Hybrid cloud, meet multi-cloud: What’s the difference and which one is right?
Some organizations use the terms interchangeably, but they’re two different approaches to cloud management that require two different strategies. Before determining which is right for your business, let’s take a step back and break it down. There are three primary types of cloud models:
- Public clouds: These are third-party solutions from vendors such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft and Google. Public cloud vendors provide companies with remote access to shared servers and storage. The cloud provider manages everything from hardware and software updates to backups and infrastructure maintenance. Users can easily access public clouds via web browser.
- Private clouds: Private clouds are remote computing solutions used exclusively by a single organization. Some companies maintain private cloud servers in an on-site data center, while others contract with a third-party vendor to host a dedicated cloud solution. In-house private cloud infrastructure must be maintained much like a traditional network, while an outsourced solution will shift the responsibility for infrastructure maintenance to an outside partner.
- Hybrid clouds: As the name implies, hybrid clouds may combine the use of public and private cloud solutions with your own on-premises infrastructure. This approach can provide great flexibility, control and security, and is another way of describing a hybrid IT approach.
Businesses that use public cloud services from multiple cloud service providers have entered multi-cloud territory. For example, a company may choose one public cloud provider to host desktops and another for web-based email depending on the different advantages and cost structures they offer. Determining which strategy is right for your business all comes back to your unique goals, challenges and computer resources.
A hybrid or multi-cloud approach is a highly effective way for organizations to leverage the many benefits of the cloud —such as flexibility, cost reduction and automation—without having to go all in or “lift and shift” everything at once. Other key benefits include:
- Access to the latest technology: A hybrid cloud strategy gives your business on-demand access to the latest features and upgrades without having to make a large, upfront capital investment or relying on in-house expertise to manage.
- Flexibility: Hybrid cloud computing makes it simple to scale resources up or down as your business needs change. Instantly add and subtract applications and computing resources from vendors, rather than purchase expensive and maintenance-intensive new hardware.
- Business continuity and risk mitigation: A hybrid cloud model spreads your data and applications across a combination of redundant public and private cloud networks, mitigating the risk of potential breaches or outages. This means business won’t come to a standstill in the event one cloud vendor experiences a system outage or security breach.
- Control costs: In a hybrid cloud system, you’ll only pay for the capacity you need. The right mix of public and private cloud capacity can help your business control costs, plus give you the ability to monitor your spending with each vendor.
Is there such a thing as the “best of both worlds”?
No matter which cloud service model you choose, having a Cloud Managed Solutions provider like Frontier in your corner to help move your business from operational to transformational is a strategic way to get the best of both worlds—fully managed, end-to-end cloud IT.
For much more information on this topic, grab a copy of our Multi-Cloud Management White Paper or get in touch at 1-866-606-9447 to learn how Frontier’s Cloud Managed Solutions are revolutionizing business as usual.
SOURCE: 1Gartner, “Predicts 2019: Increasing Reliance on Cloud Computing Transforms IT and Business Practices”, Yefim Natis, et al, 13 December 2018
