Are you struggling to choose between on-premises or cloud for your applications? What if we told you that you don’t have to choose? Hybrid cloud hosting is the perfect solution for integrating both types of applications seamlessly.

With hybrid cloud hosting, you can combine the advantages of on-premises and cloud-based applications to create a flexible and scalable IT infrastructure that meets the unique needs of your business.

What is Hybrid Cloud Hosting?

Hybrid cloud hosting is a cloud computing model that combines private, on-premises infrastructure with public cloud services. It allows businesses to take advantage of the benefits of both environments, such as cost savings and scalability of cloud computing while retaining control and security over sensitive data and critical applications that remain on-premises.

Hybrid cloud hosting is important because it provides a flexible and scalable infrastructure that can adapt to the changing needs of businesses while maintaining control over their data.

Hybrid cloud hosting creates a seamless connection between on-premises infrastructure and public cloud services. The connection is established through a secure and reliable network that allows data to flow seamlessly between the two environments. This connection can be established using several technologies such as VPN, direct connection, or software-defined networking.

Before we go further, we need to define what types of applications are suitable for on-prem and cloud.

What are On-Premises Applications?

On-premises applications refer to software applications that are installed and operated on local hardware within an organization’s premises. The organization’s IT department typically manages and maintains these applications, providing control and security over sensitive data and critical applications. However, on-premises applications can be expensive to maintain, lack scalability, and are not accessible outside of the organization’s premises.

What are Cloud-based Applications?

Cloud-based applications are software applications hosted and operated on a remote server and accessed over the internet. Cloud-based applications are scalable, cost-effective, and accessible from anywhere, making them an ideal solution for businesses that require mobility and flexibility.Cloud-based applications such as SaaS, DBaaS, or PaaS are typically maintained and managed by the service provider, freeing up business from the burden of managing the applications and infrastructure.

What are the differences between on-prem and cloud-based?

The main difference between on-premises and cloud-based applications is the location of data and the infrastructure that supports them. While on-premises applications are installed and operated on local hardware, cloud-based applications are hosted and operated on remote servers. As a result, cloud-based applications offer more scalability, mobility, and cost-effectiveness, while on-premises applications provide more control, security, and customization.

That is why combining these two benefits of hostings can help you and your business gain more control over your business.

Here comes hybrid cloud hosting!

It enables businesses to combine the advantages of on-premises and cloud-based applications to create a seamless IT infrastructure that meets their unique needs. With hybrid cloud hosting, businesses can remain competitive and adapt to the changing landscape of digital business.

Cloud Integration in Hybrid Cloud Hosting

One of the key aspects of hybrid cloud hosting is cloud integration, which involves connecting on-premises applications and data with cloud-based applications and data. Cloud integration is achieved through the use of APIs, which allow applications to communicate with each other and share data in a secure and reliable way.

Cloud integration enables businesses to take advantage of the benefits of cloud-based applications, such as scalability and cost-effectiveness while retaining control and security over their data. For example, businesses can use cloud-based storage solutions for non-sensitive data, while keeping sensitive data on-premises.

Let’s see how businesses are using hybrid cloud hosting.

• A popular carbonated soft drink company uses a hybrid cloud to manage its global supply chain. Hybrid cloud is the best choice for those companies who have legacy systems or applications. By adopting hybrid cloud, they can keep their legacy system in on-premise infrastructure while leveraging the advantages of the cloud for new application or services.
• A baby care product company uses a hybrid cloud to manage its pharmaceutical research and development. Hybrid cloud allows them to maintain compliance with data protection and privacy regulations by keeping sensitive patient data and proprietary information within their private cloud or on-premise.
• An online streaming service uses a hybrid cloud to manage its massive video streaming service. The company uses Amazon Web Services (AWS) for its video encoding and streaming functions while keeping customer data on its own servers.
• One of Malaysia’s largest bank institutions has adopted a hybrid cloud strategy to support its digital transformation efforts. The bank uses the cloud to support its mobile banking app, online banking portal, and other digital services while keeping sensitive customer data on-premise.
• One of the national oil and gas companies in Malaysia, has adopted a hybrid cloud strategy to support its exploration and production activities. The company uses the cloud to process and analyze seismic data while keeping sensitive data related to production and operations on-premise.

Advantages of Hybrid Cloud Architecture

Flexibility: Companies can work with different data types across different environments and adjust their infrastructure as needed.

Cost Management: Hybrid cloud allows businesses to choose the most cost-effective environment for running workloads, balancing fixed and variable costs.

Agility and Scalability: Hybrid cloud provides the ability to provision, deploy, and scale resources quickly and respond to demand spikes.

Resiliency and Interoperability: Running redundant workloads across private and public environments ensures resiliency, while interoperability between components of a single workload streamlines operations.

Integrated Cloud Applications: Combining different cloud applications and services can improve workflow efficiency, reduce costs, and enhance overall productivity.

Who needs Hybrid Cloud Hosting?

1. Financial Industry

• Financial Services industry often deals with sensitive data and stringent regulatory requirements.
• Hybrid cloud allows financial service industry to securely store and process data while meeting compliance standards.
• By utilizing private clouds for sensitive customer information while leveraging public cloud for scalable processing power and data analysis.

2. Healthcare Industry

• Healthcare industry deals with large volumes of sensitive & confidential data, such as patients’ electronic health records, medical images and surgery report.
• Hybrid cloud hosting enables healthcare organizations to store and access patients’ data securely while leveraging the scalability and cost-effectiveness of public clouds for data analytics and research purposes.

3. E-commerce Retailers

• E-commerce Retailers often experience fluctuating demand, especially during peak seasons such as 11.11 promo day.
• Hybrid cloud hosting enables them to scale their infrastructure to handle traffic spikes and transactions while ensuring secure payment processing and data protection without compromising sales ROI.
• It also allows retailers to leverage cloud-based analytics for real-time inventory management and sales figures.

4. Media and Entertainment

• Media companies deal with large files, high-resolution vides, and content distributions across various platforms.
• Hybrid cloud hosting allows them to store and process media files securely while utilizing the scalability and cost advantages of public cloud for content delivery, transcoding and video streaming.

5. Manufacturing

• Manufacturing companies may have a mix of legacy on-premises systems and modern cloud-based applications
• Hybrid cloud can be used to integrate these systems and provide a unified view of manufacturing operations
• Cost savings can be achieved by choosing the most cost-effective environment for running workloads
• Scalability can be achieved to accommodate changing demand for manufactured products
• Hybrid Cloud Hosting benefits the manufacturing industry by integrating their operational technology (OT) systems with information technology (IT) systems.
• Integration between public and private cloud enables real-time data monitoring, predictive maintenance, supply chain optimization, and process automation.
• Hybrid clouds provide the flexibility to manage on-premises systems and cloud-based applications efficiently.

What are The Challenges of Hybrid Cloud Integration?

1. Cost

Hybrid hosting can be more expensive than using a single hosting solution. This is due to the need to integrate different systems and technologies. To mitigate this challenge, businesses must thoroughly evaluate their IT requirements and weigh the costs of different hosting options before opting for a hybrid approach.

2. Bandwidth depletion

The use of multiple hosting solutions can lead to increased network traffic and bandwidth consumption. This can affect application performance. To optimize network traffic and improve application performance, businesses can leverage load balancing and content delivery networks.

3. Increased management complexity

The integration of multiple hosting solutions can lead to increased management complexity and administrative overhead. To alleviate this challenge, businesses can leverage cloud management platforms that provide a single interface for managing multiple hosting solutions, reducing the complexity of managing hybrid hosting environments.

4. Data handling

Improper data placement and movement in a hybrid cloud can create security and cost issues.

To address this, it’s essential to ensure that data is encrypted during transit and placed in the appropriate environment to prevent unnecessary transfers and cloud network and egress fees.

5. Complex access management & Skills Gap

Hybrid cloud implementation can be challenging due to complex access management. It requires specialized skills, including expertise in multiple hosting solutions, network architecture, and security.

There may be a skills gap among IT staff, and it can be challenging to train new employees. Investing in employee training and cloud certifications is essential to close the skills gap and ensure a smooth transition to hybrid hosting. Failure to address this issue can lead to human error and affect the overall performance of the hybrid cloud environment.