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Hybrid cloud integration provides quick access to scalable data storage, but there are other reasons why enterprises shift towards hybrid cloud architectures. To manage these shifts CIOs need to be equipped with innovative strategies.
Fremont, CA: To fuel the organization's growth, many CIOs embrace the hybrid cloud as a part of their IT's repertoire. But, navigating through the integration of mainstream hybrid cloud is a rough path. The CIOs should identify the unique concoction of tools and culture necessary to obtain the desired outcomes. As hybrid environments are highly complicated, businesses that lack sync in technology and operational models find the balancing process amongst operations and developers quite challenging.
Even the experienced CIOs struggle to maintain stability while adopting the evolving environment. But only the CIOs can support and ease the journey to the hybrid cloud.
Here are five key strategies the CIOs can adopt to smoothen their hybrid cloud integration journey
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• Standardize and Identify the Gaps:
The most obvious step to initiate the integration of hybrid cloud is by standardization. A set of standard services that are effective both on cloud and premises is identified. The simplest way to solve this step is by extending the tools utilized on-premises to the cloud. On-premises toolsets that have the option of scaling up or orienting to the cloud-native platform should be prioritized. Alternate solutions can also be used to operationalize the environments, both on-premises and cloud environments. These alternative solutions include identity and access management (IAM), networking, firewall management, common logging and monitoring processes, cost controls, and security (IPS, IDS, WAF).
• Automate Cohesively:
For the hybrid cloud journey to be seamless, a solid strategy, expert management, and adequate data integration tools must be deployed cohesively. The process is a paradigm shift from how the CIOs managed the IT environment conventionally. The coordination across all departments, a multitude of tools, and independent processes take several weeks to be completed.
By automating the processes, concerns or issues are eliminated. A method to collapse the approval cycles via the automated workflow solutions, abstracting the operational minutia, and replacing the same with high-level operations will decrease human error in the transition process.
• Prioritize Security and Privacy:
Privacy and security issues in the hybrid cloud integration is an entity all organizations should be well versed in. During the integration, data migrates from private to public, on-premise, and online compute resources. Before the transition commences, a security plan should be put in place along with specific policies and its ownership. The cloud providers ace in the maintenance of the best-in-class security for the cloud as they possess a vested interest in ensuring the safety of the client's data.
• Disconnect Apps from The Operating System (OS):
Overhead on a server should be reduced to enhance the ease of transition. The development team, at this point, has negligible concern for patching and image management of servers. The main goal for the CIOs is to encourage sync among the on-premises developers and cloud development teams. It is not an easy feat as the legacy applications that are refactoring are not turnkey and usually lag in financial justification. Finding common ground is necessary; if not found, then the organization is just creating new silos of tech and operators.
• Apply Application Intelligence:
As CIOs measure and manage their IT teams, the developers are more focused on the behavior of the application. These aspects are intertwined and require a holistic solution for producing the desired outcome.
By acquiring and applying environmental benefits, both development and operation teams are empowered with the transparency of all levels and the variables that exist in-between. In the world of hybrid cloud, many cloud platforms have API access to storage features, enabling real-time performance capacities. Application intelligence systems can cover the issue and take action in case of emergencies, curbing the need to decide who should be tackling the performance issues. The alignment of the company's hybrid cloud integration with application intelligence is crucial to a holistic and balanced transition.
• Training is Vital:
With an added responsibility of managing a hybrid cloud environment, the teams need an increasingly diverse set of skills for IT. To keep up with the ever-evolving landscape, the IT teams need to be acquainted with a mix of technological expertise. Along with the knowledge of traditional network and OS technology to the security of the data is a priority. By training the team in softer skills like compliance regulations, vendor management skills, it becomes expendable and ready to take on any hiccups that occur in the integration of the hybrid cloud.
