Hybrid Cloud Examples
Our previous article outlined basics of hybrid cloud computing. One area we wanted to expand on is where organizations are getting the best results. We’ll outline some hybrid cloud examples, showcasing how and why organizations take a hybrid approach.
When Inbound Demand Greatly Exceeds Supply
In the past, we’ve worked with a pair of “event” websites where 99% of the traffic happens in the two weeks leading up to the organizations’ event. It makes little sense for these sites to keep enough computing power to handle that peak demand all year, so the logical plan is to handle the basics the rest of the year, then scale up to meet the spike. That is, we used public cloud computing power to cloudburst, scaling up quickly and cost-effectively. This same approach could be beneficial for planned events like Black Friday where e-commerce websites have big days, news announcements that drive massive traffic (if you were to appear on Howard Stern’s radio show, for example!), or a seasonal ad campaign that could stress normal infrastructure. Note, it could be both computing power and/or storage that need to scale.
When Sensitive Information Must Be Stored
One of the concerns you face could be security and compliance (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI). For example, a healthcare provider may need to enable HIPAA-compliant hosting. Or some countries require that the application data pertaining to its people remain within the country. Building such infrastructure in-house could be cost-prohibitive, so working with a third-party cloud services provider could simplify the implementation. Especially when it comes to security, having that expertise available could put oversight minds at ease.
When Users Can’t Endure Latency
By placing resources closer to the end user, hybrid cloud solutions can make teams happier. We were recently consulted on a project that entails manipulating large data sets. Loading the data is a massive undertaking, working with it is resource intensive, and retaining it in the data center is not feasible. It makes sense to load and manipulate the data locally (in the data center), then archive data to the cloud, retrieving it later if needed.
During a Digital Transformation
We see a difference between going “cloud first” and going “cloud smart”. Often, legacy applications can prevent an organization from migrating everything to the cloud. Hybrid cloud solutions offer a compromise where an organization can separate workloads that cannot be easily supported by cloud services. The cloud can be used where it makes sense and integrated into a single architecture. Over time, the strangler pattern can reduce the need for a hybrid cloud.
When Testing a New Application Idea
If you’re building new systems, you many not know if your application will succeed in the marketplace. Launching in a cloud environment enables testing a new application before investing significant capital in hardware or long-term cloud services.
To Enable High Availability and Disaster Recovery
By design, the cloud reduces the need for high availability and disaster recovery plans. Hybrid cloud solutions enable organizations to back up data to the cloud and use them for recovery if there’s a data center disruption. A hybrid cloud architecture eliminates expensive on-premise backup server strategies.
Applying Hybrid Cloud Examples
We specialize in cloud migrations using AWS, from lift & shift to full-blown cloud native rearchitecting. Our goal in sharing these hybrid cloud examples is to open your eyes to different ways of using the cloud. We work with organizations who are still operating applications on-premises. That’s where hybrid cloud can offer a transitional path to cloud computing. Unlike lift & shift migration, you’re not making a big commitment. It’s more plug & play to extend than pack up & move. If you’re interested in the cloud, it’s worth considering each of these examples to see how it aligns with your network architecture and emerging needs. You may just find a sweet spot to initiate a longer-term cloud migration.
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