Hybrid Cloud Computing: Characteristics and Features

Cloud consulting solutions have completely transformed how businesses operate by allowing them to access computing resources over the internet and significantly reduce their IT infrastructure costs. However, managing multiple cloud providers and ensuring the security and accessibility of data can present new challenges for businesses that rely heavily on cloud services. Hybrid cloud computing is a solution that combines the benefits of public and private clouds, offering companies the flexibility and scalability of the former and the security and control of the latter.

The Global public cloud service market is expected to increase by 17.3% in 2023, reaching a total value of $623.3 billion, according to a recent report by Gartner.

Let’s dive deep into the Hybrid cloud computing characteristics and how it can help businesses effectively manage multiple cloud providers. This article will also help you understand various use cases for hybrid cloud computing and how it can help companies to overcome the challenges of the modern era.

What is Hybrid Cloud Computing?

Hybrid cloud computing is an environment that combines two or more types of clouds, such as public and private clouds. The public and private clouds are interconnected in a hybrid cloud, allowing data and applications to move seamlessly between them. This provides businesses with the flexibility and scalability of the public cloud while offering the security and control of a private cloud.

For instance, a business might use a public cloud service like Amazon Web Services (AWS) to host non-sensitive data, such as marketing websites and non-confidential files, while keeping sensitive financial data and proprietary information on a private cloud hosted in-house. This allows the business to enjoy the cost-effectiveness and scalability of public cloud services while maintaining the security and control of sensitive data in a private cloud.

By leveraging the benefits of both public and private clouds, hybrid cloud computing provides businesses with a versatile and agile IT infrastructure that can adapt to changing needs while ensuring data security and compliance with industry regulations.

Characteristics of Hybrid Cloud Computing

Hybrid cloud computing offers businesses an adaptable and agile IT infrastructure that can effectively adjust to their changing needs. This technology also guarantees data security, compliance, and cost-effectiveness.

Let’s see the key hybrid cloud computing characteristics for businesses:

Hybrid cloud computing characteristics #1 – Interoperability: 

Interoperability is one of the most important hybrid cloud computing characteristics. Hybrid cloud computing enables interoperability between different cloud environments, allowing businesses to move workloads and data seamlessly between public and private clouds. This interoperability enables enterprises to choose the best cloud environment for each workload based on its specific requirements.

Hybrid cloud computing characteristics #2 – Management: 

Dealing with several cloud environments can be difficult, but hybrid cloud computing makes it easier by giving users a single management interface that can handle multiple clouds from one platform. This interface enables businesses to oversee and maintain their entire cloud infrastructure, including public and private clouds, all from one console.

Hybrid cloud computing characteristics #3 – Multi-cloud integration: 

Hybrid cloud computing helps businesses integrate multiple cloud services from different vendors to leverage the strengths of each cloud service. This integration enables enterprises to build custom solutions that meet their unique requirements and take advantage of the best features and services each cloud service offers. 

Hybrid cloud computing characteristics #4 – Security: 

Businesses prioritize safety, and hybrid cloud computing offers advanced security features to safeguard their data and applications in public and private clouds. These hybrid cloud computing characteristics elements include identity and access management, network security, data encryption, and compliance controls.

Hybrid cloud computing characteristics #5 – Data management: 

Data management is critical for businesses, and hybrid cloud computing provides advanced data management capabilities that enable enterprises to manage data across multiple clouds. These capabilities include data backup and recovery, data archiving, and data synchronization.

Hybrid cloud computing characteristics #6 – Performance optimization: 

Hybrid cloud computing is the optimal choice for businesses seeking to maximize their cloud infrastructure’s potential. This is achieved by implementing advanced performance optimization features like load balancing, auto-scaling, and resource optimization.

These hybrid cloud computing characteristics have made hybrid clouds a popular choice for businesses. From enhancing security to improving a business’ data managment efficiency, hybrid clouds deliver much value too the business. 

Why Do Companies Need Secure Hybrid Cloud Computing Services?

As more businesses switch operations to the cloud, safeguarding sensitive data has become a top priority. Hybrid cloud computing services have arisen as a viable solution to this challenge. These services provide businesses with the adaptability and scalability of public clouds while offering the security and oversight of private clouds. Here are some key reasons why hybrid clouds are so crucial for companies that need secure cloud computing services:

Data Protection: Businesses understand the value of data and the importance of keeping it safe. Hybrid cloud computing services provide a secure environment for managing and storing sensitive data. Businesses can use private clouds for sensitive applications and data to safeguard their data from unauthorized access and breaches. 

In a recent survey by LogicMonitor, 66% of IT decision-makers highlighted security as their top priority when adopting public cloud services. By implementing hybrid cloud computing services, businesses can address these concerns and ensure that their data is adequately protected.

For instance, a healthcare provider can store patient records in a private cloud and use a public cloud for less sensitive workloads, such as email and collaboration tools.

Compliance Requirements: Many businesses are subject to industry-specific regulations and requirements that require them to maintain strict data security and privacy standards. Hybrid cloud computing services enable enterprises to meet these compliance requirements by providing advanced security features such as data encryption, access controls, and audit trails.

For example, a financial institution can use a private cloud for managing financial transactions while using a public cloud for less sensitive workloads such as marketing and customer relationship management.

Flexibility and Scalability: According to a study by IDG, 85% of businesses have already adopted a multi-cloud environment, and 73% plan to increase their investment in multi-cloud solutions. Hybrid cloud computing services provide flexibility and scalability for companies to remain competitive and agile.

To meet the demands of businesses, computing resources need to be quickly and efficiently scaled. Hybrid cloud computing services offer a solution that allows flexibility and scalability without sacrificing security. By utilizing public clouds for less sensitive tasks and private clouds for sensitive tasks, businesses can adjust their computing resources while maintaining data security. 

For example, a retailer can manage inventory and sales data using a private cloud while utilizing a public cloud for less sensitive tasks like marketing campaigns. 

Disaster Recovery: Data protection is incomplete without disaster recovery, and hybrid cloud computing services offer a reliable and safe solution. Businesses can guarantee their data’s safety in case of a disaster or outage by replicating data across multiple clouds. 

For instance, a manufacturing company can replicate essential data and apps across various clouds to ensure their operations continue even during a disaster or outage.

Hybrid cloud computing services provide a secure environment for storing and managing sensitive data. For example, a healthcare provider may use a private cloud for managing patient records while using a public cloud for less sensitive workloads such as email and collaboration tools.

Cost-Effectiveness: Hybrid cloud computing services can be a cost-effective solution for businesses, as they can leverage the cost-effectiveness of public clouds for less sensitive workloads while still maintaining the security and control of private clouds for sensitive workloads.

For example, a startup can use a public cloud for their web application, while using a private cloud for managing sensitive customer data.

Where is Hybrid Cloud Used? 

Hybrid cloud computing has become prevalent across various industries and applications. Below are examples of its usage:

E-commerce

To handle peak traffic and sales periods, e-commerce businesses need a dependable and flexible computing environment. By using hybrid cloud computing, e-commerce businesses can utilize public clouds for managing website traffic and processing payments while using private clouds to handle customer data and order fulfillment. 

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is an example of a hybrid cloud solution that allows e-commerce businesses to host their website, manage databases, and process orders using AWS while maintaining their private cloud for customer data management.

Healthcare

In the healthcare industry, ensuring a secure and compliant computing environment for managing patient data and applications is crucial. Healthcare providers can achieve this by using a hybrid cloud computing approach. This involves using private clouds to manage patient data and comply with regulatory requirements and public clouds for research and collaboration applications. 

A good example is the Cleveland Clinic, which uses a hybrid cloud approach to maintain control over sensitive patient data while benefiting from the scalability and cost-effectiveness of public clouds for research and collaboration.

Finance

In order to manage complex financial transactions and data analysis, the finance industry needs a high-performance computing environment. Hybrid cloud computing is a solution that allows financial institutions to utilize private clouds to store sensitive financial data and applications while using public clouds for data processing and analytics. 

JP Morgan Chase, for instance, applies a hybrid cloud approach to manage their economic applications and data. This strategy enables them to maintain control over sensitive financial data while benefiting from the scalability and cost-effectiveness of public clouds for analytics and data processing.

Manufacturing

Manufacturing companies need a dependable and adaptable computing system to handle intricate supply chain procedures and data analysis. A hybrid cloud computing solution is ideal as it enables these firms to use private clouds to handle sensitive supply chain data and applications while using public clouds for data analytics and teamwork. 

Ford Motors is a prime example of a company that utilizes a hybrid cloud approach to manage its supply chain operations, allowing it to maintain control over sensitive data while leveraging the scalability and cost-effectiveness of public clouds for data analytics and collaboration.

Things to Know Before Partnering With A Hybrid Cloud Service Provider

Finding the right cloud environment for a business requires careful consideration of different factors, including the organization’s size, IT requirements, budget, and security and compliance needs. Here are some steps to help businesses determine the right characteristics of cloud computing services that should be considered-

• Assess the IT requirements: The organization should evaluate its IT needs to determine the suitable cloud environment. This involves identifying the applications and workloads requiring support, the necessary data storage and processing power, and the number of users accessing the system.
• Determine the budget: Next comes determining the organization’s budget for cloud computing. This includes the cost of the cloud infrastructure, as well as any associated costs such as licensing fees, data transfer fees, and maintenance and support costs.
• Evaluate security and compliance needs: It is crucial for businesses to ensure that their cloud setup meets security and compliance standards. This includes thoroughly checking the security protocols and certifications of their cloud service providers and ensuring they adhere to essential regulations such as GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI DSS.
• Consider the benefits of public and private clouds: Public clouds offer scalability, flexibility, and cost savings, while private clouds offer greater control and security. Hybrid cloud gives the best of both worlds, allowing businesses to use public clouds for non-sensitive applications and private clouds for sensitive applications.
• Choose the right cloud service provider: After determining its IT requirements, budget, and security and compliance needs, an organization can assess various cloud service providers to find the best option. Key considerations include pricing, features, reliability, scalability, and security.

Also check: AI-Powered ERP-Advantages and Challenges

Final Words

Hybrid cloud computing is an excellent solution for businesses as it offers the advantages of both public and private clouds. By using hybrid clouds, companies can customize their computing environments to suit their specific needs while enjoying the flexibility, scalability, and cost savings. 

Key hybrid cloud computing characteristics include seamless data and application migration between public and private clouds, the ability to adjust computing resources based on demand, and efficient data management and security across multiple environments.

Furthermore, hybrid cloud computing is being used in a variety of industries, including healthcare, financial services, and retail, to name a few. By carefully evaluating their IT requirements, budget, and security and compliance needs, businesses can find the right cloud environment to meet their specific needs and achieve their goals.