Hybrid cloud management is an action of overseeing and optimizing the use of hybrid cloud environments, which combine public and private cloud infrastructures. This cloud management ensures seamless integration, efficient resource allocation, and secure operations across both environments.
Some companies combine the public and private cloud so they can save money but also keep the data and files secure all the time.
What is Hybrid Cloud and what are its Key Aspects?
Hybrid cloud is an option for companies that grow and scale quickly and can’t commit to a specific package and capacity. If you already have a hybrid cloud system, you’re aware of several aspects that make it work seamlessly.
Key aspects include:
- Integration: Ensuring public and private clouds work together cohesively to support workloads and applications.
- Resource Optimization: Balancing workloads between environments to maximize performance and cost efficiency.
- Security and Compliance: Maintaining consistent security protocols and meeting regulatory requirements across both cloud types.
- Automation and Monitoring: Automating repetitive tasks and continuously monitoring performance to ensure reliability.
- Scalability: Adjusting resources dynamically to meet changing business demands.
By effectively managing a hybrid cloud, organizations can leverage the scalability of public clouds and the control of private clouds, optimizing costs and enhancing flexibility.
Do Managed IT Companies Offer Managed Hybrid Cloud Services?
If the managed IT company explicitly offers hybrid cloud services or has experience with similar environments, they are a strong candidate to handle hybrid cloud management effectively. Some businesses tend to outsource cloud management in general to ease the in-house IT-related tasks and managed IT providers are the ideal choice in these cases. Here’s why:
Expertise in Cloud Environments
Companies specializing in managed cloud services typically have experience with both public and private cloud infrastructures, making them capable of managing hybrid setups. Managed IT companies usually handle many of these tasks, so they should be your top choice if you don’t have enough capacity within the in-house IT teams.
Integration Capabilities
Managed IT providers often possess the tools and skills needed to integrate disparate cloud environments, ensuring seamless communication and data flow. These companies often use advanced platforms to monitor, automate, and optimize cloud resources across different environments, a critical requirement for hybrid cloud management. If you try to purchase all those tools and hire the experts, it may cost a lot. So, outsourcing cloud management, in general, will benefit the company’s budget, leaving enough resources for technology improvements and overall growth.
Security and Compliance
Providers are adept at implementing consistent security measures and ensuring compliance with regulations, even in complex hybrid setups. This is essential because there are strict policies regarding the fair use of cloud computing systems. You can be sure that the managed IT companies are reliable and work following the local laws, policies, regulations, and surely, the best practices to deliver professional service.
Why Choose a Hybrid Cloud Technology?
A hybrid cloud works by combining public and private cloud infrastructures to create a unified, flexible environment where data and applications can move seamlessly between the two. This setup allows you to leverage the scalability and cost-efficiency of public clouds while maintaining control over sensitive data in private clouds. Here’s how it works:
Infrastructure Integration
Private Cloud: Hosted on-premises or in a private data center, providing controlled, secure environments for sensitive data and critical applications.
Public Cloud: Hosted by third-party providers like AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud, offering scalable resources and pay-as-you-go pricing.
These two environments are connected through APIs, networking solutions, or middleware to enable interoperability.
Data and Application Placement
How to combine the private and public cloud systems into a hybrid one? Workloads with high-security requirements or latency-sensitive applications typically run in the private cloud. On the other hand, scalable and non-critical workloads (e.g., data backups and development environments) are handled by the public cloud.
Unified Management and Interoperability
Hybrid cloud management platforms monitor, automate, and control resources across both environments, providing a centralized view of operations. These actions ensure consistent performance, governance, and security across the hybrid ecosystem. Based on that, data can move between environments as needed using technologies like VPNs, hybrid cloud storage, or containerization (e.g., Kubernetes).
This allows organizations to process data locally for speed and security while leveraging public cloud resources for scalability and analytics.
8 Challenges of Hybrid Cloud Management
As you suppose, combining public and private cloud solutions comes with some challenges when it comes to efficient cloud management. Here are the most common challenges, as well as the possible solutions provided by managed IT companies:
1. Complexity of Integration
Integrating public and private cloud environments requires careful planning, compatible technologies, and robust APIs. It’s a pretty complex process that often requires professional intervention.
Solution: Managed IT companies provide expertise in cloud integration, designing architectures that ensure seamless interoperability for hybrid cloud solutions.
2. Data Security and Compliance
Protecting data across multiple environments can be challenging, especially with varying security standards and compliance requirements. Still, staying compliant with the regulations ensures efficiency and consistency within the company.
Solution: Managed IT providers implement unified security protocols, monitoring, and compliance frameworks tailored to industry regulations.
3. Performance Monitoring
The performance monitoring ensures consistent performance across hybrid environments. Still, it requires advanced tools and continuous oversight.
Solution: Managed IT services offer 24/7 monitoring and performance optimization tools to minimize downtime and ensure high availability.
4. Cost Management
Unchecked resource usage across public and private clouds can lead to unpredictable expenses. Each company needs consistent cost management, especially when leveraging hybrid cloud solutions.
Solution: Managed IT companies use cost management tools and analytics to optimize resource allocation and reduce waste.
5. Data Portability
Moving data and workloads between environments can cause latency or compatibility issues. Sometimes, handling this challenge in-house is impossible, so your company may need additional help with it.
Solution: Managed IT providers use containerization and other advanced technologies to enhance portability and reduce friction.
6. Scalability Challenges
Balancing workloads and scaling resources efficiently across environments can be difficult for in-house IT teams (who also handle many other related activities.) Handling the scalability challenges ensures consistent growth, no matter how fast it happens.
Solution: Managed IT companies implement automation tools, such as auto-scaling and cloud bursting, to dynamically adjust resources.
7. Governance and Visibility
Lack of centralized oversight can lead to inconsistent governance and operational inefficiencies. It may result in more expenses, maintenance challenges, downtime, or even data loss.
Solution: Managed IT providers deploy unified management platforms that offer real-time insights and centralized control.
8. Vendor Lock-In
Relying on a single vendor for public cloud services can limit flexibility and increase costs. Also, using various vendors doesn’t guarantee integrations and interoperability. It also may lead to downtime, data risk exposure, and inconsistencies.
Solution: Managed IT experts design vendor-agnostic solutions, enabling organizations to use multiple cloud providers as needed.
How Managed IT Companies Help With Hybrid Cloud Management?
Managed IT companies bring expertise, tools, and strategies to address hybrid cloud challenges effectively. They:
- Assess organizational needs and design tailored hybrid cloud strategies.
- Provide ongoing support, including patching, updates, and troubleshooting.
- Monitor cloud environments to ensure optimal performance, security, and compliance.
- Use automation and AI-driven tools to streamline operations and enhance efficiency.
- Offer scalability options and disaster recovery solutions to future-proof the hybrid cloud infrastructure.
By partnering with a managed IT provider, businesses can focus on their core operations while ensuring their hybrid cloud environment is secure, cost-efficient, and high-performing.
Ready to Choose a Managed IT Hybrid Cloud Provider?
Frontline handles the cloud management challenges effectively, leading to smooth operations all the way around. Whether you use two cloud systems or more than that, Frontline easily handles the above-described challenges, letting you focus on the core business activities.
If you’re ready to embrace functional integration and cloud management, contact us, describe your challenges, and let us handle them with an approach tailored to your needs.