4 key questions to ask about your hybrid cloud strategy

In this new era of work, you have people working remotely on a regular basis; you also have people in the office. You have still others who are drifting between the two. When you have a workforce that is so much in flux, you need to have a data architecture that’s flexible enough to support everyone and everything.

And that’s where hybrid cloud technology comes in.

According to ZDNet, this is a very real trend that’s observable in the modern IT environment – organizations are increasingly adopting multi-cloud and hybrid cloud architectures to help them manage data in a way that will accommodate employees’ needs. A March 2021 survey revealed that nearly half of organizations right now are accelerating their cloud deployment efforts to support a remote workforce. And it’s not just about adopting new technology, either – the real objective here is to completely realign your business’ philosophies about data.

“Bottom-line, cultural change is a prerequisite for managing the complexity of today’s hybrid and multi-cloud environments,” Google’s John Abel said. “Teams must operate faster, dynamically, adapting to shifting market trends to stay competitive. This new reality requires tighter collaboration between teams, as well as a maniacal focus on the customer experience and how it impacts the business.”

That may sound like a lot, but really it’s just a matter of shaping your high-level hybrid cloud philosophy. From there, everything else will follow. Here’s a look at four key questions you should be asking:

• How will you allocate workloads? Do you plan to put most of your data in the public cloud, or a private one? How will you juggle the two? Figuring out what goes where is an important first step toward shaping your long-term strategy.
• Will on-premises storage play a role? While the cloud is of course valuable, there are still some situations where it makes sense to keep data on-prem. You’ll need to decide which components of your organization’s data this applies to, if any.
• Who’s in charge of management? Like anything else in business, your cloud strategy will work best if there’s clear accountability. Who’s managing your cloud infrastructure, and how? What IT tools will they use? These are fundamental questions.
• Is your plan cost-effective? If the cloud is done right, it can be a major source of cost savings for your business. But that’s a big “if.” Balancing public cloud, private cloud, and on-prep is complicated, and there’s no guarantee that you’re budgeting for it all effectively.

When it comes to all of the above – cloud, on-prem, data management, cost savings – Zones is ready and willing to be a trusted partner for your business. We have years of experience working to craft the perfect cloud solutions for our clients, and we can begin that process with you next. With just one visit, we can show you how to use hybrid cloud technology to drive growth and foster innovation for your business. Connect with us today to find out for yourself.

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