As a business grows at a phenomenal rate, it is only natural to make the move to access and store data in the cloud. Many businesses now use hybrid cloud management.
What is a Hybrid Cloud?
A hybrid cloud is a computing environment that juggles between various different cloud services, like private cloud and third-party cloud services. Hybrid clouds also sync between the two cloud platforms.
This approach is to manage storage that uses both local and off-site resources. Hybrid cloud storage is often used to supplement internal data storage with public cloud storage. But how does one manage a hybrid cloud environment with more than one cloud provider? There might be many other public cloud providers and a basic private cloud. As privacy is also paramount, how can one manage the issue of privacy as well? Effective strategies need to be formulated so that hybrid clouds can be managed effectively. This will also help in tackling and managing these concerns.
Hybrid Cloud Management & Tools
When managing both privacy and data in hybrid cloud management, hybrid cloud administrators should be responsible for managing computing, networking, and also storage resources in multiple domains. Strong and clear management policies should be set in place so that key topics can be outlined and explained. The policies should cover management policies, access control policies, and also budget management policies.
Hybrid cloud management is one thing, one also needs to know how to execute these tasks across multiple domains; and for this, cross-platform tools is key. There are many tools out there; it is necessary to determine the right mix of cloud tools and which would be the most effective. For example, Amazon Beanstalk is one of the more practical solutions as it supports various technical and management tasks. But these functions are limited as they work only on the Amazon Cloud.
Also, it should be taken into consideration if a single product approach is needed or, rather, a collection of tools.
When multiple management applications are needed, then a single consolidated product would be a better choice. There are many providers, such as OpenStack, RightScale, and Enstratus, that offer a single pane of glass products. This lets customers manage multiple services from a single console.
Specialized tools can be used when management systems are in place for most of the environment, but is needed to address certain spots that need attention. Many specialized tools that can be used for configuration include Puppet and Chef. Both of these products provide a much more sophisticated level of abstraction for managing the hybrid cloud.
Hybrid cloud management can be time-consuming, but it can be done properly with the right set of tools. To do the right thing, sometimes a specialized combination of tools and programs are required. But the mantra is simple: Understand what your business requires, and then work with the tools that can help you manage it.
Featured Image: depositphotos/bakhtiarzein
