When and Why Should A Hybrid Cloud be Considered?

Cloud, defined most generically, is a vast environment of distributed computing resources which supports instant provisioning as well as de-provisioning in the smallest possible parcels. Generally, this computing framework is created and managed by a third party service provider and accessible only through the internet. For business usage, this on-tap computing capacity is channeled through certain standard and structured methods. Depending on the level of control available to the user, the various models that have evolved are Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS) and Software as a Service (SaaS). The more control that the user wishes to exercise over the cloud infrastructure, the lesser the degree of abstraction in the model selected.

By way of illustration,one can choose the SaaS model for an email solution within Microsoft Azure called Exchange Online. This would provide the user with a complete email software setup, preinstalled and preconfigured, to the highest level possible. The user would only need to configure organization specific details before using the solution. On the other hand, another organization may choose to start with virtual machinesprovided throughIaaS and install and configure the complete email solution as per organization's IT policy.

The solutions discussed above are pure cloud based installations and with direct usage by the end users. Such a cloud implementation does not have any dependence on, nor is controlled or enabled by enterprise specific services. It is completely outside of enterprise network. This is commonly known as the Public Cloud.

Continuing with the email illustration; in order to run an enterprise mailing platform, one may decide not to offload the control of user passwords to the public cloud. The objective here would be to bind the cloud based email service to adhere to the enterprise on-premise authentication service. Post on-premise authentication, the mail box, email gateway and every other part of the infrastructure would remain on the public cloud. This type of implementation would require a controlled integration between the external cloud and intranet services hosted inside enterprise data center. This is classic example of a Hybrid Cloud. Hybrid cloud enables communication between on-premise services and the public cloud in order to allow the enterprise to retain critical control/critical data on-premise and while allowing it to enjoy the benefits of the cloud environment.

Use cases for Hybrid cloud

A Hybrid Cloud therefore provides a promising alternative for the requirement of raw computing capacity for critical enterprise applications. Where work load is not predictable and capacity cannot be optimally provisioned within the enterprise data center and there are security and privacy related concerns on handing over the database to a third-party - a Hybrid Cloud implementation could provide a solution striking an optimum balance between computing flexibility and security. The enterprise can retain the database inside its data center and while the application services can be hosted over the cloud.

But beyond raw computing or managing critical services like authentication, the Hybrid Cloud has significant applications in storage management. Traditionally, all enterprise data used to be stored within the data center. Subsequently, to manage the growing requirements of storage, the enterprise started using high cost fiber optic enabled storage in conjunction with low cost disk/tape based storage solutions. But with the exponential growth in data - which is being generated at an ever increasing rate in form of records, texts, photos, audio and video - storing on-premise has become a costly proposition. Another, key difference between managing transaction data and the kind of data which is being generated today is that the frequency of access of this data could be very low, but requirements for storage could be very long.

Almost all large cloud providers today, have a layered storage option available, which can remain connected as a storage service with the on-premise systems and ensure that low-frequency access data is pushed to cloud based storage modules. These storage options mostly come with the required security - abstraction, encryption, backup & restoration - features to ensure its safety and availability. The Hybrid Cloud thus would havea tremendous potential in lowering the total cost of storage management of a large enterprise.

Benefits of Hybrid Cloud

The final deployment of the Hybrid Cloud solution would depend on the specific requirements the individual enterprise. However, most of the deployments would be able to enjoy the following benefits to varying degrees:

- Hybrid Cloud allows complete exploration of cloud benefits (instant provisioning/ de-provisioning) without sharing fundamental control with a third party

- Innovative usage of the Hybrid Cloud can enable enterprise users to use the same technical service using any device, from any place and at any time

- Like almost all cloud offerings, the Hybrid cloud would allow the enterprise better control over operating expenditure

As the cloud evolves, and enterprises take more aggressive steps in moving their computing to cloud based platforms, the Hybrid Cloud would continue to gain prominence as a preferred mode of deployment, giving the enterprise a ‘best-of-both-worlds' solution; managing the cost-capacity equation through the cloud, while retaining critical control aspects within the enterprise.