A Hybrid Cloud or a Hybrid Data Ecosystem

It seems that the consensus for the overarching theme in data infrastructure development this year is the hybrid cloud. And while it is always helpful to have a goal when embarking on a venture such as the complete remake of the data center, in this case the goal seems a bit, well, cloudier than usual.

As I’ve mentioned previously, the enterprise industry is not poised to launch one cloud architecture, but many, so even when the end-game has been distilled to somesort of hybrid infrastructure, that still leaves plenty of leeway to get all kinds of things wrong.

Lief Morin, president of Key Information Systems, correctly notes that one size most certainly does not fit all when it comes to hybrid infrastructure, so the only way to determine the correct approach is to account for everything from legacy infrastructure and application environments to future business needs and competitive environments. That is a tall order, however, and will almost invariably lead the enterprise into a morass of conflicting requirements and changing outlooks as individuals and business units seek to harness the change management strategy to suit their own ends. The process of simply evaluating your needs is also likely to be a lengthy one, and with the data universe quickly moving to a collaborative, cloud-based footing, time is definitely not on your side.

One way to look at it is to dispense with the notion of the hybrid cloud and embrace the hybrid data center, says BlueStripe COO Vic Nyman. It is a subtle change of perspective but it helps to focus attention on the fact that the cloud is a secondary consideration to the need to craft real-world solutions to existing challenges. As well, a hybrid data center strategy should make it clear that changes will be required along the entire data stack, including the application layer, which will need to embrace the challenges and opportunities of a distributed data environment. Applications that function well on both internal and external resources afford the kind of control that allows even critical data to spread across disparate infrastructure – and then before you know it, you have a hybrid data center.

This will not happen without a management infrastructure capable of looking past simple infrastructure directly onto the application layer, says Don Boxley, CEO of database management firm DH2i. Not only does this allow the application workload to define its own data environment, rather than the other way around, it also enhances workload portability, improves SLA performance and boosts lifecycle management both for the application and underlying infrastructure. At the same time, you gain greater resilience in the face of system failures and major disasters because applications and data are no longer tied to a specific set of hardware.

It seems that the consensus for the overarching theme in data infrastructure development this year is the hybrid cloud. And while it is always helpful to have a goal when embarking on a venture such as the complete remake of the data center, in this case the goal seems a bit, well, cloudier than usual.

As I’ve mentioned previously, the enterprise industry is not poised to launch one cloud architecture, but many, so even when the end-game has been distilled to somesort of hybrid infrastructure, that still leaves plenty of leeway to get all kinds of things wrong.

Lief Morin, president of Key Information Systems, correctly notes that one size most certainly does not fit all when it comes to hybrid infrastructure, so the only way to determine the correct approach is to account for everything from legacy infrastructure and application environments to future business needs and competitive environments. That is a tall order, however, and will almost invariably lead the enterprise into a morass of conflicting requirements and changing outlooks as individuals and business units seek to harness the change management strategy to suit their own ends. The process of simply evaluating your needs is also likely to be a lengthy one, and with the data universe quickly moving to a collaborative, cloud-based footing, time is definitely not on your side.

One way to look at it is to dispense with the notion of the hybrid cloud and embrace the hybrid data center, says BlueStripe COO Vic Nyman. It is a subtle change of perspective but it helps to focus attention on the fact that the cloud is a secondary consideration to the need to craft real-world solutions to existing challenges. As well, a hybrid data center strategy should make it clear that changes will be required along the entire data stack, including the application layer, which will need to embrace the challenges and opportunities of a distributed data environment. Applications that function well on both internal and external resources afford the kind of control that allows even critical data to spread across disparate infrastructure – and then before you know it, you have a hybrid data center.

This will not happen without a management infrastructure capable of looking past simple infrastructure directly onto the application layer, says Don Boxley, CEO of database management firm DH2i. Not only does this allow the application workload to define its own data environment, rather than the other way around, it also enhances workload portability, improves SLA performance and boosts lifecycle management both for the application and underlying infrastructure. At the same time, you gain greater resilience in the face of system failures and major disasters because applications and data are no longer tied to a specific set of hardware.