SMBs can harness the benefits of hybrid IT too
While the cloud has been transformative for many companies’ IT strategies, it isn’t one size fits all and doesn’t cater for every organisation’s precise needs. Hybrid IT is widely agreed as the best way to deliver on the mixed requirements.
We spoke to Brian Buggy, VP of Products at Zynstra to find out why maintaining control of part of your IT makes good business sense.
Are ‘local IT’ needs too often forgotten in the move to the cloud?
Cloud applications have changed how companies operate. However, a cloud-first strategy is not a cloud-only strategy. The assumption that the best place for all applications is in the cloud no longer holds true. Many new and innovative applications (as well as most legacy ones) require IT infrastructure on site. Consequently, although the public cloud has a significant role to play in branch and small site IT, it does not support some of the most demanding business requirements. A hybrid architecture allows applications to run where they can have the best business impact, allowing organizations to choose which applications and data they hold locally on site, and which they want to move to the cloud. It’s a pragmatic and sensible approach.
What are the biggest business drivers to maintain on-site control of at least some of your IT?
Data processing needs to take place where it delivers the most benefits and can operate most efficiently. The optimum place for many workloads is not in a centralized location a long way away from where the data is created, but at the edge of the network, and there are applications that must logically be performed at the edge. There are three drivers: speed of response , volume of data, and security. Consequently, although the public cloud has a significant role to play, it does not support some of the most demanding business requirements. In the retail arena, for example, new retail omni-channel strategies require a new type of in-store infrastructure that is able to support new, advanced applications running across multiple device types, with real time analytics and secure local storage
What are the biggest business drivers to maintain on-site control of at least some of your IT?
The cloud comes with high levels of security and compliance. It is essential that, when looking at on-site implementations, you choose a solution which comes with comparable levels of security, including segmentation, logging, intrusion detection and file integrity monitoring so that these solution can achieve equivalent levels of compliance. From a data sovereignty viewpoint, on-site solutions come with the natural advantage of certain knowledge of exactly where your data is at any point in time.
Is the cloud feasible for SMEs/SMBs when you consider the cost of instances and connectivity?
The cloud can offer a feasible solution for some environments, depending on the type of application involved and the amount of data that needs to be moved. However, because it’s rarely possible to move all applications to the cloud, SMB’s often end up paying for cloud services and on site IT, and therefore can see an increase in cost caused by this dual infrastructure.
The desired approach is often to use cloud services where the business case makes sense, and to upgrade on-site IT to deliver support efficiencies and reduce costs. However, when it comes to upgrading to modern on-site IT, the costs of building, commissioning, and managing your own tailor made solution – integrated with the cloud – can be prohibitive, and a new approach is needed
How can SMBs harness hybrid IT if they’re reliant on an IT generalist to run their IT operations as an afterthought?
SMB’s need to harness the benefits of cloud managed hybrid servers, which, as the name suggests, are manged through the cloud for the SMB. Cloud managed servers control all the infrastructure of the server, including hardware, firmware, virtualization and management, and integrate with public cloud services to deliver a hybrid, best of both worlds, IT infrastructure. They manage compliance, security, are kept current 24/7, and manage backup and disaster recovery. Cloud managed servers deliver packaged IT functionality, which can be run on site, regardless of local IT support skills or the resilience of local network connectivity.
How does your joint solution with HPE, the ProLiant Easy Connect solve this challenge/make life easier for an IT generalist?
HPE Proliant EasyConnect is a server for the cloud era, providing small business, education establishments and branch offices with all the IT they need in one simple, unique design. The solution is pre-integrated with cloud services, and managed and updated via the cloud, bringing advanced capabilities without complexity, and allowing small businesses and sites to benefit from advanced IT without the requirement for specialist IT skills on site.
Zynstra are at HPE Discover this week. What can attendees to your booth expect to find?
We will be demonstrating our virtualization and cloud management technology on the HPE Easy Connect solution at our Zynstra Stand: 261. You will also have the opportunity to see an Easy Connect demonstration of ‘Hybrid IT Made Easy for the Retail Store’ on the HPE stand for SMB.
Zynstra are Cloud28+ members. How would you explain the platform to non-members and why should a company join?
Cloud28+ is THE community for Cloud Service Providers and is an excellent platform for vendors like Zynstra to further communicate our differentiated offering to an audience that is constantly looking for new solutions to add value to their customers.
If you’re attending HPE Discover you’ll find Zynstra at booth 261
