Considering how uncertain times are these days, you have to calculate how your every decision will affect your small- to medium-sized business (SMB). How much money will following the said decision cost? What do you stand to gain from it? Does it pose any risks? This is true even when you’re considering investing in the cloud.
 
It’s likely that you already have in-house servers where you store your data or with which run your applications. Like many SMB owners, you’re probably worried that moving to the cloud will make in-house servers redundant. The good news is that there’s a way for you to reap the advantages of cloud technology without having to let go of your on-premises servers. It’s called the hybrid cloud.

What is a hybrid cloud?

To get the answer to this question, you have to first understand what public and private cloud servers are. A public cloud is an off-site server that houses the data of multiple users, which means your files are likely stored alongside other businesses’. You can’t customize this type of environment, but it’s typically more affordable than a private cloud.
 
A private cloud is dedicated exclusively to your SMB’s files and applications and can be hosted on premises using your in-house servers.  It gives you complete control over crucial elements like data security, but it may be pricier to maintain in the long run.
 
A hybrid cloud combines public and private cloud environments. It allows you to run some of your files and applications on a public cloud and run others using your in-house servers. A solution like SimplyClouds Hosted Desktop lets you seamlessly access both servers using any internet-connected device.

What are the benefits of a hybrid cloud?

Hybrid clouds give you the advantages of both public and private clouds. In particular, you get:
 
Greater control
You have little control over the features of a public cloud, especially in terms of security. Third-party CSPs do implement their own security measures to protect your data, but these may not be sufficient to cover your SMB’s unique needs.
 
The private cloud component of a hybrid environment lets you implement security solutions to address specific requirements. For instance, you can choose to install an extra firewall or set up multifactor authentication. Should you feel that these measures are unnecessary, you can remove them altogether.

Augmented security
A hybrid infrastructure lets you distribute workloads and files between a public cloud and your in-house servers. Sensitive data, such as your customers’ private information and payment details, can be kept in the latter. Apps that cannot be migrated to the cloud for security reasons can also be run on your on-premises servers. Meanwhile, nonsensitive data, such as public information about your SMB, can be stored in the public cloud.
 
The hosting solution that accesses both environments can be a security measure in itself. For instance, SimplyClouds Hosted Desktop uses enterprise-grade encryption to protect all data transmitted across the hybrid environment and the device you use to access SimplyCloud servers.

Lower costs
Your in-house servers can only hold a limited volume of data. To increase its storage capacity, you’ll need to upgrade or buy expensive new hardware. Going hybrid helps you save a lot of money by allowing you to run or store some of your resources on a public cloud, which you can scale up and down for a low price. 

High performance
Some applications suffer performance issues when migrated to the cloud. If you are using a hybrid environment, you can keep running these types of apps on your in-house servers and migrate cloud-compatible ones. This ensures that all critical applications are running optimally at all times.
 
An investment in a hybrid environment offers many benefits to SMBs. Our team at SimplyClouds will be more than happy to answer your questions and help you determine the right option for you. Consult with our experts today to get started.