Users don’t care why applications are slow. They just want them to work. When they don’t, users click away. Hybrid cloud computing has been a blessing in this regard by offering agencies the ability to scale computing power on-demand. It’s a right-fit approach that ensures high-performance without overspending.
That said, implementing hybrid cloud computing isn’t without challenges. When agencies blend on-premises infrastructure with private and public cloud options, an already complex environment becomes even more complex. IT admins, developers, and DevOps teams must manage access to multiple environments while breaking down silos.
Here are some suggestions for overcoming those challenges:
Embrace the Complexity
Agency IT departments that struggle with complexity will have difficulty integrating legacy infrastructure with future technology. Integrated solutions are more attainable with open application programming interfaces (APIs), but the pressure to connect digital ecosystems is a move toward more complexity, not less.
Paradoxically, the cloud environment that contributes more complexity is also the solution to managing that complexity. Specifically, a single platform connected to multiple cloud and on-premises resources helps to reduce the complexity and provide a consistent user experience for end-users. The backend configuration is done ahead of time so that access to resources is easier and end users can start using the resources they need right away.
Decouple Applications from Storage
Most applications require stores of data that can be static or dynamic in nature. Depending on the lifecycle development in place for a particular application, agencies should build in a step that decouples storage from the application.
The storage component can then be hosted in a data center on-premises or within a private cloud or on a public cloud provider site like Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud Platform (GCP), or Microsoft Azure. AWS GovCloud helps agencies achieve benefits from the cloud but more securely.
Application teams can then take advantage of any one of these resources without having to lock in to a specific cloud vendor. This also provides options for backup or recovery that could involve a cross-cloud strategy where data for one provider could be set up for redundancy in another provider space. In other cases, they’ll want to provision strategically with just one vendor and take advantage of cloud-native resources for a complete application stack in the cloud.
Build Safeguards for Spending
Agencies want their digital business objectives to deliver value, which means an application architecture that that performs at optimal levels without costing more than necessary. A distributed environment of on-premises, private cloud, and public cloud options ensures that the resource components for each application get high performance and availability.
Nonetheless, agencies should install safeguards to prevent unintentional spending on public cloud resources that aren’t governed by central IT. With the proper controls in place, end users are less likely to overprovision resources.
To learn more about building, deploying, and managing private and public clouds quickly and efficiently, click here.
>
