Over the past decade, every IT leader has likely struggled with whether running their IT infrastructure in the public cloud makes more sense or managing it on-premises instead. On the one hand, the public cloud offers greater scalability, flexibility, and lower CapEx spending, as organizations can pay for only what they use and scale up or down as needed. On the other hand, concerns about data security, regulatory compliance, and potential downtime due to internet connectivity issues are significant factors that leave many IT leaders anxious about fully committing to the public cloud.
This is why hybrid cloud has emerged as a pragmatic choice for IT leaders who want the ‘best of both worlds.’ By combining the security of on-premises infrastructure to protect sensitive data and applications with the elasticity of the public cloud, the hybrid cloud allows organizations to leverage the strengths of both environments.
To help illustrate the various use cases and benefits of the hybrid cloud, the product experts at Scale Computing have compiled a library of educational resources on our SC//Insights page. In Exploring Computing Models: Edge Computing vs Fog Computing vs Cloud Computing, we take a step back to look at some of the primary and emerging computing models and how organizations are using them in concert with one another to achieve their operational objectives.
For instance, hybrid fog computing represents one composite model that combines the principles of fog computing with a hybrid cloud environment. In this model, data processing and storage occur not just in centralized cloud data centers and on-premises infrastructures, but also at various network edges or "fog nodes” which might include local computers, IoT devices, and edge servers, that can placed close to where data is being generated and used.
This is particularly beneficial for real-time applications where response times are especially crucial. By processing data locally at fog nodes and then selectively transferring it to either a public or private cloud for further analysis or long-term storage, organizations can optimize their network efficiency and performance.
In An Introduction to IT Infrastructure Security: Safeguarding Critical Systems and Networks, we examine some of the security considerations of the hybrid cloud. For instance, we discuss the critical role of network segmentation in the context of a hybrid cloud environment and how, by partitioning the network into multiple, organizations can better mitigate the risk of lateral movement in the event of a network compromise and can more easily enforce security policies tailored to the sensitivity and requirements of the data or applications within each zone.
Compliance and governance in hybrid cloud environments also present unique challenges. Since hybrid clouds often combine public cloud services with on-premises infrastructure, enforcing uniform compliance standards across these different environments can be tricky. This often requires a comprehensive governance strategy encompassing both the cloud and on-premises elements of the infrastructure.
Finally, in Unlocking the Power of Virtual Machine Architecture, we delve into the growing importance of the hypervisor in the hybrid cloud. A foundational component in virtualization technology, the hypervisor enables multiple virtual machines (VMs) to run on a single physical server, each running its own operating system and applications. This technology is crucial in hybrid cloud environments as it allows for the efficient utilization of resources, reducing the need for physical hardware and enabling cost savings while also providing the flexibility to allocate resources where they are most needed.
In the context of the hybrid cloud, the hypervisor also plays a pivotal role in ensuring seamless operation and management of VMs across and between public and private cloud environments, as well as serving as a management engine that allows IT teams to quickly and securely migrate workloads across different cloud environments as needed. We also explain the significance of hypervisor in enforcing security and isolation policies among different VMs, an essential capability for mitigating risks associated with multi-tenancy environments.
To learn more about how Scale Computing can help you with your hybrid cloud implementation, please contact us or request a demo.
