There’s nothing quite like a clean slate—starting fresh, a new horizon. The baggage of the past is behind us. There’s just a blank page now to start the latest chapter.
If only cloud migration were that simple.
CIOs and IT managers struggle to migrate their legacy systems to the cloud. It’s not easy, but it can be done. Indeed, it must be done despite relentless technological change and nimble competitors.
To get there, many global enterprises (up to 72% of Statista respondents) utilize the hybrid cloud model to manage their legacy investments while accessing the cloud’s inherent benefits.
This is an age when remaining competitive with a cookie-cutter digital upgrade may not be enough. Businesses today must adopt new technologies to stay agile and scalable and ultimately transform themselves into technology companies that deliver entirely new products and services.
Consider banking. When Capital One decided to shift to the cloud in 2016, few banks were willing to take risks associated with security and compliance in the cloud.
Today, Capital One views itself as a “technology company … focused on innovating the financial industry.” It leverages Amazon Web Services to enable rapid innovation, real-time fraud detection, and personalized customer services with machine learning tools. Capital One proves that cloud technology can transform traditional banks into agile, customer-centric organizations in a regulated industry.
Hybrid Cloud Benefits
According to Google Cloud, “A hybrid cloud approach is one of the most common infrastructure setups today. Cloud migrations naturally lead to hybrid cloud implementations as organizations often have to transition applications and data slowly and systematically.” The edge hybrid model combines the immediacy of edge computing with the hybrid cloud. Use cases include smart cities, remote healthcare monitoring, industrial IoT, and personalized retail experiences.
Hybrid cloud designs are highly customizable and can even combine multiple public clouds. Each company has unique challenges, and one size does not fit all, as IBM.
Upgrade as you need it.
With a hybrid cloud, you can migrate applications to the cloud at a pace that makes sense for your business and transforms your technical infrastructure over time.
Maintain a sovereign cloud.
The hybrid cloud model offers the flexibility to store data on-premises or in cloud environments. By strategically locating data according to local regulations and standards, it enables adherence to regional compliance and data sovereignty laws. This is an excellent means of maintaining data sovereignty by country or region.
Healthcare
Healthcare regulations are some of the most stringent in the world. These regulations dictate how patient information must be protected, which can require keeping such applications on-premise to ensure compliance in a hybrid model.
Financial Services
Financial transactions, customer data, and sensitive financial information must comply with strict data security and privacy requirements varying from region to region. To stay compliant, financial institutions typically run these applications on-premise in a hybrid scenario.
Stay Innovative
According to a paper by Microsoft, a hybrid model can accelerate development efforts. Major companies like Phillips have delivered tangible healthcare benefits with their hybrid cloud approach to helping physicians diagnose diseases with AI-powered tools.
Edge Cloud Environments
The edge hybrid model combines the immediacy of edge computing with the hybrid cloud. Use cases include smart cities, remote healthcare monitoring, industrial IoT, and personalized retail experiences.
Addressing Hybrid Cloud Challenges:
Legacy vs. Innovation
Your existing IT infrastructure works, but replacement is costly and risky. However, cloud solutions offer compelling scalability, cutting-edge tools, and cost savings. Finding the right balance between maintaining legacy systems for core functions while adopting cloud innovations is crucial for long-term competitiveness.
The Technical Hurdle
As an article in ComputerWeekly.com states, “Adopting cloud computing requires careful planning and a deep understanding of how your existing applications might impede migration to a cloud-native architecture. Gartner clients often cite poor planning and inappropriate migration strategies as reasons for sub-standard cloud adoption.” Integrating cloud solutions with on-premises systems requires addressing potential incompatibilities, ensuring data security, and optimizing network performance.
The Culture Shift
As an Accenture report and a Deloitte podcast pointed out, success also hinges on harmonizing the technical with a team-focused transformation. Your staff will need training and upskilling to utilize cloud tools. That can mean the difference between a stalled transition and a company-wide embrace of cloud innovation.
The Role of MSPs in Cloud Integration
The complexities of cloud integration can be daunting, and there’s a lot at stake. Managed Service Providers (MSPs)—like ULAP Networks—have cloud expertise and vendor relationships across diverse regions and in complex jurisdictions.
