A hybrid cloud is an optimal way to get the most out of the cloud. It combines the best of the Private Cloud and the best of the Public Cloud, and in this way, the company that adopts this type of solution has more possibilities to cover the needs of any project. Currently, there are two modalities of hybrid cloud:
– Housing: sell or rent a physical space of a data center for the client to place his machine there. The company gives the current and the Internet connection, but the user can choose the server.
– Hosting: It is a service that consists of hosting different products in specialized centers (data centers). The products can be from web pages, web applications, dedicated servers, and even virtual servers, and everything is put into the data center itself — the end customer does not have to buy anything.
Advantages of the Hybrid Cloud
- Saving– The hybrid cloud helps organizations save costs, both in infrastructure and in application support. It presents a more moderate initial investment.
- Scalability– The hybrid cloud is a system capable of adapting to the demands that each company needs, for space, memory, and speed. By moving as many non-critical functions as possible to the public cloud, the organization can benefit from the scalability of the public cloud and, at the same time, reduce the demand from the private one.
- Security– Having the most critical data stored in the private cloud not only ensures that they are well protected but also provides that company information is stored according to the parameters established by current data protection regulations.
- Flexibility– Having the advantages of the public and private cloud within reach allows organizations a full range of options when they have to choose which service is best for each distinct need.
Disadvantages of Hybrid Cloud
- Reliability– The reliability of the services depends on the technological and financial capacity of the cloud service providers.
- Information– The separated information of the company must travel through different nodes to reach their destination, each of them is a source of insecurity.
- Centralization– The centralization of the applications and the storage of the data creates an interdependence of the service providers.
- Security, privacy and compliance– Security can also be stress in the cloud, mainly if you handle grouped data and customer information. Consistency in the cloud can also become a problem, which may require the creation of a private cloud, if necessary, to protect private data.
- Proximity– Ensure that all PC viewing and programming devices are impeccable with web-based organization, stage or establishment. While the IT department may have some greater degree of control in the regulation of the mix, proximity is often “what you see is what you get” in terms of incidental expenses.
The truth is that there are still advantages to mention if we compare cloud against hosting our server or use a second PC to perform a backup. There is a limitation — that is, the Internet — but the conception of this as a rule is beginning to disappear, as the world of tomorrow will have internet in all parts of the globe.
If we want to take advantage of working online, the cloud offers us a more versatile and efficient solution. But it’s important to consider all these advantages and disadvantages to weigh in if a cloud is the best option for you or your business.