Still Not Using Hybrid Cloud Solutions? Your Business Could Be Missing Out on Key Benefits

Chances are, you’re already using a private cloud and may not even realize it. If you use Google Docs, the content is stored in a private cloud. You’re probably also using a type of hybrid cloud model. Every time you give someone access to your stored Google doc you’re creating a type of hybrid cloud.

Did you know around 73% of organizations are adopting hybrid cloud solutions? These solutions go a little beyond giving someone access to a private document. If you’re not sure if your business needs to adopt a hybrid cloud model, here’s a look at some of the benefits you may be missing.

Advertisment

Optimize Operational Costs

Okay, using a hybrid cloud solution isn’t going to impact every operational expense. With that being said, it can help you reduce some operating costs. This way, you have more capital to invest in other aspects of your business like marketing or finally making improvements to the employee break room.

So, what costs can you potentially lower using a hybrid cloud solution? You can reduce your IT maintenance costs including upgrading existing hardware. If your data center is more of an afterthought, the cost of building it up is substantial. With a hybrid cloud model, you can often skip expanding your data center’s hardware.

Best of all, you can usually find pay-as-you-go solutions. You can easily scale up and down as needed so your business isn’t overspending.

Flexible Control

We briefly mentioned scalability. You can easily scale a hybrid cloud to fit your business’s current needs. You also get improved flexibility and control. You have complete control over your data and resources. This means you decide which information is in the hybrid cloud and what stays in a private cloud.

For example, if your business deals with a ton of personal identifiable information (PII), you want to keep this data protected in a private cloud. For other less sensitive data, you can easily move it to a hybrid cloud model to allow your team to access the information. You can improve workflows while also maintaining security.

Boost Security

While a public cloud makes it easy for staff to access data for projects, it also comes with multiple security risks. You can move everything to a private cloud, it effectively boosts security. The downside is employees who need access to the data are restricted by security protocols.

A better solution is using a hybrid cloud model. You can control who has access to the data while making it easier for team members to use the information. Best of all, you’re still meeting industry cybersecurity standards. You can use security measures like encryption, automation, and endpoint data security to ensure that only authorized personnel are accessing the data.

Advertisment

Help Ensure Business Continuity

Your business probably already has a disaster recovery plan (DRP). This plan outlines the protocols to follow after a disaster occurs. The goal of an effective DRP is to keep your business running when the power goes down. You can still locate and access your data.

Using a hybrid cloud model is an effective way of protecting your business data. Everything is automatically backed up in the cloud. While this does create redundant data it also ensures nothing is compromised during a disaster. When the power comes back up, your business is ready to get back to work.

Potential Downsides to Hybrid Cloud Solutions

Even though it’s hard to ignore the benefits of a hybrid cloud solution, businesses can run into a couple of issues. These downsides don’t take away from the advantages but it’s something you should know.

Implementing a hybrid cloud solution isn’t exactly a piece of cake. You’re doing a little more than copying and pasting data into the hybrid cloud. There is some conversion involved and it can take some time and experience. This is especially true if you’re planning on using more than one hybrid cloud solution. Yes, businesses often run multiple hybrid clouds to keep work flowing.

Another potential issue is finding a reputable vendor to help manage your hybrid cloud. This isn’t something you can create, you’re going to need to partner with a service provider. Going back to the earlier example of Google Docs. Google is the service provider for this type of cloud service.

Advertisment

Conclusion

Even though you can run into issues implementing a hybrid cloud solution, the benefits outweigh any potential downsides for most businesses. If you’re looking for ways to protect data while also streamlining workflow, consider implementing hybrid cloud technology.