Hybrid cloud domination has come of a need for versatility, freedom and room for ambiguity. Digital transformation has made the need for enterprises to connect more seamlessly with customers, partners and even other enterprises. Gartner predicts that 80% of enterprises will have entirely cloud-based infrastructures by 2025. The biggest difference between hybrid cloud and multi cloud is that hybrid always has both a public and private cloud element, while multi-cloud incorporates several different public clouds.
Typically, enterprises with a cloud-first policy toward digital transformation make use of their on-premises software stack to build a hybrid cloud environment, and then integrate it with their public cloud capabilities. Recent shifts in the digital transformation landscape now offer several different options for moving too and constructing a Multi-Cloud environment. Enterprises now choose between homogeneous and heterogeneous cloud – but what is the difference, and how do you choose the right one for your business needs?
What is heterogeneous cloud?
The heterogeneous cloud model requires businesses to work with different vendors for their public and private cloud, and then integrate the many solutions to create a multi-cloud environment.
Pros of heterogeneous cloud
- More freedom to make changes to your architecture in the future, through use of both private and public cloud architecture (hybrid or multi-cloud capabilities).
- Less risk of vendor-lock in by using many different components from different vendors, integrated together to meet business needs.
Cons of heterogeneous cloud
- More expansive training and certification required by in-house staff, creating expense and taking time.
- Complexities setting up hybrid or multi-cloud environments on the front end, requiring skilled IT administrators or experts.
- Higher up-front cost for installation and set-up, before seeing long-term savings.
What is homogeneous cloud?
Homogeneous cloud means all services rely on the same hardware (sometimes), software and platform, for their on-premises and public cloud. For this, you rely on a single vendor for your public and private cloud access.
Pros of homogeneous cloud
- Turnkey functionality, making it easier to set up and deploy by IT staff or administrators
- Easier operations and management with a simplified platform
- Turnkey services like disaster recovery, security and compliance, with built-in monitoring of all cloud environments
- Less expensive deployment due to drop-in hardware or even prebuilt racks
- IT administrators need only be skilled in operating the technology of a single provider
Cons of homogeneous cloud
- The biggest con of homogeneous cloud is vendor lock-in, which creates less opportunity for future changes. Vendor lock-in means you are chained to a single vendor, in the long-term, regardless of future needs or changes that your vendor might not offer. With vendor lock-in, you are at the mercy of your vendor. If prices rise or capabilities change, you will need to go with the flow. Consequently, if you find that you need tools that your vendor doesn’t manufacture, you might not be able to deploy them, as technology from different vendors is not necessarily designed to work together.
Choosing homogeneous or heterogeneous cloud
As we can see, both options provide a certain level of flexibility, and both are customizable, depending on your business needs. So how do you choose the right hybrid or multi-cloud environment for your business? First, take careful stock of elements like:
- Business needs, today and in the future
- Current budget and resources
- Your need for more or less control
- The maturity of IT administrators and equipment
There is no easy answer to this question. Your needs will depend entirely on your business goals. For example, if ease and speed of operations and management are a big focus, a homogeneous hybrid cloud architecture might be best. This gives you both the public and private cloud options from a single provider, which means very few issues with integration. You will also get faster and easier to manage disaster recovery, governance, O&M and broad security. For businesses with access to more skilled IT staff, and who are planning for changes in their business and need more control, heterogeneous infrastructure might be the best option.
Sangfor Cloud Platform
Sangfor cloud platform (SCP), uses Sangfor’s HCI platform to create highly advanced, scalable private cloud, hybrid cloud, or even partner-built managed cloud services, meaning no chance of vendor lock-in!. Choosing the best route for your business will involve working with Sangfor experts to build the best cloud architecture for your business needs, with world class after sales service or professional management. For more information, visit Sangfor’s website today, and see how Sangfor can make your digital transformation, next-level.
