Hybrid Cloud is Good. Hybrid IT is Better

When IT experts are asked, “Public or private?” They usually have one answer: both.

The hybrid cloud can appear to be a panacea. Avoid all the cons and get all the pros by adopting both a private and public cloud. You’ll be able to innovate faster. You’ll collaborate more easily. Your data will be available everywhere there’s an internet connection. The choice is easy.

You’re golden.

And while the hybrid cloud is great – we’re huge fans – it’s not the be-all end-all.

Hybrid IT is the wave of the future.

Actually, the present. The moment that you adopt a public or private cloud you’re in hybrid IT territory. It’s revolutionary, but we don’t talk about it enough.

Hybrid IT is more power than a hybrid cloud because it encompasses everything. Not just the cloud.

Sometimes the cloud isn’t the right choice. Sometimes a better choice is a dedicated server. Sometimes a better choice is colocation.

But it can live in murky waters. It can be hard to know what is the right combo to create your own secret recipe for the perfect hybrid IT model.

After all, hybrid IT is adopting the capability to blend on-premise, public cloud, private cloud, dedicating hosting, and colocation services. It should all be built to suit an organisation’s needs.

Building a hybrid IT model is easier than you think. 

Think of public cloud, private cloud, dedicated hosting, and colocation services as the building blocks of a hybrid IT. There are an endless number of ways to fit those blocks together. It all depends on what your needs are.

At the end of the day, ‘hybrid’ anything is signalling that you’ll need to manage multiple environments. Hybrid cloud means you’ll have to manage both a public cloud environment and a private one. Hybrid IT means you’ll be managing traditional hosting options too. 

Hybrid cloud is powerful because it’s diverse.

Hybrid IT is powerful for the same reason. Hybrid clouds can help write the cons out of the equation. For most organisations, a one-size-fits-solution isn’t gonna cut it. That’s why this will be the wave of the future. Because it has to be.

That being said, there are better ways and worse ways to implement hybrid IT. Here are a few thoughts to mull over.

• Don’t reinvent the wheel.

A third-party provider can offer you services better than you can. It’s because it’s their job. Providers have the resources to stay on the cutting edge of technology, offer world-class support, and provide resources for you. It’s what they do day in and day out. You can’t hope to replicate the level of expertise in-house. 

• Embrace multiple providers.

Your ideal hybrid IT model will likely need a blend of different service providers. With the cloud, providers are now offering services in bite-size ‘as a service’ models. That means that you can pick and choose what you want someone else to take over. Infrastructure? Software? Disaster recovery? Backups? Recovery? Check. Check. Check.

• If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

Hybrid IT works best when you don’t try to force it. Look for what needs you have now. Is your infrastructure ageing? What is a better solution? Is it infrastructure as a service through a cloud provider? This will lead you in the direction of a hybrid IT model that works for you. You’ll want to replace bits and pieces of your system thoughtfully as the organisation changes.

• It’s an ‘as a service’ world and we live in it.

Oftentimes you’ll find a provider that can offer you a better service for less than trying to do it yourself. As a service options are becoming more and more viable. They offset the cost of capital expenditures, reduce the initial investment, and provide constantly updating services on a scale that can’t be replicated in-house.

Hybrid IT is a lifestyle.

At the end of the day, what it comes down to is a mindset. If you can think about your system’s pieces as building blocks, there’s no end to the way you can put them together. Hybrid IT can be freeing. It can free up your budget, your IT staff, and your infrastructure. It can improve performance and innovation.

It’s a powerful way to approach every aspect of IT as long as it’s done thoughtfully.

If you’re interested in learning more about hybrid IT, contact us today.