You do not have to take a black-and-white, all-or-nothing approach to cloud computing. In fact, various studies have shown that most businesses do not entirely rely on a private or public cloud solution, instead favouring an approach that combines the two.
This hybrid cloud hosting set-up is quickly becoming the prevalent type of arrangement in the business world, but what are the benefits that it offers?
Scalability
For some businesses the main reason to invest in cloud computing technology of any kind is scalability. The public cloud is particularly good at flexing to meet the ever-changing needs of users, so businesses that use a hybrid cloud hosting solution will be able to use this to pick up the slack in times when there is a need for increased IT capacity.
A private cloud may lack the computational power or storage space to deal with the peaks of usage, but you also want a set-up that does not seem excessive during the troughs, so you get the best of both worlds with a hybrid platform.
Access
Private clouds offer particularly tight levels of security, but it might be difficult to access the data and apps they contain if you are not connected to a business network.
If you take the hybrid route, you should be able to unlock these business-critical services for access from any location not just nationally but globally as well.
This means remote workers, colleagues and clients can take advantage of your hosted infrastructure even if they happen to be in another county or continent. Businesses that want to break free of the ties of geographic boundaries will be particularly enamoured with this capability.
Uptime
It is inadvisable to put all of your eggs in one basket, particularly when it comes to IT. Disasters can strike at any time, rendering in-house systems inaccessible and potentially resulting in data loss.
With a hybrid cloud hosting solution, however, you should be able to weather the figurative and literal storms and enjoy class-leading levels of uptime, as long as you pick a reputable provider.
Concerns such as physical security, power and bandwidth need not be solely borne by your business if you are using hybrid cloud hosting, so those international levels of accessibility will not be tempered in any way.
Cost
Most businesses need advanced IT networks and infrastructural elements in order to function competitively and secure long-term prospects for growth, but actually being able to budget for the necessary hardware and maintenance can put paid to the best-laid plans.
However, with hybrid cloud hosting there is a much more affordable way to get ahead of rivals and use the most powerful available platforms.
Keeping core functions on a private cloud that is run internally and operated securely while using public services to cater for less sensitive matters and particularly heavy workloads will mean that money is being spent efficiently, with a business only paying for the additional capacity when it is required.
Security
There are a number of concerns held by businesses that might prevent them from adopting cloud computing platforms, although under scrutiny and in the face of the facts, many of these will prove to be unfounded.
Security issues in particular are regularly raised when talking about the cloud, although most experts in the field agree that there is the potential for data to be better protected when kept on a remote, constantly monitored server rather than stored internally on systems that are open to compromise.
Many businesses may be using a hybrid approach to cloud computing without realising it, but those which take full advantage are putting themselves in the best possible position.
Daisy Group are a leading provider of unified communications solutions. Find out more about their cloud hosting services here.