The debate over cloud storage vs. on-premise storage has created some pretty strong opinions on both sides of the issue, but taking the all-or-nothing approach ignores a viable option that allows companies to create a tailored storage solution for their needs: a hybrid solution. There are advantages to cloud computing: scalability, cost, reliability. There are also advantages to an on-premise solution: security, compliance, speed. So why not combine the two to take advantage of the benefits of both solutions while avoiding the issues with each option?
High Availability
Disk failure and recovery is a common problem in an on-premise database. Until the array can be restored, that data remains unavailable, creating latency and affecting productivity levels. This problem can be solved to a certain extent in a single site at the array level, but creating high availability across multiple sites quickly becomes expensive, as it requires having multiple data centers and investing in redundant technology. Due to these restrictions, many companies will only replicate data that is considered mission critical.
The cloud, on the other hand, offers high availability across sites and even for mobile users because it can be accessed anywhere and automatically replicates data across several machines, so a single failure no longer affects availability. The cloud provides a perfect companion to your on-premise solution for storing data that your employees need access too but doesn’t warrant the extra cost of duplication in an on-premise solution.
Security
The security of on-premise solutions has been honed for decades, with plenty of options available to match compliance needs and provide the most stringent security to the most sensitive data. An on-premise solution offers businesses a control over their data that the cloud simply can’t provide. However, it seems silly to restrict all data to a local data center just because a portion of the data is highly sensitive, especially since the cloud does provide sufficient security for archived data or other less-sensitive data sets. A hybrid solution provides the option of keeping that sensitive data in a highly secure environment while taking advantage of the cloud for the other data sets.
Cost Efficiency
Finally, a hybrid solution provides added cost efficiency for a business. Archived data that is stored for an indefinite amount of time quickly eats up resources as the space must be maintained, updated and powered. Keeping archived data in the cloud, however, allows companies to only pay for the storage space and skip those additional expenses.
A hybrid solution also allows for bursting, which essentially uses the cloud as extra storage space should the on-premise solution go beyond capacity temporarily, such as when there is a surge of activity, or a project requires more space than usual operations. This is much less expensive than maintaining extra arrays on site when these bursts occur.
On-premise solutions won’t be disappearing, especially since flash array storage is becoming less expensive, providing low latency and high storage capacity. However, the benefits of cloud storage shouldn’t be ignored, and creating a hybrid solution based on the benefits of both options can significantly improve cost and performance.
by Rick DelGado, Independent Author
“I’ve been blessed to have a successful career and have recently taken a step back to pursue my passion of writing. I’ve started doing freelance writing and I love to write about new technologies and how it can help us and our planet.” – Rick DelGado
