10 Top Hybrid Cloud Solutions

The escalating complexity of modern business operations, coupled with the growing volume and sensitivity of data, means that a dynamic and adaptable IT infrastructure is increasingly in demand. The rise of hybrid cloud solutions was largely due to the need to address these challenges, as they offer a harmonious blend of public and private cloud environments. By strategically combining the scalability, cost-efficiency, and agility of public clouds with the security, control, and compliance advantages of private clouds, organizations can optimize their IT operations, mitigate risks, and drive innovation.

In this article, we will define hybrid cloud solutions, explore their functionalities, benefits, and use cases, and outline the top 10 hybrid cloud providers to aid your journey in fortifying your organization's IT infrastructure.

What Is a Hybrid Cloud Solution?

A hybrid cloud represents a unified computing environment that seamlessly integrates the distinct capabilities of public and private cloud platforms. This architectural approach empowers organizations to allocate workloads optimally, leveraging the strengths of each cloud model to meet specific business requirements. By establishing a cohesive infrastructure, hybrid clouds facilitate the migration of data and applications between environments as needed, ensuring flexibility and resilience.

Hybrid cloud solutions can maintain stringent control over sensitive data while harnessing the scalability and cost-benefits of public cloud services. This strategic balance enables organizations to fortify their security posture, comply with industry regulations, and optimize resource utilization. The convergence of these advantages has solidified the hybrid cloud as a preferred choice for businesses seeking a comprehensive and adaptable IT solution.

How Does the Hybrid Cloud Solution Work?

The evolution of hybrid cloud architectures has progressed from rudimentary integrations to sophisticated orchestration platforms. Initially reliant on middleware solutions and physical connections, hybrid clouds now seamlessly interconnect diverse cloud environments through advanced technologies.

Contemporary hybrid cloud solutions employ a combination of virtualization, containerization, and software-defined networking to create a unified infrastructure. This approach enables the efficient allocation of computing resources, optimizing storage, processing, and overall performance. By integrating elements such as virtual private networks (VPNs), wide area networks (WANs), and application programming interfaces (APIs), hybrid clouds facilitate the seamless flow of data and applications across multiple platforms.

What Are the Benefits of Using a Hybrid Cloud Solution?

Hybrid cloud solutions offer organizations a compelling array of advantages. By combining the strengths of public and private cloud environments, businesses can optimize operations, enhance security, and drive innovation.

• Enhanced Agility and Resilience: Hybrid clouds empower organizations to adapt swiftly to changing market conditions, ensuring business continuity through robust disaster recovery strategies.
• Fortified Security and Compliance: By implementing comprehensive security measures across both cloud environments, organizations can safeguard sensitive data and adhere to industry regulations.
• Optimized Resource Utilization: Hybrid clouds enable efficient resource allocation, reducing costs and improving performance through streamlined management.
• Accelerated Innovation: By providing a flexible and scalable platform, hybrid clouds facilitate rapid application development, enhance collaboration, and support business growth.
• Improved Customer Experience: Hybrid clouds enable businesses to deliver personalized experiences, improve service responsiveness, and gain valuable insights through data analytics.
• Environmental Sustainability: Hybrid cloud solutions contribute to environmental sustainability by optimizing resource utilization and reducing energy consumption.

Common Use Cases of Hybrid Cloud Solutions

Given its benefits, hybrid cloud solutions are utilized in a wide range of scenarios, including the following:

• Scaling cloud resources up or down to meet fluctuating workloads.
• Ensuring business continuity with disaster recovery plans that leverage the public cloud.
• Creating secure development and testing environments and running global operations in the public cloud while keeping sensitive data in the private cloud in compliance with industry regulations.
• Providing secure remote access to desktops and applications from anywhere.

Top 10 Hybrid Cloud Solutions

1. Sangfor Enterprise Hybrid Cloud

Sangfor Enterprise Hybrid Cloud offers a unified, secure, and flexible platform for data centers, remote offices, and edge locations. Starting as a private cloud based on Sangfor Hyperconverged Infrastructure (HCI), this comprehensive solution allows you to transition your on-premise resources to a Unified Hybrid Cloud through Sangfor Managed Cloud Services (MCS).

Key Features:

• NG-CDI foundation to provide a unified management plane for on-premises and cloud environments
• Deployment and management of applications across hybrid infrastructures
• Built-in security features
• Disaster recovery and backup capabilities.

What Users Can Do With This Solution:

• Consolidate data center resources
• Migrate applications from on-premises to the cloud
• Extend resources from the on-premise environment into the cloud temporarily
• Improve security posture with advanced threat protection.
• Optimize resource utilization and performance through AI-driven insights

Pros:

• Unified infrastructure
• Strong security
• Optimized performance through NG-CDI technology.
• Flexible deployment options to meet diverse business needs
• Lowering operational costs

Cons:

• Limited presence outside of APAC & EMEA
• Limited public forum support

Pricing: Customized pricing based on specific requirements. Contact us for a detailed quote.

2. Nasuni File Services Platform by Nasuni

One of the leading hybrid cloud storage solutions, Nasuni File Services Platform operates on an innovative architecture with a variety of features. Unlimited by hardware constraints, it offers endless scalability and seamless file access across different locations, enabling global file sharing and collaboration.

Key Features:

• Global file system that enables consistent access to files from anywhere.
• Compatibility with major cloud providers like AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud
• Built-in data protection and recovery capabilities
• On-premises and cloud-based instances that cache frequently accessed files for optimized performance
• Web-based management console

What Users Can Do With This Solution:

• Simplify file management and consolidate data into one system
• Provide secure file sharing across distributed teams
• Improve collaboration with real-time file synchronization.
• Expand storage capacity with ease

Pros:

• Unlimited scalability
• High-performance capabilities
• Cost-effective storage
• Global accessibility for remote teams.

Cons:

• Potential performance issues when processing a large number of files together

Pricing: Subscription-based pricing model with a “pay-as-you-grow” flexibility for users to choose from.

3. CTERA Enterprise File Services Platform by CTERA

CTERA Enterprise File Services Platform stands out with its unification of office, endpoint, and cloud file services. It offers robust security features and a global file system that allows users to connect from remote sites to cloud storage without compromising on performance.

Key Features:

• Unified Edge that enables always-on data access across branch filers, VDI clients, etc
• Multi-cloud support with flexibility
• Visibility into unstructured data across multiple locations

What Users Can Do With This Solution:

• Access files from any location and with any device
• Enable collaboration in a secure environment
• Implement advanced protection features and backup solutions
• Migrate data across various cloud environments

Pros:

• High adaptability for different cloud environments
• Strong security features to protect sensitive data
• Improved collaboration and productivity.

Cons:

• Time-consuming setup process
• Possibly too complex for configuration

Pricing: Offering various pricing models based on the preferences and scale of the deployment. Users can request a demo.

4. AWS Storage Gateway by Amazon Web Services (AWS)

AWS Storage Gateway is a hybrid cloud storage service that seamlessly connects on-premise applications with unlimited cloud-based storage. This solution serves as a link between on-premises storage setups and the AWS Cloud, empowering customers to enhance their current storage assets with the scalability, resilience, and cost-effectiveness of cloud storage.

Key Features:

• Multiple gateway types
• Supporting standard storage protocols for integration
• Multi-part management, automatic buffering, delta transfer, and data compression for secure data transfer
• Cache acceleration
• Integration with AWS services such as Amazon S3, EBS and AWS Backup

What Users Can Do With This Solution:

• Move backups to the cloud for long-term data retention
• Extend storage capacity to the cloud without disrupting applications.
• Gain low-latency access to data stored in AWS
• Improve application performance with local caching.
• Protect data with backup and recovery to the cloud.

Pros:

• Reduced operational costs of on-premise storage
• Seamless integration with the AWS ecosystem
• Improved performance with caching and data replication
• Enhanced data protection with cloud-based backups

Cons:

• Requires the implementation of an on-premise gateway appliance
• Additional costs for data transfer and cloud storage.

Pricing: The pricing model is based on AWS storage and data transfer costs. Free trial version is available.

5. AltaVault (Legacy) by NetApp

Leveraging cloud resources to store and manage data in a hybrid environment, AltaVault (Legacy) by NetApp is known for its capabilities of helping businesses and organizations significantly reduce operational costs and working with multiple cloud providers.

Key Features:

• Data deduplication and compression
• End-to-end encryption for data at rest and in transit
• Integration with existing backup software
• Scalability from 2TB to 57PB of protected data

What Users Can Do With This Solution:

• Reduce storage costs by moving cold data to the cloud.
• Protect data against loss or corruption with backups and archiving to cloud services.
• Comply with data retention regulations
• Utilize cloud resources to establish low-cost disaster recovery site

Pros:

• Reducing costs by up to 90% compared to traditional storage methods
• Seamless integration with existing backup infrastructure
• Strong data protection capabilities.
• High data reduction efficiency

Cons:

• Legacy product with limited future development and support
• Difficult setup process

Pricing: Various pricing models based on the deployment types.

6. CloudFS by Panzura

CloudFS by Panzura is recognized as a global file system that delivers high performance and availability across hybrid cloud environments. It provides a single authoritative data source that eliminates data duplication and enhances collaboration, serving as an ideal solution for enterprises with multiple teams.

Key Features:

• Global file system for file access across multiple locations
• Granular data deduplication
• Immutable data storage
• S3 compatibility

What Users Can Do With This Solution:

• Facilitate real-time collaboration with global file sharing
• Ensure data availability and protection with advanced features
• Monitor data activities
• Simplify file management with a unified platform

Pros:

• High performance and scalability
• Enhanced collaboration among distributed teams
• Strong data protection and recovery capabilities
• More cost-effective storage compared to legacy system
• Simplified file management

Cons:

• High system requirements for on-premise filers
• Compatibility issues with certain file types
• Potential for higher costs compared to traditional file systems.

Pricing: Flexible pricing model based on storage capacity and usage.

7. PeerSync Migration by Peer Software

PeerSync Migration is a specialized data migration solution designed to efficiently and reliably move large volumes of data across heterogeneous storage environments with near-zero downtime. With its advanced data replication technology, PeerSync ensures data integrity during the migration process.

Key Features:

• FastSync™ Technology to enable accelerated data seeding
• Real-time replication
• Data reorganization
• Multiple migration options
• Intelligent connection check

What Users Can Do With This Solution:

• Migrate data to the cloud or between on-premises data centers using real-time replication
• Consolidate storage infrastructure while minimizing downtime
• Enable migration while multiple storage systems coexist
• Automate migrations of all share permissions
• Transfer only modified file blocks across WAN links

Pros:

• Minimal downtime during migration
• Supports various data sources and targets.
• Flexible migration options to suit specific needs
• Improves data accessibility and availability

Cons:

• Primarily focused on data migration, limited additional features.
• Might require specialized expertise for complex migrations.
• Limited documentation available for support

Pricing: Flexible and project-based.

8. StorSimple by Microsoft

Developed by Microsoft, StorSimple is a hybrid storage solution that addresses the challenges experienced during the management of rapid data growth. It allows organizations and businesses to tier data between local storage and the cloud, benefiting enterprises that require a balance between the performance of on-premise storage and the scalability of cloud resources.

Key Features:

• Tiered data storage for automatic data transfer
• Integrated snapshot capabilities for cloud backup and recovery
• Web-based interface for centralized management
• Automated archiving
• Integration with Azure cloud services.

What Users Can Do With This Solution:

• Move cold data to the cloud
• Streamline data protection
• Share files across on-premises and cloud environments
• Leverage Azure cloud services for data analytics and other workloads

Pros:

• Cost-effective storage solution with tiered storage
• Improved performance with local SSD caching
• Strong integration with the Azure ecosystem
• Simplified management with Azure portal
• Enhanced data protection with cloud backups

Cons:

• Limited scalability compared to other hybrid storage solutions.
• Potential performance impact with high write workloads
• No longer supported by Microsoft

Pricing: No longer available.

9. PeerGFS by Peer Software

A hybrid file management and replication solution, PeerGFS by Peer Software is designed to tackle the challenges of managing and sharing data across multiple locations. By providing seamless file access, real-time replication, and robust data protection, PeerGFS empowers organizations to optimize their data infrastructure.

Key Features:

• Global file system
• Real-time and delta-level replication
• Distributed file locking to prevent version conflicts
• Edge caching
• Malicious Event Detection (MED) to monitor suspicious behaviors
• Integration with multiple storage platforms

What Users Can Do With This Solution:

• Enable collaboration and productivity with real-time file sharing.
• Facilitate file access globally with low latency
• Simplify file management across distributed environments

Pros:

• Improved data availability with 24/7 access
• Optimized storage costs
• Robust security for threat detection
• Enhanced collaboration, efficiency and productivity
• No vendor lock-in

Cons:

• Complex configuration and management for large-scale deployments
• License tied to storage size
• Limited edge caching support

Pricing: Flexible pricing structure. Contact Peer Software for more information.

10. Komprise Intelligent Data Management by Komprise

Komprise Intelligent Data Management is an analytics-driven data management platform that helps enterprises handle a large amount of unstructured data across hybrid cloud environments. By analyzing data usage patterns and applying intelligent policies, Komprise enables businesses to gain significant insights to make informed decisions about data management.

Key Features:

• Direct data access
• Integrated data management platform
• Transparent Move Technology™
• Analytics-driven data management

What Users Can Do With This Solution:

• Tier and archive data transparently
• Analyze and manage unstructured data
• Protect critical data with robust backup and recovery.
• Gain valuable insights into data usage patterns.

Pros:

• Analytics-orientated approach for data management
• Direct data access without rehydration
• Centralized data management for convenience
• Cost optimization through tiering and archiving the cold data
• Transparent data mobility

Cons:

• Vendor lock-in
• Complex configuration process

Pricing: Based on the features required and the amount of data.

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