What is Hybrid Cloud Storage?

The ever-growing volume of data, along with the rise of remote work, has driven the evolution of data storage solutions. Traditional on-premise infrastructure can struggle to keep pace with these demands, while public cloud storage alone may not offer the security or cost-efficiency needed for all applications. Hybrid cloud storage emerged as a response to this need, combining the strengths of both on-premise and public cloud storage to create a more flexible and scalable solution.

Hybrid cloud storage creates a unified data storage environment that leverages both on-premises storage resources and public cloud storage from a service provider. It keeps sensitive data or frequently accessed files on-site while leveraging the public cloud for backup.

What Is the Architecture of Hybrid Cloud Storage?

Instead of simply combining on-premise and public cloud storage, the architecture of hybrid cloud storage actually integrates on-premises, private cloud and public cloud resources. This unified system relies on the following key components:

• On-Premise Storage: This part consists of traditional storage systems such as SANs (Storage Area Networks) or NAS (Network Attached Storage) devices located within a data center.
• Private Cloud Storage: This entails dedicated storage resources for a single organization. They can be hosted on-premises or managed by a third-party provider in a private cloud environment.
• Integration Layer: This layer orchestrates data movement between the on-premises, private and public cloud environments.
• Data Management: Tools and processes are implemented to classify, tier and automate the data lifecycle across all the storage resources.
• Security & Connectivity: Security measures or features, such as encryption, access controls and APIs, are included to ensure proper data transfer and application integration.
• Orchestration & Automation: These tools are in place to manage workload placement, data migration and resource allocation.

How Does a Hybrid Cloud Work?

In a hybrid cloud, data is stored across both on-premises and public cloud storage resources. The cloud storage gateway plays a crucial part in directing data placement and retrieval. Without learning of the underlying storage location, users then access and manage their data through a unified interface. The gateway manages the transfer of the data between storage tiers based on predefined policies or user actions. For instance, frequently accessed files may be cached locally for faster retrieval, while less critical data might be archived in the public cloud for cost-effective storage.

Is Cloud Storage Private? 

While cloud storage can achieve a high level of privacy, it is not exactly private. The level of confidentiality depends on several factors, such as the encryption methods employed by the service provider, their policies for handling data, and the security practices adopted by the user. Well-established cloud services typically implement strong encryption techniques to protect data, and their data centers often incorporate strict physical security measures. 

Government regulations and legal requests for data access can also influence privacy levels. Although cloud storage can provide significant security, it is not entirely foolproof. Users should familiarize themselves with their service provider's privacy policies, adopt strong security practices like utilizing two-factor authentication, and consider additional encryption measures for sensitive data.

What Are the Different Types of Hybrid Cloud Storage?

While hybrid cloud storage is essentially a combination of public cloud and private cloud storage, it comes with several different service types to accommodate various data storage needs.

• File Storage: This hybrid cloud service functions like a digital filing cabinet. Users can store and access traditional files and folders, such as documents, spreadsheets, or presentations, from any device with an internet connection. File storage is ideal for collaborative work and sharing frequently accessed data. 
• Object Storage: Designed for storing massive, unstructured data objects, object storage includes media files such as videos, images, backups and archives. It excels in scalability and cost-effectiveness. Unlike traditional file storage, objects are individually addressed and managed, making it efficient for storing vast amounts of loosely defined data.
• Block Storage: This service provides raw, virtual disk volumes. These volumes can be partitioned and attached to virtual machines for running applications requiring high performance and granular control. Block storage operates similarly to traditional hard drives, offering familiar functionality for running mission-critical applications within the hybrid cloud environment.

What Is a Hybrid Cloud Approach Used for?

There are numerous use cases in which hybrid cloud storage can be adopted. Some of them include the following:

• Data Syncing: Hybrid cloud environments enable seamless data syncing across geographically dispersed locations and devices, ensuring that all users have access to the most recent versions of files through cloud-based folders that automatically keep all connected devices updated. The rise of remote work, particularly since the COVID-19 pandemic, has significantly increased the need for efficient data-syncing solutions.
• Data Analytics: Hybrid cloud storage acts as a scalable platform for storing and processing massive datasets used in data analytics. It allows organizations to leverage the public cloud's on-demand resources for compute-intensive analytics tasks while keeping raw data secure on-premises. For example, a company may store customer transaction data on-site while utilizing the public cloud for large-scale data analysis to uncover customer behavior trends.
• Security and Compliance: Organizations often need to maintain strict control over sensitive data in compliance with regulations. Hybrid cloud storage allows organizations to achieve this purpose. For example, a hospital or clinic may store patient medical records on-premises to comply with local laws while using the public cloud to store anonymized data for research purposes.
• Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery: Hybrid cloud storage offers a robust disaster recovery solution. By replicating critical data to the public cloud, organizations can ensure data availability even in case of a disaster that impacts the on-premises infrastructure. For example, a company may maintain a backup of its financial data in the public cloud to resume operations quickly in response to a fire or natural disaster.
• Application Development and Modernization: Hybrid cloud storage commonly facilitates the development and deployment of modern applications. Developers can leverage the public cloud for testing purposes, while mission-critical applications requiring stricter control can reside on-premises. For instance, a company may develop a new customer relationship management (CRM) application in the public cloud for rapid iteration and scalability while keeping its core enterprise resource planning (ERP) system on-premises for stability and security.

What Are the Advantages of Hybrid Cloud Storage?

With its diverse use cases, the adoption of hybrid cloud storage presents several main advantages to those who seek a flexible and much more cost-effective data storage solution:

• Granular Security and Compliance Control: The duality of the hybrid cloud means that businesses can balance security and data accessibility. While highly sensitive information and applications can stay on-premises under the protection of on-site security measures, less critical data can leverage the public cloud's advanced security features and elasticity.
• Enhanced Disaster Recovery with Application Portability: By leveraging portable applications that can seamlessly run on either on-premise or public cloud infrastructure, organizations can minimize downtime and maintain business continuity. During an outage, critical applications can be quickly migrated to the public cloud, ensuring continued operations with minimal disruption.
• Scalability on Demand Hybrid: cloud storage breaks the limitations of on-premise infrastructure. Organizations can leverage the public cloud's on-demand scalability to seamlessly expand storage capacity as data volumes grow, eliminating the need for significant upfront capital expenditures for additional on-premise storage. They can scale their storage resources up or down as needed, paying only for what they use.
• Flexibility for Compliance Management: Regulatory compliance can be a complex challenge for businesses operating across geographical boundaries. Hybrid cloud storage enables them to store data in specific locations that comply with local data privacy and residency laws. This ensures sensitive data remains subject to relevant regulations with less restricted data stored and analyzed in the public cloud for improved efficiency.

What Are the Disadvantages of Hybrid Cloud Storage?

While there are several main advantages of hybrid cloud storage, it doesn’t come without any drawbacks. The following are some of the disadvantages that the hybrid cloud may pose:

• Increased Complexity: Managing a hybrid cloud environment presents a significant challenge compared to on-premise or public cloud storage alone. Organizations need to establish comprehensive policies and procedures across both environments for data governance, security and compliance, including user access management, data classification and security protocols.
• Hardware Expenses: While a hybrid cloud can be cost-effective in terms of ongoing operational costs, organizations still need to invest in and maintain on-premise hardware for the private cloud portion of their storage infrastructure. This includes storage hardware, servers, and network equipment to support on-premise storage needs. The total investment can be significantly costly for any business.
• Network Bottlenecks: Data transfer between on-premise and public cloud storage can introduce performance bottlenecks, impacting applications that rely on real-time data access. Organizations need to carefully consider the geographic location of their cloud storage resources and the bandwidth of their network connection.
• Limited Visibility: With data spreading across various on-premises and cloud platforms, it can be difficult to maintain visibility in such an environment. Given that each of the platforms and premises may come with its own set of monitoring tools, it is challenging to get a complete view of the entire infrastructure. This may lead to numerous blind spots that can go unnoticed, threatening the cyber security of your organization.

How to Set up a Hybrid Cloud?

If you are going to set up hybrid cloud storage for your organization, you may be required to follow the following steps to ensure proper deployment.

• Assessment and Planning: You need to conduct a thorough assessment of the data storage needs, workload requirements, security considerations and budget constraints of your organization to help determine the optimal distribution of data between on-premise and public cloud storage.
• Choosing a Cloud Service Provider: Choose a trustworthy cloud service provider to ensure a smooth deployment. Consider factors such as service offerings, pricing structure, and compatibility during selection.
• Network Connectivity: Establish a secure and reliable network connection between the on-premise storage infrastructure and the public cloud to facilitate seamless data transfer and communication between the two environments.
• Data Migration and Management: A comprehensive plan is needed to migrate data to the hybrid cloud environment. This plan should address data security, version control and ongoing data management practices.
• Security and Compliance: Implement security measures across both on-premise and cloud storage environments. Ensure compliance with relevant data privacy regulations and establish clear access control policies.

How Can Sangfor Help with Our Hybrid Cloud Storage Solution?

Sangfor Unified Hybrid Cloud provides a unique combination of advantages, bringing together the best aspects of both public and private clouds. By blending the public cloud's flexibility and scalability with the private cloud's security and control, Sangfor offers a comprehensive solution. With a centralized management console, Sangfor simplifies cloud operations by providing a unified perspective of application status and resource usage across both private and managed clouds. This hybrid approach optimizes cloud management, reducing complexity and enhancing efficiency.

If your organization is seeking a hybrid cloud storage solution, contact us today to learn how we can help your business.

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