Hybrid Cloud: definition, strategies and roadmap for migration

The Hybrid Cloud is a storage and services model consisting of an on-premise infrastructure, private cloud services and a public cloud, such as Amazon Web Services (AWS) Microsoft Azure or Google Cloud.

The Hybrid Cloud allows workloads to be migrated from the private cloud to the public cloud according to business needs, making it very flexible and secure. This is made possible through virtualization of data and workloads, as well as network functions virtualization (NFV) or VPNs and connectivity to one or more cloud providers. You rely on a hybrid cloud when you want to keep your infrastructure balanced between private cloud-sort of an evolution of on-premise-and public cloud. In this way, workloads are directed to one of the two facilities, depending on which one is more secure and effective for a certain task.

A hybrid cloud architecture has some specific characteristics:

• While remaining distinct, the on-premise data center, public and private cloud resources, and workloads are seamless and united by common data management.
• It is secure because you can maintain existing systems on legacy architectures that run business-critical applications or contain sensitive data that may not be suitable for the public cloud.

In a hybrid cloud model, companies deploy workloads in private IT or public cloud environments and move from one to the other as computing needs and costs change. This offers an undisputed set of benefits:

• Flexibility. Organizations can migrate workloads to and from their own traditional infrastructure and a vendor's public cloud when needed.
• Management costs. With a private cloud, organizations own and manage the data center infrastructure, which requires significant fixed costs. With a Hybrid Cloud Architecture, it is possible to choose to run workloads in whatever environment is most cost-effective in a given situation.
• Agility and scalability. When there are peaks in demand that exceed the capacity of the local data center, an organization can use the public cloud to access additional capacity and scalability, determining the location of workloads based on organizational needs that may change frequently
• Compliance. There are certain types of organizations that, at least for now, must keep their business-critical information and most sensitive workloads in the local cloud, subject to restrictions on where the data can reside, and this often means they cannot move certain workloads to the public cloud. A Hybrid Cloud architecture allows companies to meet regulatory requirements and still benefit from the elasticity of the cloud.

Are you considering a hybrid cloud solution but don't know how to proceed? Contact our experts, who will guide you step by step

The goals leading to a Hybrid Cloud Transformation and a migration to a hybrid cloud environment must be carefully considered. Indeed, before embarking on the transformation journey, one must be clear about the destination, why one wants to implement a hybrid cloud (evaluating the benefits we discussed earlier), and rely on a partner to guide the organization through the process.

Only once these points are clarified is the company ready for the Hybrid Cloud Migration. This includes several aspects: designing and building IaaS and PaaS clouds to executing workload migrations, planning and executing application migration, modernization for the cloud, and preparing applications for deployment to the target platform.

The hybrid cloud makes it easier to protect data, applications and infrastructure by being able to manage data and business operations through:

• Private cloud, which protects the most sensitive data or business-critical operations;
• Public cloud, for less critical data management.

In addition, with the hybrid cloud, the organization has the ability to oversee all points of regulatory and corporate compliance, such as auditing and security. The hybrid cloud architecture consists of separate, albeit interconnected, entities that talk through application modes associated with containerization and encrypted APIs, elevating the security of the Hybrid Cloud architecture even further.

In discussing Hybrid Cloud Security, there are 5 most critical points to pay attention to:

• Data transfer within the hybrid cloud - that is, migration from public to private cloud;
• Authentication and authorization - careful consideration should be given to how data can be accessed in the public and private cloud;
• Staff training - to avoid risks associated with the hybrid cloud, all resources working on it must be trained;
• Network - attention should be paid to network security. For example, if using AWS, it is good to set up a site-to-site VPN between the data center and AWS, connecting it all to Amazon VPC;
• Compliance issues - you need to pay attention to compliance with regulations, such as GDPR.

Hybrid Cloud Governance involves agile risk management in the cloud and on-premise. The hybrid environment develops dynamically and therefore has different security and compliance needs where risks and regulations increase. With Hybrid Cloud Governance, systems, software and processes are implemented and used in line with agreed policies and procedures, regardless of how the hybrid environment evolves. In addition, Hybrid Cloud Management & Governance includes a series of actions aimed at making it compliant with IT governance control mechanisms and procedures.

A heterogeneous architecture by definition that, at the same time, places interoperability and communication between the two environments as a priority, needs a performant, effective and comprehensive management platform. Once the public environment, for example AWS, has been chosen and the private environment defined, it is important to dwell on the choice of the correct hybrid cloud managed services.

In this regard, Lutech provides customized solutions designed on the customer's needs, implementing Multi Cloud and Hybrid Cloud environments and building simple, secure and fast transition strategies and roadmaps. Fundamental in the implementation of Hybrid Cloud solutions is Lutech's extensive experience in designing and implementing on-premise solutions, a guarantee for the Customer in choosing the right Cloud solution.

At Lutech we design, implement, secure and manage Hybrid Cloud solutions, identifying the most agile, scalable and resilient architectures, the very foundation of your digitization projects. Performance, business continuity and security are the drivers behind each of our cloud and infrastructure projects.

We are experts in the development of multi-cloud solutions due to numerous projects implemented by our architects. The development of interfaces based on Cloud orchestration solutions simplifies the use of a complex model for the end customer, along with the adoption of IaC (Infrastructure as Code) as an enabler, an established standard at Lutech for all Cloud implementations. 

The most recent solutions include the Red Hat Digital Hub to support multicloud solutions through the introduction of Red Hat technologies, which represents a new client-oriented demo center. Red Hat technologies used in the demo center are mainly concentrated in three technology areas: 

1. OpenShift Container Platform 
2. Ansible Automation 
3. Sap Integration Gateway 

Underpinning the hybrid cloud path proposed to enterprises are hybrid cloud architecture consulting and strategy services. Relying on a partner with proven experience allows you to reduce costs by setting up a proper hybrid cloud or multi-hybrid cloud strategy right from the start. In this way, Hybrid Cloud can make infrastructure more affordable, enable business agility, and accelerate digital transformation. Our experts can customize your cloud policies and environment based on an actionable roadmap to increase speed and improve your organization's competitive advantage.

Need more information? Contact our Hybrid Cloud Architecture team for a personalized consultation on your needs