Last updated on February 6th, 2020 at 02:55 pm
With over 95% of businesses now using a cloud based strategy it’s clear that if you are part of the 5% then you’re drastically behind the times. However, many bosses are still reluctant to move their entire system off their premises and into the cloud which is where the hybrid cloud comes in as the perfect compromise.
What is the hybrid cloud?
As the name suggests, the hybrid cloud is a combination of keeping an existing in-house data strategy whilst also utilising off site and third party servers to store and share data in either a public or private cloud. The hybrid cloud offers small, medium and large businesses alike the best of both worlds with the ability to hold data in the cloud whilst maintaining control over it.
The often debated security issue of ‘private versus public cloud’ becomes irrelevant with the utilisation of a hybrid cloud option. With the hybrid cloud businesses benefit from the flexibility of the cloud whilst at the same time gaining from faster in-house broadband speeds and onsite IT security.
Using off site cloud servers gives businesses more flexibility as their data needs and budgets change along with the service. For example, a clothing website may need more from their server during the holiday season or on specific days such as Black Friday therefore using the hybrid cloud gives them a more flexible and cost efficient option.
According to a recent study by IDG Research 24% of executives have reduced their IT costs as a direct result of the hybrid cloud. 83% of IT leaders either use a form of the hybrid cloud or plan to do so in the future.
The most vital aspect of a successful hybrid system is the option of single dashboards to operate both the on and off site servers simultaneously giving the business full control of all their data. The hybrid option has gained enormous popularity as the middleman between traditional in house data storage and all-in off site cloud systems. With increasing productivity and security the two biggest goals of companies the hybrid cloud seems to be the answer to their prayers with the technology of the cloud and the security of in-house systems.
As is the case with every other cloud variation the top providers are Microsoft, Amazon and Google who, combined, dominate 66% of the hybrid cloud market.
“Some of our customers are still somewhat reluctant to embrace a cloud based phone option however we believe that the move to the cloud is a beneficial one with the hybrid serving as a fantastic middle ground” – Steven Mills, PMC Telecom.
Since the move to the cloud the majority of businesses have benefited hugely from the jump in technological advances. However, with change comes reservation with 70% of the IT organisations surveyed saying that they will keep a combination of their traditional IT systems and public cloud solutions for the foreseeable future.