The Benefits and Drawbacks of Hybrid Cloud Storage

A hybrid cloud approach to data storage takes advantage of both cloud and on-premises resources, combining the capabilities of private and public clouds to form an integrated storage architecture. The approach promises significant benefits for enterprises of all types and sizes, including scalability, agility, and cost-savings.

With a hybrid cloud, organizations gain a flexible and agile data storage solution, providing redundancy both locally and across geographies, says Cindy LaChapelle, a principal consultant with technology research and advisory firm ISG.

Hybrid cloud storage introduces three main benefits: scalability, cost management, and control of data, notes Trevor Norcross, a director at business management advisory firm MorganFranklin Consulting.

While hybrid cloud storage can be approached in many different ways, it's often helpful to begin by identifying a small subset of applications to deploy as a pilot, Norcross says. "This can be used to test all aspects of utilizing a new storage architecture, including technical feasibility, program governance, and cost management." He adds that it's important to be deliberate and thorough about testing specific low-risk scenarios, such as low-cost cloud storage, when archiving legacy data or using redundant storage to introduce high availability.

Related:Enterprise Guide to Hybrid Cloud Adoption and Management

Key Advantages

A hybrid cloud can give adopters an efficient and cost-effective way to store infrequently used data. "Archival solutions in the cloud provide long-term storage and access to archival data without responsibility for maintaining the currency and availability of the underlying infrastructure," LaChapelle explains. "The client organization only needs to supply the underlying interface and applications required to access that data store."

Hybrid clouds also allow small- to medium-sized businesses to leverage cloud-based solutions that provide enterprise-level backup and disaster recovery solutions without investing in an expensive infrastructure. "These solutions still need to be carefully architected, however, to ensure that retrievals from cloud-based storage environments can be accomplished easily and quickly and in a fashion that supports their recovery times and ensures business continuance," LaChapelle says.

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