By now, many companies have embraced cloud computing. While a few years ago, many businesses were skeptical of cloud computing and having their software and data in a remote location. However, today, according to a recent survey by Gartner, many companies both big and small have already deployed the cloud in some capacity in their system. So, what is the future of the cloud now? Well it seems that moving forward; the hybrid cloud is where most organizations are going. According to another survey by a private company, most IT managers today want the hybrid model, that is, the mixture of private and public cloud models for their companies.

Why Go Hybrid?

For many companies, hybrid just makes more sense. Not everyone wants to completely go with public clouds because of security concerns, and not all companies may be able to afford a purely private solution. For any business owner, finding out which should go into which can be a challenge, plus with so many types of solutions, this can be even more of a difficult task.

However, with the way private and public clouds are structured, it’s not that difficult to figure out which should go where. Obviously, applications and data that require high-level security (such as financial information) should go in the private cloud to reduce the vulnerability of the company’s network. Larger applications that do have to be secured are perfect for the publish part of the cloud. Combining public and private clouds is very cost effective because private clouds are pricey, so companies can save more money by picking and choosing which goes where. Also, there are other advantages. A hybrid solution could also help protect the company’s network. It can reduce workload and should anything goes wrong in one part, it’s a good feeling to know that the other part won’t be affected.

Compliance

While many companies would prefer the cheaper public cloud solution, many have no choice but to employ a private cloud to host sensitive information to comply with government regulations. The financial sector, for example, is most affected by this. Financial institutions like banks and brokers need serious security on their networks but they must also abide by the laws that govern their industry. Putting some information in a public cloud could put their customers at risk, and some might even say it could put the economy at risk if certain information were to fall into the wrong hands. While a public cloud could offer cost savings which they can pass off to customers, they must still protect their information through a private cloud.

Eco-Friendly

Many companies today want to seem more appealing to their customers and one way to do that would be to market themselves as “eco-friendly” and one way to do that would be by using cloud computing. If you didn’t know it yet, cloud computing uses less resources and in some cases, it can even give back to the environment (like certain offices using heat from servers to warm rooms in the wintertime.) Some companies may be able to get a green business certification by using a hybrid cloud solution.

It will be interesting what the future has to bring in the world of technology and cloud computing. While we can make predictions, we can only wait and see that will happen in the next few decades.

Do you think the future of businesses is in the Hybrid Cloud? Let us know in the comments.