Hybrid cloud as the growing preference for enterprise cloud adoption
Monday, October 31, 2011 10:41:48 AM
Security concerns have been among the prevailing factors keeping many businesses and federal agencies from adopting cloud computing services. However, one option that many executives are seeing as a good fit is the hybrid cloud model, where the public and private services can be intertwined to meet security needs and still reduce spending on IT in the business sector.
CSO recently published an article explaining that organizations are increasingly turning to the hybrid model as an initial means of adoption. Because the public cloud allows greater scalability, flexibility and multi-tenancy options, it is an excellent opportunity for businesses to streamline operations and reduce costs. Mixed with the high security capabilities of the private cloud, the hybrid model can be a boon for many businesses.
"Every organization will have some things that they are happy to take the risk of the public cloud with, and they want the cost savings of scale," Dean Kingsley, head of Deloitte's Enterprise Risk Services division, told the news provider. This aspect, the source notes, will likely begin with applications, including email and social networking services, while other enterprise applications will be more suited for private models.
"That's the realm of private clouds, but according to the Gartner Hype Cycle, that's less mature," Kingsley added. "The eventual reality will be the hybrid cloud, the least mature of the delivery models. We're still some way off. I wholeheartedly agree with the statement from Gartner that the cloud would have to be the most hyped issue in IT today."
Federal agencies are taking a hybrid approach to cloud adoption and development. For example, the U.S. General Services Administration recently changed its email systems to a public cloud model, a move that it expects to return more than $15 million in savings over the next three years.
The U.S. Department of Defense and Cyber Command division, on the other hand, have expressed interest in adopting private models to improve efficiency of software and other technological developments. The Cyber Command commander, General Keith Alexander, recently made a public statement affirming his belief that the cloud will vastly improve the defense and intelligence sectors of the government.
Additionally, as the technology continues to advance, experts believe executives and CIOs of many organizations will find ways to adopt the cloud with success. By combining the benefits of each model and avoiding the drawbacks, enterprises can improve overall efficiency, reduce IT expenditure and develop a more streamlined approach.
-McAfee Cloud Security
