How about a hybrid cloud model?

People often refer to ‘The Cloud’ despite they can not give a clear definition of it. It remains vague whether we speak about Public, Private or Hybrid Cloud. For this article Private Cloud is defined as a server within the company or a dedicated server in an external data center. In both cases it involves data or an application that the company manages. We refer to the Public cloud as data and applications that are kept outside the company and often in external management by the cloud provider. Think about Dropbox, Amazon and Google.

• At this moment more than 50% of the Belgian companies use one or the other cloud software.
• Furthermore we can assume that every Belgian company uses often unconsciously and voluntary Public Cloud Solutions through tools like Gmail and Google.
• Often important data and software on servers is hosted in own management, while mail servers, file sharing and other SaaS-products are often put in the Public Cloud.

This brings us to the Hybrid Cloud. Is this a smart way of thinking? What are the guarantees toward the future? We are convinced that each company that is not in the cloud,  will not make it in the future. The digital transformation often gives companies a gigantic capacity problems. Companies have no other possibility to turn to hosting companies to make this transfer. The alternative, in-house infrastructure, is often not financially justified anymore. A company need to keep its flexibility and scalability in times where agility is crucial for a companies growth and existence. The agility of their IT-department is all-important. Even for SMB it’s necessary to link costs and benefits to one another. A pay-per-use model is generally the best cost efficient model for them.

To transfer all critical data to a Public Cloud without smart thinking is suicide. The move to the cloud must go smoothly and in a smart way, with sufficient guidance from a reliable partner. History gives us many cases where it became disastrous. According to Pepijn Palmans, managing director, the future lies in the (Inter)Connected Cloud. He refers to a Hybrid Cloud Model where the owner of the data or applications remains full control in Public and Private Cloud. This way the company remains control and can leave the management to an external partner when wanted at any time. The result: a flexible and agile company in a pay-per-use model. Companies can increase capacity whenever they want, whenever needed for a specific development, project, campaign,…

If we look further to Big Data and Internet of Things, we see that this Interconnected Cloud Model only gives us benefits. Not only by processing these data but also for mobile networking. Data and applications are always and everywhere for each employee.  This has to be executed in the most cost efficient way possible. And the safest way possible. To put the solution outside the IT-department, putting it in an unsafe Public Cloud, is a big risk. Although we saw it happening a lot in the past.

In short, Hybrid Cloud is a very good solution for each company that looks for flexibility. We need to safeguard the way this is done to avoid critical information to be abused. That’s why you need to go that one step further to make managed Cloud connected. That way you as a company are ready for the future.