Most organisations, whether they realise it or not, are already using hybrid cloud services. At the very least, their email is likely a cloud service, but doubtless they will be using others for various purposes, perhaps alongside remaining on-premises infrastructure or data centre co-located equipment. Unless the organisation is wholly served by Microsoft or Google, internal infrastructure or a fully comprehensive private cloud, they are to some extent already hybrid.

In many cases this will not be a general strategic decision, but rather the result of ad hoc changes over the years for specific sets of services. This reflects how technology and our use of it has evolved in recent times, driven by cost, efficiency, resiliency and performance. New services being created and legacy services being migrated are why cloud investment continues to grow. This is unlikely to be a trend that will be reversed, despite there being fluctuations in the kind of cloud services in demand and increasing concerns by companies and governments with big tech dominance in many areas.

The risk of big tech public cloud

The benefits of cloud services are well known, but the more interesting issue is the type and mix of cloud services that any one organisation should be employing in their hybrid infrastructure. Whilst it might seem to make operational sense to limit these to as few separate services as possible, such an approach carries risks which need to be carefully considered.

For example, many organisations will default to big tech public cloud because they already use it to some extent (likely seeded with years of email use) and can centralise administration in one portal, more easily train and recruit experienced staff and align terms and billing amongst other aspects. There will be a nebulous trust, supported by partners and peers within the same technical ecosystem and a general knowledge of the ultimate vendor that makes board decisions easier (everyone knows Microsoft, Google, Amazon etc). On the surface, centralising as much as possible with such a vendor seems to make sense.

Diversifying your cloud services

However, the old ‘putting your eggs in one basket’ aphorism stands firm. If that one vendor experiences problems, it will impact your business much greater than if services were distributed across multiple independents. Such incidents are widely reported as they can often be global. The largest targets will attract the attention of bad actors, meaning vulnerabilities will be rapidly exploited and a vigilant security posture may not be enough when caught in the crossfire of escalating geopolitical tensions.

From a strategic perspective, a broader mix of cloud services should be considered. Ultimately, this will depend on the size of the organisation and the kind of services that are required, but it is highly likely that smaller vendors will offer better fit services than the big tech generalists. Innovative specialists can replace or run alongside more generic infrastructure and provide enhanced performance, more responsive support and a better return on investment.

Choosing the right fit for business requirements

Virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) and Infrastructure as a service (IaaS) are cases in point. These are generic services offered by big tech public cloud providers. For organisations that require low compute and storage, such an offering may make operational and budgetary sense, even with the risk of total downtime. But the cost of these services can ramp up very quickly, especially for large and more complex compute requirements. It can be difficult to justify multiples of cost when performance and resiliency don’t improve; a problem that has seen a number of high-profile exits from the public cloud in recent years.

Private cloud or dedicated specialist vendors are better bets for specific requirements and make a return on investment much more likely when the service is made to measure a particular organisation or industry. Such vendors will be much more engaged in a relationship and invested in long term success, including incorporating requests and feedback into service development.

The need for cloud vendor flexibility

Service offerings and business requirements are likely to change at an ever faster rate in the coming years as economies fluctuate, politics shift and new tech emerges. Flexibility is key, ensuring that any services employed allow for adjustment to new challenges and opportunities, including avoidance of long-term vendor lock in. The ability for an organisation to adjust their hybrid cloud mix in terms of scale and service type – without crippling disruption – is going to be increasingly important. Planning infrastructure beyond five years at the most will be problematic.

Look to cloud vendors to address these issues. Balance services across public, private and – where it makes sense – on premises. Spend adequate time on due diligence and assessing risk factors, potential consequences and maintain an evolving strategy. Being able to draw on the appropriate skills and resources to manage a hybrid infrastructure is a critical investment.

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