There is a lot of buzz around the hybrid Cloud, and this can be attributed to customer choice, according to FrontRange Solutions Asia-Pacific VP, John O’Brien, who claims the hybrid approach gives customers the choice of utilising either Cloud or on-premise deployment options.
“This includes a combination of the two models to support their specific business needs,” he said.
The advantage of the hybrid model is that it features a common code base, so whether it deployed on-premise or in the Cloud, customers can get the “best of both worlds.”
So if an organisation has remote or branch offices and limited IT resources, Cloud based solutions may be selected.
On the other hand, O’Brien said corporate headquarters and main campus sites with significant IT staff are more likely to adopt on-premise solutions that they can "more easily manage and customise."
When speaking with customers, O’Brien found the hybrid model lets them choose a deployment option that works best for their needs.
“Additionally, from a cost perspective, this enables the customer to take advantage of both operating and capital budgets,” he said.
Clouds on the horizon
While O’Brien is confident that the Cloud is “here to stay,” he said full-scale transitions to the Cloud to support an organisation’s entire IT function is “unlikely.”
“There are clear instances in which on-premise solutions make more sense for reasons cited above,” he said.
O’Brien adds that the same holds true for Cloud based offerings.
“There is no ‘one size fits all’ Cloud strategy that obviates the need for a hybrid solution for cost, resource allocation, infrastructure integration and customisation reasons,” he said.
Patrick Budmar covers consumer and enterprise technology breaking news for IDG Communications. Follow Patrick on Twitter at @patrick_budmar.