Harnessing a hybrid approach to data

Hybrid is fast becoming a buzzword of the decade. The adoption of hybrid working over the last few years has changed the way we operate. This is no different for our data. As the amount of data that companies collect everyday increases, businesses need a way to consistently manage these tens of thousands of petabytes in real time. That’s where a hybrid approach to data storage comes in. Hybrid data storage is a data management approach that combines on-premises and cloud-based storage and processing. Nearly 8 out of 10 companies incorporate multiple public clouds, and 60% report using more than one private cloud. This strategy enables organisations to easily integrate and manage data across different environments, leveraging the benefits of both on-premises infrastructure and cloud services. This blog explores how and why businesses are adapting to changes in the market by adopting hybrid approaches to data.

Staying flexible

A hybrid approach to data delivers three key advantages: flexibility, scalability and versatility. Hybrid data solutions are often viewed as more flexible because they allow companies to scale their data storage and processing capabilities without limits. This enables companies to adapt to changing data requirements without being confined to the limits of a single environment.

Confinement to a single environment often takes the form of ‘vendor lock-in’ which refers to the result of companies ‘locking-in’ with a particular cloud data storage provider and becoming limited in what they can do with their data. As data becomes a more valuable commodity, more companies are aiming to avoid ‘vendor lock in’ with the support of a cloud-agnostic company such as Cirata.

This added flexibility enables companies to optimise costs by strategically allocating data and workloads. Frequently accessed or critical data may ‘live’ on-premises for low-latency access, while less critical or archival data can be stored in the more cost-effective cloud environment. This allows companies to migrate data to the cloud at their own pace.

Compliance requirements and data protection regulations in industries such as telecoms and banking are another reason why companies may seek out the flexibility of hybrid data solutions. A hybrid solution enables organisations to maintain sensitive or regulated data on-premises and use the cloud for less sensitive data. This helps to address security concerns and ensure compliance with data regulation.

Scalability and versatility

As data demands grow, scalability is fast becoming a key advantage of the cloud. The cloud enables companies to offload intensive data processing tasks which is particularly beneficial for handling large-scale analytics, machine learning, and other demanding workloads.

A hybrid data approach empowers companies with the versatility needed to navigate the complexities of modern data management and offers a balance between on-premises control and the scalability and innovation potential of the cloud. Hybrid models also facilitate the geographic distribution of data. Companies can deploy applications and data storage closer to end-users for reduced latency and improved performance.

Delivering maximum value

At Cirata, we facilitate the movement of data to where it delivers maximum value. For many businesses that may still be on-premises or in the cloud – or even in multiple clouds – but for an increasing number of companies, that means sharing data across a hybrid environment with multiple locations. For instance, our Data Migrator process automates and safely accelerates large-scale on-premises Hadoop migrations to the cloud without business disruption. Cirata’s cloud agnostic technology lets you choose the best technologies for your business. Its architectural flexibility means data teams can quickly capitalise on cloud deployments for advanced analytics and AI.

For an increasing number of organizations, embracing hybrid and multi-cloud data approaches offers a more resilient and adaptable data infrastructure that combines the strengths of on-premises and cloud solutions. At Cirata, we are working with our customers to provide solutions that will enable every business to seamlessly deliver optimal availability while mitigating the risk of service disruptions. As the world increasingly moves towards the hybrid model, Cirata is ready to support organizations – large and small – on their journeys towards a modern and agile data strategy.