Part V – Application and Workload Use Cases for a Hybridized Infrastructure Model

Part V – Application and Workload Use Cases for a Hybridized Infrastructure Model

As cloud and data center usage continues to grow, it is important that IT managers understand where different types of applications are best suited.   This is especially true for organizations trying to catch up and squeeze all their digital architectures into a single model that won’t suit the long term.  Whether your assets live in a data center, colocation facility, public cloud or private, the perceived conflict between cloud and colocation has given way to an alliance.  The alliance is called hybrid cloud infrastructure and it resides in a blend of colocation and cloud computing environments.  This enables companies to take full advantage of public and private clouds’ perks while using networked architecture within a colocation center.

Hybrid IT Shifts Focus On Workloads Rather Than Trends

In a hybrid IT environment, organizations are less concerned with moving workloads to the cloud, but rather which workloads make the most sense in different hosted environments.  Determining the right workloads to shift, at the right time and for the best reasons is a success driver that will deliver a digital infrastructure built upon a long-term strategy.  When considering workload placement for a hybrid infrastructure model, organizations need to focus on areas such as:

  1. Availability
  2. Performance
  3. Compliance
  4. Security
  5. Latency
  6. Resiliency
  7. Reputation
  8. Customer Service
  9. Location

The next step includes an evaluation of where the hybrid cloud approach makes sense.  This usually points to IT environments are not siloed but workloads that are reliant upon one another.  Organizations in the past have leveraged differently hosted environments to support separated workloads.  And as enterprises are gaining ground in digital transformations, hybrid models allow organizations to connect their IT environments regardless of the differing hosting environments.  This allows companies to keep certain assets in a colocation data center while still taking full advantage of the elastic nature of the public cloud for speed to scale.

Here is a list of workload optimization based upon hybrid cloud and colocation IT environments.

Workloads Best Suited For a Hybrid Cloud Model

  • Automated transactional workloads that require access to partners and suppliers in various compute environments work better in a private cloud environment, depending on the cost-benefit analysis to handle complex transactional workloads.
  • Big data analytics workloads may make sense in a cloud environment for real-time computing capability.  The vast amounts of data transferred across complex hybrid environments would allow for the analysis of data across public websites, cloud environments, and data centers.  Leveraging a colocation cloud connect allows the organization to dial bandwidth based upon usage to save money on data transfers and deliver the increased security of a dedicated connection.
  • Batch workloads that process huge volumes of data in the background may be ideal for cloud computing because these workloads can be scheduled and take advantage of the scalability in the cloud to process them without waiting for a late-night schedule when servers are freed up.
  • Fast-changing workloads such as test dev environments can scale quickly in the public cloud because sandbox environments are faster, as long as cost efficiency is managed.  Once the application is ready for production, it can be moved to a colocation data center or deployed into production in the public cloud.

Workloads Best Suited For Colocation Data Center

  • High-Performance network workloads that require network storage and must be accessed very quickly may not be suited for the cloud environment where your business is dependent upon the internet for network speed.  Colocation facilities offer reliable and redundant network solutions through meet me rooms and carrier-neutral networks and they also provide dedicated internet connections with the speed and performance to ensure public internet access is not a barrier to transfer data.
  • Legacy applications that require extremely low latency are a perfect fit for a colocation data center.
  • Database clustering that requires high-speed network throughput are not workloads that are well suited for the cloud.
  • Data-sensitive workloads such as financial or customer information can be stored in a private cloud within a colocation data center for increased control and security.  Essentially, an organization’s secret sauce can remain in a controlled environment.  Privacy or compliance restraints may drive an organization to utilize a data center because certain data sets cannot move across borders or put in the cloud due to internal policies or government mandates.
  • Processing workloads can be separated, utilizing the cloud for manageable projects while connecting to a colocation environment to control the adoption of cloud hosting according to budgetary considerations.
  • Disaster recovery workloads with a permanent connection between a colocation facility and the cloud creates an insurance policy for the workload as well as guarding against hardware/software failures and vendor lock-in.
  • On-Prem extension workloads that require an additional hosted environment as a backup for an on-prem solution.  The healthcare industry is a prime example where patient monitoring might need to be on-premise to resolve for latency, but the organization could combine the information with large data sets that are hosted in a colocation space.  The back end could be used to analyze and support advanced diagnostics.

Colocation Data Centers Are Key Interconnection Hubs For Hybrid Architectures

Whether you are starting new or already utilizing cloud-based services and a private data center, colocation data centers are key interconnection hubs for building a long-standing IT solution with cloud and colocation working together seamlessly in a hybrid architecture.  This is the solution the business world has been waiting for.

*This is a multi-part series.  Learn More:

  • Part I – The Convergence of the Public Cloud and Colocation Delivers Next Level Integration
  • Part II – The Advantages and Disadvantages of a Cloud Solution
  • Part III – The Advantages and Disadvantages of a Colocation Data Center Solution
  • Part IV – Colocation and Direct Cloud Connectivity Fortifies Hybrid IT Architecture
  • Part V– Application and Workload Use Cases for a Hybridized Infrastructure Model

I’d like to schedule a tour.