Blog: Is Hybrid Cloud Architecture Right for Your Enterprise?

Sometimes it’s incredibly difficult for an enterprise to know whether a cloud environment or on-premises environment is right for them, in the short term and the long term. Instead of backing itself into a corner with just one approach and having to cater to that specific model, organizations are discovering a combination of the two – a hybrid cloud – is the more flexible, versatile options for their needs.

According to Forrester Research, the definition of a hybrid cloud is “one or more public clouds connected to something in my data center. That thing could be a private cloud; that thing could just be a traditional data center infrastructure.”

Translation – a hybrid cloud is whatever it is you want it to be for your business needs.

Private Cloud vs. Public Cloud

To understand what it is that constitutes a hybrid cloud architecture, we must first understand the differences between a public and private cloud.

A private cloud is an environment that consists of computing resources that are used exclusively by an enterprise. A private cloud can be hosted in your in-house data center or elsewhere by a third-party provider. It’s very similar to a standard on-premise environment, except that with a private cloud, an enterprise uses virtualization, software, and automation to organize infrastructure like a public cloud. The difference is that with a private cloud, you have much more control over security, data privacy, and compliance.

A public cloud is the most common way to leverage cloud computing. It involves applications, infrastructure, and/or data storage hosted and served by a third-party provider. All hardware, software, and other infrastructure is usually owned and managed by that same third-party provider. Users access an account via a web browser, and share the same hardware, storage, and network devices as other enterprises or customers of the third-party provider.

Reasons to Adopt a Hybrid Cloud Infrastructure

Now that the fundamental differences between a private and a public cloud architecture are a little clearer, it’s time to look at all the ways a hybrid cloud environment can benefit your organization using a combination of the two.

The flexibility gained from a hybrid cloud architecture is probably the most alluring for enterprises. A hybrid cloud allows you to mix and match your applications, business processes, systems, and other infrastructure to best meet your needs, whether that’s on-premise in your own data center or hosted by a third-party provider in the cloud.

Why Hybrid Cloud?

Some of the reasons enterprises decide to choose a hybrid cloud infrastructure include:

• Better security
• Cost controls
• Faster networks
• Business continuity

How Adopting Hybrid Cloud Architecture Benefits All Stakeholders

From an IT perspective, the benefits gained from a hybrid cloud architecture are wide-ranging and self-evident. But from the business side, a hybrid cloud environment also can be a fruitful endeavor. Here’s a look at some of the ways different roles in an enterprise stand to benefit from a hybrid cloud approach.

CFO

A CFO-level team member will appreciate the ways that hybrid cloud helps keep costs down. A hybrid cloud architecture avoids large upfront expenses for an in-house IT infrastructure, saving the CFO – and the company – from forking over massive sums of cash all at once.

CTO

The ways an organization can technically benefit from a hybrid cloud architecture are vast. Having the ability to quickly spin up IT resources as needed, rather than fumbling with costly and ill-equipped legacy tools, can provide a drastically superior way of doing business and is reason enough for the CTO to sign off.

VP of Operations

Because a hybrid cloud utilizes the best of both private and public worlds, the proverbial trains within the enterprise run on time. A vice president of operations can rest easy knowing that business goals are aligned with IT, and vice versa. The left hand knows what the right is doing, and that in turn creates a smoother and more efficiently run organization.

Hybrid Cloud Sounds like a Good Fit for Your Enterprise – Now What?

Hybrid cloud architectures give businesses access to the ubiquitous capabilities of public cloud providers while also leveraging private clouds for more sensitive data and applications. Integrating a hybrid cloud architecture with more traditional, on-premise systems and data, then, is a critical component of hybrid cloud deployments.

And that’s why a modern integration platform is necessary for enterprises to thrive and keep up with customer demand and stay ahead of the competition. Enterprises need a highly scalable, customizable, and controllable technology that flexibly connects applications and systems and streamlines complex workflows.

Cleo accelerates ground-to-cloud and cloud-to-cloud integration processes to easily integrate cloud applications and connect to cloud-based storage and platforms. By consolidating all cloud and B2B integrations, Cleo delivers operational efficiency and ensures that all data is rapidly and securely exchanged with internal and partner applications.

Conclusion

Nobody wants to deal with a complex environment that is difficult to manage. Eliminate the complexity of end-to-end integration with a modern cloud integration platform to connect B2B flows, applications, and data across your entire ecosystem. Cleo Integration Cloud has you covered no matter where you need to connect.

Cleo Integration Cloud is comprehensive, flexible, and allows you to integrate anything, anywhere. An intuitive, easy-to-deploy solution, Cleo Integration Cloud is a hybrid integration platform (HIP) that speeds time to value, increases ROI, and simplifies operations.

Contact Cleo today to get started with a free demo and see all that Cleo Integration Cloud can offer your enterprise.

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