A hybrid data centre combines on-prem and cloud-based infrastructure with orchestration that allows data and applications to be shared between them over the network . This allows an organisation to achieve a balance between the capabilities and benefits provided by public and private clouds , alongside on-prem infrastructure .
mean colocation providers need to offer value that extends beyond convenient server space .
The ability to extend public cloud resources into private infrastructure is highly valuable . It means that businesses can keep the workloads they already have running in public clouds , but a hybrid facility doesn ’ t require the compliance and cost that surface from having to host workloads on public cloud infrastructure .
Despite this , building a hybrid cloud infrastructure presents its own challenges . Fully-managed solutions like AWS Outposts are costly , while alternatives like Azure Arc and Google Anthos require users to acquire , provide and manage their own hardware .
This can be challenging for many businesses as a huge proportion of organisations are so dependent on the public cloud that they are not accustomed to managing their own infrastructure . However , this again could help colocation providers as they look to secure their own future and compete with public clouds .
As such , data centres could begin to support customers with services that help manage hybrid cloud infrastructure inside colocation data centres .
Those services could be the help that many businesses need to make the jump from using the public cloud alone to going hybrid . Additionally , it can remove challenges around poorly integrated IT strategies that involve private infrastructure and public cloud resources running simultaneously , without a unified control plane . datacentremagazine . com 81