Now that we all have our heads unrelentingly in the cloud, it is of paramount significance to understand where this platform is actually heading. The evolution of cloud computing has taken the data center and all of the required auxiliary technologies to a next level. Whether you want to have highly sophisticated disaster recovery provisions or want to bring your IT infrastructure to the edge- everything is now possible if you shift gears to this new technology i.e. cloud computing.

When it comes to a high-level discernment of the cloud platform, there are generally 3 different types of models that you need to know from business point of view i.e. private, public and hybrid. If one word that can encapsulate the cloud computing market in the year 2014, it would be Hybrid. Among these three models, hybrid cloud computing is nowadays making the headlines.

As per Gartner recent enterprise IT surveys, it has been revealed that nearly half of the big enterprises and multinational companies will be engaged in a perfect blend of both public and private cloud operation, often defined as "hybrid" cloud computing, four years from now i.e. 2017.

Hybrid cloud model is now being embraced by dozens of organizations looking forward to leverage the uninterrupted benefits of both a private and public cloud environment. In a hybrid cloud, businesses can even opt for third party cloud computing service providers in either a complete or partial manner. This undoubtedly upturns the flexibility of computing. This type of cloud environment is also capable of providing on-demand, externally-provisioned scalability. Reinforcement of a traditional private cloud platform with the resources of a public cloud can prove to be highly beneficial for the organization as it enables them to manage unexpected surges in workload. This is where we would say that automation of workflow can certainly help out.

In the events of unexpected peaks in usage times, they can easily unburden their user base by transferring the data to cloud-based environment which are provisioned only on demand. This means that these resources can be used as and when required. Therefore, the organizations which are thinking of keeping a segment of their cloud environment private and also want to use components of the public cloud offering - moving to a hybrid cloud will be the ideal solution for them. 

Many organizations now see myriad of benefits of working with some type of cloud model. When you will create your hybrid cloud platform, you will notice that you are able to easily connect with more resources, users and diverse devices all over the world. In many cases, the workload, and mission-critical data and applications will not be located on the corporate-maintained data center. It is all allied through an ever-growing hybrid cloud infrastructure.

Let's dig deeper to know what has been the driving force behind the hybrid cloud and why it has become one of the emerging needs of the enterprise? 

-Flexibility: This is one of the greatest benefits offered by hybrid cloud technology for operating your business. Every organization runs numerous business processes simultaneously that are diverse in nature. While some processes work only on the critical data, and others perform on day-to-day activities. In case any business function does not process critical data, then you can use a public cloud to run your projects. Simultaneously, all the mission-critical errands can use a private cloud. By branching out the business needs and requirements accordingly, businesses can perhaps capitalize on their resources and overcome all the security concerns and challenges that they can face.

-Cost-effectiveness: Another important feature of the hybrid cloud model is that it is highly economical in comparison to other cloud models as you can garner the benefits of two different types of cloud-based environment (public and private cloud) in one go. Depending upon your ongoing business processes, you can easily configure the specification of the hybrid cloud. This ways your overall expenditure cost can be scaled up and down as per your requirements. 

-Stringent and improved security: One of the main concerns which businesses usually come across these days is security of their mission-critical data. With the emergence of hybrid cloud this concern of the business has been take off. Since, hybrid clouds offer an additional layer of security to your data.

Improved performance: By augmenting existing resources, businesses can gain a maximum output from their ongoing business processes. With exceedingly scalable network provisioning, enterprises can enhance their overall SLA's and lessen downtime. 

Conclusion: 

Ultimately, would say that hybrid cloud technologies are developing at a rapid pace nowadays. Harness the benefits of this emerging technology, simply by choosing the right provider of cloud computing solutions and gain the competitive edge over your competitors.