Introduction to Hybrid IT

Prerequisite : Cloud Computing

Hybrid IT refers to the mixture of IT infrastructure platforms of both on-premises and cloud. That the organization needs to meet application workloads and data needs. Organizations are facing a lot of business benefits by implementing hybrid IT i.e. increased business agility, improved customer service and faster product development etc. However, with the convergence of several technologies and service delivery models, managing a hybrid IT model has become very complex.  

At one time, this definition simply referred to the division of technology resources provided by either an internal IT organization or an external resource. High demand for digital business processes and cloud computing services have extended the horizon of hybrid information technology.

Features :

• It enhances automation with controlled cost.
• It can use the benefits of the multi-cloud model.
• It enhances the operational power.
• Supports dynamic or frequently changing workloads.

Hybrid Infrastructure :

There are mainly 3 tiers in a hybrid infrastructure –

1. TIER-1 – 
   Distributed business groups or units in an organization like Business group, R&D unit, Logistic unit, Business unit, Customer unit etc.
2. TIER-2 –
   Various hybrid infrastructure and technologies to support different organizational units like CRM, ERP, HR, Security Services, Shared workspace etc.
3. TIER-3 –
   Various IT delivery models and suppliers like Internal data centre, private cloud, public cloud, external host etc.

Need for Hybrid IT :

Starting from the small to large organizations every organization wants to travel with time means getting business benefits utilizing advanced technology. Here are the three main points which drive organizations to adopt hybrid IT.

1. To manage a lot of data and maintain control of organizational information and resources
2. To get the cost-effectiveness of cloud by using different cloud services i.e. Software as a Service (SaaS), Platform as a Services(PaaS) and Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) likewise.
3. To respond quickly to rapid changes in business need and providing better service to the customer.

Advantages of Hybrid IT :

The IT hybrid provides a wide range of options to deliver IT services. From a strategic point of view, it enables IT decision-makers to –

• Align technical platforms to specific applications and workloads.
• Allows combining onsite infrastructure with cloud  IT infrastructure.
• Meet the unique needs of various business groups, units, suppliers and customers.
• Select from hybrid cloud offerings like AWS or managed private clouds.
• It avoids various issues with cloud migration.

Disadvantages of Hybrid IT :

• Managing hybrid IT infrastructure is a complex task.
• Providing security to Hybrid IT is not so easy.
• Requires especially skilled employees to manage Hybrid IT.
• Optimizing Hybrid IT is not so simple.
• Implementation of the hybrid problem is a little difficult.

Challenges of Hybrid IT :

This sprawling and diverse landscape of IT can present challenges. In an increasingly digital business environment, where change is constant and the demand to deploy new applications faster is high –

• Old technology can be difficult to scale and slowly change.
• People deploy cloud resources without knowledge of IT Enterprise (shadow IT)
• Managing and securing a mix of IT infrastructures can be costly and complex, especially when the data is located almost anywhere.
• Multiple and disconnected IT infrastructures cause business process “crashes”, service disruptions, and delays.

Tips to get the most out of Hybrid IT :

The 3 important tips to get the most out of Hybrid IT are –

1. Plan for a successful strategy then moves to the cloud.
2. Make the development process innovative and faster with the cloud.
3. Run cloud with management and operational excellence.

The future of hybrid IT looks more promising as many organizations have started investing their small portion in hybrid IT. Very soon many more organizations are going to use hybrid IT.