According to Statista, 80% of all global enterprises currently (in the year 2022) have some kind of hybrid structure in place. The hybrid market is expected to reach a whopping 145 billion USD by the year 2026. This is not a trend that will be going anywhere anytime soon, so let’s start with the most important questions: What is a hybrid cloud? And why should your enterprise have one? Let’s dive into the topic of enterprise hybrid cloud.

What is a hybrid cloud?

A hybrid cloud strategy is one that allows enterprises to utilize a combination of different environments to meet their computing, storage, and network needs. While there are many ways to create a hybrid cloud environment by making use of any mix of public cloud services, private cloud services, on-premises infrastructure, and third-party services, blending on-prem and public clouds are one of the most common choices.

What are the benefits of using a hybrid cloud for enterprises?

To build enterprise applications, you need to go cloud native. This means choosing a public cloud environment or private cloud infrastructure. Let’s say you have a client operating within the FinTech space that is developing a financial solution on big data analysis. In such a case, you would need on-premise data centers, computing environments, for your financial services applications. You would also be concerned about cloud security. As such, you may be faced with making the decision to choose between private and public cloud.

Business critical applications require significant amount of thought and serious consideration. In the above case, both private and public cloud infrastructures have their own advantages. However, hybrid cloud infrastructure blends the benefits of both infrastructures. Perhaps the greatest benefit of hybrid cloud strategies for enterprises is that they allow for a cloud-smart approach. This means that enterprises can choose which environment best meets their needs and will support and benefit them long term. The benefits for organizations that opt for an enterprise hybrid cloud solution include:

Governance and Compliance

As has been the case with several Sangfor customers, many organizations must follow compliance to ensure that policies and procedures are being met. In many industries where sensitive data is attained and utilized, there is strict compliance surrounding data security. By implementing a hybrid strategy, organizations can select environments and solutions that best meet their data security needs, be it on-premises data storage, or a private cloud. Hybrid cloud strategies allow enterprises to fulfill their compliance requirements and still have the option of utilizing other environments for their less restrictive or non-compliance-based needs.

Scalability

Enterprises that use cloud environments have the benefit of scaling as they need. Business needs change and workload demands fluctuate. This means that subsequently, the infrastructure needed to meet those demands may increase or decrease. Cloud vendors work on a pay-as-you-go and per-need basis, allowing you to change your subscription as is necessary without limitations, or the need to upgrade your infrastructure. This means you can enjoy the benefits of resources on-demand without delay.

Remote-work supportive

Research compiled by data scientists at Ladders in 2021 showed that in 2022, 25% of all jobs in the United States would be remote, while an Owl Labs study found that 16% of enterprises globally are fully remote. While Covid-19 caused a rise in remote work trends, many enterprises have maintained remote, and hybrid work even afterward. For businesses that have or will adapt to this trend, hybrid cloud strategies make it possible for systems to be accessed by employees from anywhere. With a hybrid cloud strategy, work out-of-office can be maintained.

Resource and cost management

Enterprises can plan their budgets around what resources they need, and which environments they can afford to meet those needs. While for some enterprises, cloud-first solutions are cost-effective in the long run, this is not always the case for others. An enterprise hybrid cloud solution allows businesses to use the solution that best fits their budget as the business grows.

Legacy-application friendly

Legacy applications are sometimes what stop enterprises heavily reliant on them from moving to the cloud. With a hybrid cloud, organizations can use the cloud to upgrade or rebuild their legacy applications should they wish to, or simply leave them should they not. This is one of the many ways in which hybrid cloud solutions provide flexibility.

Enterprise hybrid cloud vendors

Knowing how to choose the right vendor for your hybrid cloud strategy is the first and most important stepping stone in developing a strategy that meets your business’s needs.

Sangfor provides a wide range of managed cloud services that are tailored to meet the computing needs of each individual enterprise. In a previous article we provide a list of our top five recommended enterprise hybrid cloud providers, the list includes:

Sangfor Cloud Platform
IBM
Microsoft Azure Stack
AWS Outpost
Google Cloud Anthos

Choosing a provider that has the experience and can provide the above benefits of a hybrid cloud strategy is important. A good provider can grow your enterprise and bring you closer to your business goals, while the wrong one can set you back. With that being said, it is advisable to strategize on determining how your enterprise will make its final choice to meet all its needs.

About Sangfor Hybrid Cloud Solution

Sangfor Hybrid Cloud is built on hyper-converged infrastructure (HCI), combining compute, storage, virtualization, and security for simple deployment, ease of management, and cutting-edge security. In the whiteboard video below, we will take a deeper look at Sangfor Hybrid Cloud architecture, its use cases, and why it is the perfect solution for your digital transformation (DX).

Sangfor Customers who implemented enterprise hybrid cloud using HCI

Many enterprises in varying industries have deployed Sangfor’s hybrid cloud using HCI (hyper-converged infrastructure). Sangfor HCI combines computing, security, network, and storage solutions onto a single stack, and uses a wide range of Sangfor products to meet these needs.

PT JFE Steel Galvanizing Indonesia, the only high-quality galvanized steel manufacturer in Indonesia;
Julong Group Indonesia, a palm oil manufacturer, and
Malaysia’s Ministry of Rural Development (KPLB – Kementerian Pembangunan Luar Bandar)

These are three organizations in manufacturing and government sectors that have adopted Sangfor HCI as part of their cloud architecture.

Each of the above organizations faced challenges with their previous service providers before moving to Sangfor. Sangfor was able to deploy Sangfor HCI to meet their needs, providing a reliable, flexible, and secure infrastructure for their data protection, applications, security requirements, backup needs, and more.

Our final thoughts about hybrid cloud

A hybrid cloud solution can provide many benefits to an organization that will propel its digital transformation and accommodates all enterprise demands. It is a great way to approach a cloud-smart strategy and a driver of sustainable development. While it is a transition that needs to be approached with care and patience, it stands to boost performance and ease workload demands on independent enterprises looking for a flexible strategy.

Sangfor’s cloud solutions are reliable, high-performing, and easy to use, simplifying the enterprise journey to hybrid cloud, using solutions such as managed cloud services. Contact us to know more about cloud products, services and solutions available for your businesses.