It wasn’t so long ago that organizations hosted their applications and systems on-premises, utilizing
physical servers that supported their entire digital infrastructure. However, in recent years, things have
changed. We are now operating in the cloud age, and cloud structures and best practices have
revolutionized the way businesses operate.
Remote access for customers and employees is now a key driver in business — particularly in financial and
banking spheres — supporting flexibility and agility for organizations. Similarly, business owners need to
be able to access, store and interpret datasets on a large scale. These requirements are very difficult to
achieve with a traditional, on-premises data storage and processing model. The cloud provides a forwardthinking alternative.
But the cloud is not a monolithic entity. Business owners have a range of choices at their fingertips,
including public clouds, private clouds, or hybrid cloud structures. In many instances, the hybrid option is
the right model to support business growth and efficacy moving forward. Let’s take a look at why this is.
What Is the Hybrid Cloud?
When we expand access to a remote level, we are effectively leaving the restricted environment of the traditional office behind, broadening the boundaries significantly. Traditional trust-based security mechanisms do not translate to this new way of operating.
As legitimate access may come from a variety of distributed locations and many different devices, a zero-trust model is required. Zero trust is a security model based on comprehensive identity verification for all users, regardless of their location or the network or device they are using.
With zero trust in place, it doesn’t matter whether the user is in the company head office, using a company-owned device connected to the internal network, or if they are using their own device connected to public WiFi on a different continent. The ID verification protocols are the same. Every user —across every access event—must undergo the same process.
The Benefits of Hybrid Cloud Structure for Your Business
Digital infrastructure solutions such as IBM Cloud leverage a diverse array of different structural
components. This enables customers in the financial and banking fields to experience the benefits of a
hybrid model. But what exactly are these benefits? Understanding what a hybrid cloud can offer is key to
making the right decision for your own business.
•Achieving Operational Excellence in a Cost-Efficient Manner
One of the major stumbling blocks associated with cloud migration is cost. Upgrading legacy systems,
doing away with physical server infrastructure and securing all data and applications in a private cloud do
not come cheap. As a result, business owners may be reluctant to implement such an extreme overhaul.
With a hybrid cloud model, this is not necessary. Businesses can retain some of their on-premises server
architecture, connecting this to cloud structures via secure network gateways. At the same time, they can
protect sensitive data structures and applications in a private cloud while deploying other assets in a
cheaper public cloud environment. This more nuanced approach reduces costs while maintaining a high
level of operational excellence.
•Defence Against Downtime
With a hybrid cloud setup, you are working with a diverse set of solutions. The different components of this
hybrid cloud are redundant. If a private cloud structure fails, you still have access to other storage and app
deployment structures. Through systematic backups of stored data and apps, you can ensure seamless
transitions so that there is no disruption at the client end.
•Optimized Speed and Agility
Some business owners may be a little uncertain about deploying a multifaceted solution like the hybrid
cloud. They may be concerned about the interoperability of these different components and the speed of
data transfer between software pieces deployed in different cloud structures. However, with the right
orchestration in place, this is not a concern.
The hybrid cloud is a unified solution. Data is shared swiftly and securely between separate storage
structures and pieces of software, in effect turning the hybrid structure into a single harmonious entity. In
fact, the hybrid cloud actively increases deployment, speed and organizational agility, as apps can be
rolled out much faster.
•Long-term Scalability
A hybrid model provides opportunities for businesses to scale as and when required. This has typically
been very difficult with on-premises servers, which are limited according to the available space on-site. It’s
also difficult to accomplish this if you are using a private or public cloud provider — the provider might be
unable to offer you the additional capacity you need, particularly at short notice.
The more diverse setup of the hybrid cloud structure avoids these problems. You will have ample scope to
scale up your storage and deployment infrastructure without having to worry about these restrictions. This,
in turn, makes it easier to plan your operations in the future.
•Diverse Infrastructure to Meet Diverse Requirements
Different organizations in the financial and banking sectors have wildly different requirements. With this in
mind, an ‘off the peg’ setup is not likely to be enough. Instead, your business needs a tailored solution that
matches the unique needs of your company, teams and clients.
While some tailoring options are available with a traditional cloud model, these options are limited. By
adopting a hybrid model, you are achieving far greater scope for personalization and customization,
helping you achieve a cloud structure that aligns perfectly with business requirements.
Hybrid Cloud Excellence with IBM
IBM’s Cloud products — coupled with innovative solutions such as the Watson AI platform and IBM Cloud
for Security — are helping businesses get more from their hybrid structures. We serve as an IBM Platinum
Partner, which means we can help you find the products you need to build the perfect hybrid cloud
environment for your business.
Reach out to our team to discover more, or browse our product pages to know how these solutions can
revolutionize your operations
