Cloud computing has become fairly common in the business world. The flexibility, scalability, and productivity the cloud offers has made it an invaluable tool for most organizations. So much so, in fact, that a growing number of companies are using more than one cloud platform for their operations. While there are benefits to having a hybrid IT environment like this, it can also lead to a few problems. However, you can overcome these issues with the help of managed services.
The Challenges of Hybrid IT
When you build your IT environment, you have four infrastructure choices: on-premise, public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud. Each solution offers its own advantages and disadvantages. To solve the shortcomings of one platform type, it’s not uncommon for a business to integrate another type. For example, an organization that relies on a private cloud environment may also use a public cloud for its scalability.
Using a single solution is simple because there’s a limited number of tools you need to become familiar with. When you integrate an additional platform into your infrastructure, there are more tools at your disposal and more decisions that need to be made. You’re making your IT environment more complex. As a result, more time is needed to understand the depth of these solutions and what your business requires.
Another challenge that comes with hybrid IT is implementation. Having more than one cloud means you may need to develop multiple data migration strategies for each platform. Since it’s likely these environments will have to share some information, migration won’t be a one-time issue either.
Last but not least, there’s the issue of security and compliance. Different environments have different controls, and bringing all of them into alignment with your policies takes time. However, there has to be consistency for each platform to create a secure infrastructure that lives up to your industry’s regulations.
Hybrid Cloud Management
Managing multiple IT environments is no easy task. It requires an in-depth understanding of security, governance, and end user requirements. To ease some of this complexity for your organization, you can use cloud management services from a managed service provider (MSP). A hybrid MSP has the tools and knowledge to help you get your infrastructure under control.
Here are just a few things an MSP can do to make your multi-cloud solution manageable:
End-To-End Orchestration
An effective managed services plan integrates cloud services so that data and dependencies are reliably passed across all platforms. Additionally, through standardization of endpoint connections, an MSP can make integration with services like Google Cloud and Amazon Web Services (AWS) seamless.
Cloud Optimization
With the help of an MSP, you can automate the delivery of resources across cloud systems. This allows for the scaling of workloads in your infrastructure. Depending on the vendor, machine learning can also be applied so resources are dynamically scaled based on real-time demands, past usage patterns, and forecasted workloads.
Cost Reduction
As your hybrid IT is optimized, whatever isn’t needed is removed for maximum efficiency. This helps you cut costs by eliminating idle resources. It also allows for IT operations to more easily meet SLAs and other business deadlines.
SLA Delay and Breach Prevention
Working with an MSP gives you access to service level agreement (SLA) tools. These tools can be used to monitor workflows and avoid bottlenecks as everyone attempts to use the same resources. Additionally, your IT provider can alert you to potential SLA breaches. This reserves the cloud resources needed to prevent a breach from happening.
Keep Your Cloud Solutions Running Efficiently
From cloud migration to maintenance, Net3 IT can help you implement an infrastructure that’s aligned with your business goals. Using our knowledge and years of experience, we help you simplify your multi-cloud environment. We also take the time to understand your organization, so we can customize your solution to meet the specific demands of your operations.
If you’d like to learn more about our services, contact us today.
