Cloud storage is among the most widely used data storage and management tool around. There’s no denying the flexibility and agility offered by today’s online storage providers. However, some challenges have arisen – to be clear, these have long been predicted by IT analysts for a few years now – that have prevented the full-scale adoption of cloud-based storage technology. In recent months, these concerns over security and stability have been rehashed again and again. The truth is that today’s companies need to be looking at multiple platforms and ways of managing storage and data in the cloud. Actually, the majority of today’s analysts agree that a hybrid approach to cloud storage is the best way to usher in this new era of data management.
More About Hybrid Cloud Storage Solutions
So what is hybrid cloud storage, exactly? It’s very similar to hybrid cloud computing systems. In a nutshell, hybrid cloud storage is the process of using both cloud-based and local, on-site storage to manage complex data sets. Essentially, with hybrid cloud storage solutions, companies have the best of both worlds. They have the flexibility of cloud-based storage solutions and the security and stability of a closed, local storage environment housed on local dedicated servers.
Four Reasons to Use Hybrid Cloud Storage Systems
1. Security
When it comes to cloud storage, security is one of the most pressing concerns for businesses and analysts alike. In the world of hybrid cloud storage, security means having secure data transfer protocols in place. In the hybrid cloud environment, businesses are able to ensure increased security on data transfers to and from the cloud storage environment.
2. Reliability/Increased Stability
Another key asset of hybrid-based cloud storage systems is reliability. Users need to rest assured that when they snag files stored in the cloud that those files will be intact.
3. Flexibility
The beauty of the open cloud has a lot to do with flexibility. The great thing about implementing a hybrid cloud storage environment is that your business is not tied down to a single platform. Through hybrid storage platforms – some that are even powered by Rackspace and their RackConnect hosting platform – you can have the flexibility of the open cloud and the power of a dedicated local server.
4. Performance
One of the biggest problems with cloud storage is performance. This often comes in the form of latency with data transfers. For the uninitiated, latency refers to the amount of time it takes between the initial user’s request for data, and the time the data is actually transferred. This delay – depending on how long it is – can cause major lags in performance. With hybrid cloud storage systems, these latency issues can be all but eliminated within your storage environment. In fact, latency times can be reduced to 10 milliseconds or less.
It’s not a big revelation that cloud storage is here to stay. But cloud-based storage has a long way to go in the storage, performance and security department. This is why hybrid storage options are so important to companies that are looking to maintain data in the cloud over a long period of a time.
About the author: Dawn Altnam lives and works in the Midwest, and she enjoys following the business tech world. After furthering her education, she has spent some time researching her interests and blogging of her discoveries often. Follow her on Twitter! @DawnAltnam
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