A hybrid cloud environment is a smart, long-term investment that extends your capabilities, protects your data centres’ security, and optimizes your infrastructure’s use.
What IT infrastructure solutions should we invest in for a hybrid environment?
A hybrid environment is a model that optimally integrates the infrastructure of your on-premises data centres and servers with the capabilities and solutions of a private or public cloud provider.
The advantages of a hybrid environment result in :
- A more agile, efficient and secure management of critical data and systems.
- Reinforcement and approach to cybersecurity.
- Improved capabilities to respond to peaks in demand.
- Flexibility and better level of service to users.
- Reduction in maintenance costs or expansion of the local IT infrastructure.
The medium and long-term trend is clear: an exclusively local IT infrastructure is no longer feasible for medium-sized or large companies, nor can they migrate to a 100% cloud IT environment.
According to a Gartner study, even the most orthodox corporations have migrated some of their IT management capabilities to a hybrid approach, with 9 out of 10 world-class organizations by the end of 2020.
What do IT infrastructure challenges migrating to a hybrid environment pose?
What IT infrastructure solutions and forecasts should you invest in to align with this new reality?
Let us go into detail to respond to these approaches.
Diagnosis of information security
We are talking about a long-term investment that requires an exhaustive review of the security of the IT infrastructure itself, the detection of vulnerabilities and the application of corrective measures.
Before migrating to a hybrid environment, the need to measure the levels or criticality of the information, the criteria of confidentiality and the level of access of different users is evident.
Depending on the diagnosis, it will be necessary to make backup copies of all critical data and define the periodicity of said copies.
Configure access to information and systems according to use, train collaborators or partners regarding their roles and define responsibilities to avoid information leaks or cyber-attacks.
Intent-Based Networking (IBNS)
IBNS stands for Intent-Based Networking, integrated and intuitive software configured with each company’s computer network and IT architecture according to its purposes.
The objective is that from the diagnosis of information security, a solution is offered in authentication, access control and application of user policies.
This way, it can promote security, ensure compliance with updated cybersecurity protocols and improve connectivity with home network resources.
IBNS solutions allow diagnosing the needs of each company on an ongoing basis to generate adjustments or updates to policies on information criticality and accessibility when necessary.
A virtual private network
Any successful hybrid cloud environment relies on low latency connection between public and private cloud systems to keep everything running smoothly.
So a private network option, such as a virtual private network, can provide the asset you need for a dedicated and efficient connection between on-premises infrastructure and public and private clouds.
It all comes down to efficient network management; the last thing you need is to go through the effort and investment of implementing a hybrid cloud setup, only to be hit head-on with bandwidth issues and bottlenecks for your home infrastructure.
A compatible operating system
Are the operating system of your home network and that of your clients compatible with the cloud system of your provider? Does it require adaptations or migration?
The purpose of a cloud operating system is to manage and monitor all aspects of the hybrid environment under a single set of tools.
Ensure the operating system that supports your IT infrastructure can operate in a complex environment and provide the flexibility to manage shared data and applications.
You may need to invest in an operating system framework or version of it in tune with a hybrid environment.
Kubernetes, OpenStack, Nutanix, and VMware Cloud are some options you can evaluate with your IT team and cloud solution provider to make the best decision.
Smart data storage environments
In the era of Big Data, more and more information is generated in less time. As a result, many older servers and other traditional data storage systems are not attuned to the intelligent storage made possible by hybrid cloud environments.
These features can strain your home IT resources; this is just another area your engineering group or your vendor’s engineering group will need to assess.
Intelligent edges and advanced storage systems remove many capacity constraints and make it easy for users to manage workloads, scale in real-time, and simplify management, support and tracking.
Commitment and consistency with a plan
As you can tell, all of the above doesn’t work without a plan. One of several reasons the implementation of a hybrid approach fails is due to a lack of design and commitment to a long-term plan.
A hybrid approach to IT involves a transformation in the service level, use cases, and user experiences.
The lack of vision, alignment of operations, poor security protocols, and even omissions in costs and investment prevent proper implementation.
If you don’t devise a plan, measure the impact or scope of the migration, or consider the eventual implementation costs, it may not be worth investing in a more fully featured IT infrastructure.
Successful migration to a hybrid cloud environment demands commitment from all users and collaborators, especially from a reliable service provider with recognized qualifications.
Infographic created by CIO Technology Solutions, Leaders in Managed IT Services in Tampa