Have you heard of the term “hybrid cloud strategy”? If you have and are wondering exactly what it is and how it relates to your business, then you’ve come to the right place.

A hybrid cloud strategy sometimes referred to as a multi-cloud strategy, is exactly what it sounds like. It’s the implementation of an IT strategy that makes use of a number of clouds and cloud-based services. The clouds and services used are a combination of public and private clouds. While this definition may appear complex, it isn’t.

Public clouds and the solutions they offer are widely used and available to the public. Companies like Google, Microsoft, and Amazon, among others, offer public clouds and services. Simple tools that we take for granted, like Gmail, and more complex but equally, if not more, important cloud services like Amazon AWS are an integrated part of our every day lives. These are publicly shared, virtualized resources that are available to virtually anyone with an internet connection.

A private cloud is dedicated to a single organization or business. Because the information is confined to a smaller network and fewer people, a private cloud is often considered to be more secure. Examples of businesses that use a private cloud are medical offices, banking institutions, and organizations that are required to meet specific federal and state guidelines for data controls. Private cloud storage offers greater control over highly sensitive data that is subject to controls and regulations. Private clouds are not limited to specific industries — they are useful in many business environments.

A hybrid cloud combines both public and private clouds, ideally seamlessly, to achieve the best overall result and efficiency for your business. For example, a business may use a private cloud for internal data and communications, while a public cloud is more efficient and accessible for customer-facing operations. Or a public cloud could provide a backup for when demand on resources is greater than what the company’s private cloud can provide.

A hybrid cloud strategy allows your business to utilize the most effective parts of each cloud. IT offers not only flexibility in configuration and implementation but is also cost-effective. Perhaps your organization is phasing out outdated in-house IT and a private cloud, but some of that infrastructure is still vital for day to day operations. Keeping only what is necessary reduces costs as you upgrade to more efficient cloud-based infrastructure. You experience little to no downtime and your business is on its way to maximizing its potential while reducing costs. A hybrid cloud strategy is not just a temporary solution; it may offer the best possible configuration for your business IT in the long term.

Configuring and implementing a hybrid cloud strategy requires expertise in both public and private clouds, as well as how to harmonize and seamlessly combine the two. SingularisIT offers expert business IT services that include optimizing cloud-based services. Contact us today to learn more.