Clearing Up Hybrid Cloud Misconceptions | OneNeck Hybrid IT

Hybrid cloud adoption is on the rise. A 2017 survey  revealed that 57 percent of companies reported moving towards a hybrid cloud solution in 2016. Yet there are still some misconceptions about what a hybrid cloud is and isn’t. So what does it mean to “go hybrid?”

3 Hybrid Cloud Myths

The definition of the cloud has been blurred as the term is used interchangeably or incorrectly when describing many IT trends. To understand what a true hybrid cloud is, you need to know what it is not.

1. Myth: Hybrid cloud Is synonymous with multi-cloud. Hybrid cloud and multi-cloud are two different concepts. A hybrid cloud refers to a combination of on-premises infrastructure and public cloud service from a third-party vendor. Multi-cloud, on the other hand, refers to two or more cloud services from different vendors. Hybrid clouds may take on a multi-cloud model. It may, for instance, consist of an in-house server and multiple public clouds, such as Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services.
2. Myth: Hybrid cloud Is the 3rd alternative to public and private cloud. To be clear; there are only two cloud options: Public and private. Your company is likely using one or the other. A hybrid cloud is not a separate type of cloud. It’s merely a combination of the existing two cloud types. The combination is also hardly ever an even split. A solution that is 90 percent on-premises and 10 percent public will constitute a hybrid cloud. In this instance, the public cloud may just be utilized for data backup and disaster recovery.
3. Myth: Hybrid cloud adoption means giving up some or all existing infrastructure. That’s wrong; your on-premises infrastructure can coexist with the public cloud. Most vendors provide customizable solutions that integrate servers on premises with off-site storage. This ensures two infrastructures working as a cohesive unit and not as separate data silos.

Characteristics of a True Hybrid Cloud

Security, connectivity and portability are three core tenants that vendors must be able to provide when merging its public cloud with your in-house infrastructure.

• Security: IT staff should extend their security best practices to the public cloud. This includes encrypting data in transit and at rest, and tight management of server keys.
• Connectivity: This should range from a VPN connection to a WAN link between private and public cloud deployments. This ensures confidentiality of data flow, user access, and application interaction.
• Portability: Portability between heterogeneous clouds can yield immense strategic advantage. Seamless transfer of data, applications, and programming languages is an asset that helps enterprises realize the value of the hybrid cloud.

What Is Your Cloud Strategy?

OneNeck® IT Solutions provides cloud services that pave a clear path for your hybrid cloud journey. Our hybrid cloud solutions span Microsoft Azure,ReliaCloud®, our hosted private cloud and on-premises private cloud . Contact us to learn more or download our Hybrid Cloud Infrastructure Assessment guide.