In today’s data-driven world, businesses are increasingly turning to hybrid cloud solutions as a key enabler of their digital transformation. By combining the best of colocation, private cloud services and public cloud platforms, hybrid cloud IT architectures offer businesses the flexibility, scalability and security they need to compete in today’s dynamic environment.
With Vancouver’s expanding digital infrastructure, especially in key facilities like the Spencer Building Carrier Hotel, the city is quickly becoming a prime hub for organizations seeking to implement robust hybrid cloud strategies.
The Challenges of the All-In Cloud Strategy
According to the MIT Technology Review, enterprise applications and their data have become ever more distributed across on-premises data centers, multiple public cloud providers and even edge locations. In fact, according to Enterprise Strategy Group research, 87% of organizations expect their applications to be distributed across ever more locations in the next two years. With artificial intelligence (AI) – and the data deluge it will generate – entering the mix, business leaders are under more pressure than ever to rethink and optimize previous workload deployment strategies. As CIO.com reports, “applying lessons learned from initial forays into the cloud, IT leaders are forgoing platform-first mantras in favor of workload-specific strategies for deciding where applications will run best.”
In years past, companies outgrowing their on-premises infrastructure would often follow the trend of migrating applications and workloads to the public cloud. They were attracted by the ability to convert significant and rigid capital expenditures into scalable, flexible operating ones. In other words, organizations could avoid making significant upfront investments in physical infrastructure by relying instead on on-demand computing resources that could be scaled up or down depending on their needs.
However, cloud cost optimization has proven itself tricky for business leaders because of variable (and sometimes hidden) costs for a wide range of resources, such as storage, compute and data transfers, which often leads to unexpected expenditures. As businesses scale across multiple clouds, latency and performance issues also arise, especially for applications involving real-time data processing, AI or edge computing – all of which demand ultra-low-latency environments. Public clouds, depending on their geographical location can’t always meet these needs. From a security and compliance angle, the public cloud isn’t the best choice for those organizations needing to maintain control over their data (such as those in finance or healthcare) to comply with strict regulations.
That said, even though over 50% of enterprises admit to making some mistakes in their cloud assessment and development strategies, only 3% reported repatriating their applications back to an enterprise data center. With reducing cloud costs being a major driver of any desired adjustments, the hybrid cloud approach offers an attractive alternative between staying “all-in” on cloud or repatriating everything back to constrictive on-premises solutions.
Why Choose Hybrid Cloud Solutions?
Hybrid cloud adoption is rapidly gaining momentum as enterprises seek ways to streamline operations and enhance efficiency. Referring to an IT architecture that can combine private cloud services, colocation and public cloud platforms, hybrid cloud architectures allow organizations to leverage the advantages of each without the challenges of putting all their eggs into one basket.
In this regard, data center/colocation providers have a key role to play in empowering organizations to build robust hybrid cloud solutions tailored to their needs. For example, colocation providers offer businesses physical space, power and cooling for their hardware while also enabling direct, low latency connections to public cloud platforms. Instead of trying to migrate everything to the public cloud, businesses quickly outgrowing their on-premises infrastructure can use colocation facilities to house sensitive data while simultaneously leveraging the flexibility of public cloud resources for less sensitive workloads. Because colocation providers often offer disaster recovery and business continuity services as well as 24/7 support, business leaders can effectively scale their IT resources while ensuring security, compliance and cost-efficiency.
As well, instead of dealing entirely with the complex, variable, pay-per-use pricing models of public cloud providers, business leaders can enjoy the more stable pricing structures of colocation providers for services like rack space, power, cooling and bandwidth – presented upfront. This ultimately offers organizations a clearer expectation of their ongoing costs, allowing them to better plan, budget and optimize their IT footprint.
Leveraging Vancouver’s Expanding Digital Infrastructure – The Spencer Building Carrier Hotel
As Vancouver continues to develop as a technology hub, the demand for local digital infrastructure that supports hybrid cloud solutions is rising. With its strategic west coast location and direct access to U.S. and APAC markets, the Spencer Building Carrier Hotel is perfectly positioned to provide the necessary infrastructure for businesses looking to expand globally while keeping their data operations flexible and secure.
With over 43,000 square feet of powered shell, data center space available plus an already constructed state-of-the-art Meet-Me-Room (MMR5) and colocation room (Colo5), we are optimally designed to support businesses looking to adopt or expand their hybrid cloud infrastructure. Thanks to significant additions we’ve made to the conduit infrastructure of the building, with high-fibre count connections between MMR5, Colo5 and all the legacy MMRs of the Harbour Centre complex (of which we are a part), we can help you implement a tailored IT strategy that can scale with your needs.
Enjoy an already vibrant connectivity ecosystem with the direct, low latency connections your applications and workloads require. Enjoy space and room to grow with visibility and transparency into your operating costs. Enjoy staying agile, secure and competitive in a rapidly evolving digital world. Contact us today for more information.
