Though cloud computing presents many benefits, the hybrid cloud world also has its share of key challenges IT and business executives need to address in order for their organisations to succeed in this emerging environment.
So says Mark Ridley, regional director for Africa at NetApp, who notes the movement of data within the hybrid cloud may be a challenge as data, by its nature, can be cumbersome and difficult to move.
He points out the transfer of large amounts of data could take weeks, but companies need to be able to move data quickly.
Another concern is the security of the data, he says, adding as data is being transferred, it needs to be controlled and protected.
Ridley believes "shadow data" might be another risk factor when it comes to organisations moving data into the hybrid cloud. He explains this is data created through the apps being used when leveraging the cloud to move information: it is used in a limited fashion or isolated, but still exists.
He says, however, SMEs benefit from moving into the hybrid cloud because data can be stored and moved securely.
The hybrid cloud environments provide a way to leverage the advantages of the cloud while maintaining on-premises infrastructure for the most critical processes or most sensitive data, he explains.
He says, according to CIOs, the benefits of hybrid cloud are the ability for a more cost-effective computing capacity and on-demand flexibility.
Ridley explains in this environment, CIOs have the ability to make decisions as never before. They can become brokers of services, choosing the best options for their organisations based on the current needs and demands for applications and infrastructure.
"Although there's much talk of the economic benefits of the cloud, including the hybrid cloud, we've found in talking with CIOs that in many cases the decision to move to the cloud is not mainly about saving money."
He cites the agility gained from being able to move workloads from one cloud environment to another as required throughout the data life cycle (from development to production to archival), is an even bigger advantage.
"With this flexibility, IT can shift focus from one area to another without jeopardising the completion of projects."
In closing, Ridley says hybrid clouds will be the backbone of IT today and tomorrow.