or operating system (via a virtual machine or similar technology).
This article highlights five compelling reasons you should use a hybrid cloud strategy and some general principles and best practices for successfully doing so. Read on if you want to learn more about how this approach can help your organization thrive in an increasingly digital world.
1. It’s the future of technology.
Today’s digital transformation is the next step in the evolution of how businesses approach and manage their operations. The shift from solely relying on paper-based records to digital records for business operations has now evolved to include cloud-based services.
Cloud technologies are making it easier than ever before to get access to operational data and applications. The result is a much faster transition to a digital business model, with more flexibility and control over costs. The more organizations move to a hybrid cloud model, the more they can take advantage of these benefits.
2. Enhance accountability and transparency
Adopting a hybrid cloud strategy can help you improve accountability and transparency in your organization by giving you more control over who has access to sensitive data. With the right security controls in place, you can give specific users access to certain data while keeping everyone else in the dark. This way, you can ensure that sensitive data is only accessible to those who need to see it.
By leveraging a hybrid cloud model, you can also increase accountability and transparency by making it easier to trace data usage. This can be especially helpful when determining how an organization’s data usage impacts its overall cloud costs.
3. Provide flexibility and scalability
Hybrid clouds provide an organization with the flexibility to quickly and easily scale up its operations if necessary. This can be especially useful if a business’s cloud usage suddenly spikes due to a sudden influx of new customers or applications. Scaling up an existing cloud environment can be done quickly, thanks to the rapid adoption of cloud technologies and services. This means you don’t have to wait for new technology to be built or for existing technology to be updated to support cloud-based operations.
Cloud computing environments provide tremendous scalability. Large organizations may only need a small amount of cloud capacity, while smaller businesses may need far more. By employing hybrid cloud strategies, you can quickly meet the needs of both large and small organizations.
4. Secure your data and meet compliance requirements
One of the challenges with pure public cloud environments is that you need to know who may be accessing your sensitive data. With a hybrid cloud, however, you can mitigate this risk by leveraging a true hybrid architecture. This way, you can store sensitive data in the cloud while giving users access to it from a private cloud.
You can also use a hybrid cloud model to meet compliance requirements. This can be especially useful for organizations that must maintain certain records, such as taxes, financial transactions, or health and safety records. Many organizations turn to hybrid cloud solutions to meet compliance requirements, and for a good reason. Hybrid cloud services can help you meet compliance requirements and reduce overall risk exposure.
5. Improve productivity and work together more efficiently
A hybrid cloud model can help your organization improve productivity and work together more efficiently by leveraging public and private cloud resources. For example, your team members might be able to conduct routine tasks such as backups and maintenance while they continue to work on more complex projects.
A hybrid cloud model can help your organization work together more efficiently. By leveraging both public and private cloud resources, you can ensure that all team members have access to the right level of capacity and functionality. This way, team members don’t have to wait for one another to get their work done.
The Bottom Line
A hybrid cloud system can securely store sensitive data in the public cloud while giving end users access to that data from their preferred device or operating system. This way, you can maximize the benefits of each cloud provider while mitigating any potential risks. Organizations must first recognize the benefits of such an approach to successfully implement a hybrid cloud strategy. The more your business realizes how beneficial a hybrid cloud strategy is, the more likely it will adopt one.
