AutoSave is available when a file is saved to Microsoft OneDrive or SharePoint in Microsoft 365, but you need to save or open the file from within Excel, PowerPoint or Word to switch it on. You also need an active Microsoft 365 subscription.

Switch AutoSave on

To turn AutoSave on, save your file to your OneDrive or SharePoint folder from within your Office app.

1. Go to File then Save As.
2. Select your  OneDrive personal, work or school account.
   
3. Choose your sub-folder from the list that appears.
4. Enter a file name and select Save.
   Tips:

   • If you don’t see your OneDrive  in the list, select Sign in. If you don’t see your family, work or school OneDrive listed, select Add a Place. Learn more about how to add OneDrive as a service.
   • Selecting an existing file will enable AutoSave for that file.

Enable AutoSave when you open a file

To ensure AutoSave is on as soon as you start editing, open your file by navigating to your OneDrive or SharePoint folder from within your Office app.

1. Go to File then Open.
2. Select your OneDrive personal, work or school account.
   
3. Choose your sub-folder location from the list that appears.
4. Select a file to open it.

   Tips:

   • If you don’t see your OneDrive  in the list, select Sign in. If you don’t see your family, work or school OneDrive listed, select Add a Place. Learn more about how to add OneDrive as a service.
   • Once opened, you don’t need to keep saving your file – every change is saved automatically.

What to do if you see a “Just upload the file” prompt

If you select the AutoSave toggle and see a prompt which says, “Just upload the file”, it could be because you have Office File collaboration turned off. To turn it on, follow these steps

1. Select the OneDrive cloud icon from the taskbar or menu bar.
2. Select More > Settings > Office
3. Check the Use Office applications to sync… box
4. Select the AutoSave toggle again.

If it’s already turned on, you have two choices:

1. To keep working on the original file, select the X to close the window. Then follow the steps above To switch AutoSave on.
2. To create a copy of your file, don’t close the Save window. Select OneDrive from the list of locations and enter a name for the copy.

What is better: on-premises or cloud? Many established companies wonder if it’s worth it to transition out of their on-premises technological infrastructure and move on to the cloud. In contrast, several newer companies wonder if they should invest their early capital in on-premises systems. To choose which option is right for your company, you need to be aware of the differences between on-premises and cloud-based services and infrastructure. There are several elements that go into on-premises and cloud systems. To narrow it down, you should focus on the differences between two core elements to your solution: storage and software. Both storage and software are vital to a company’s ability to function day-to-day. As such, there are several cloud and on-premises offerings for storage and software applications.

1. Cloud Storage vs. On-Premises Storage

Choosing to store your data on external servers or in-house servers is a major decision that companies must consider. As you look at the pros and cons of on-premise and cloud storage, you should be knowledgeable about their most important qualities.

ADVANTAGES OF CLOUD STORAGE

One of the primary ways the cloud interacts with your company is in the way it stores data. Unlike an on-premises servers with storage, cloud storage uses external servers managed by another company. A primary function of any business is the ability to store data in servers. After all, servers are the lifeblood of your organization. They store your information, connect your employees and allow you to connect with others around the world. In the past, on-site servers were the only options available to you, but now, cloud-based servers are a viable option as well. Cloud storage is a great option for your company because it can:

• Reduce IT staff’s responsibilities: Being managed by another company, your IT staff doesn’t need to worry about installing new software patches or updates, freeing up their time for other tasks.
• Eliminate capital expenses: While on-premises storage is considered a capital expense, cloud storage is considered an operational expense. Typically, on-premises storage requires a large initial investment to purchase equipment and install it in the office however cloud storage is maintained externally without the need for capital investment. Instead, companies only need to pay an affordable monthly subscription.
• Adjust to your budget: To help companies keep their initial costs low, organizations regularly pay for cloud storage on a month-by-month basis. No matter if you’re scaling up or scaling down, most cloud-based storage companies can adjust their prices to meet your budget. Additionally, cloud storage features can be adjusted, added, or left out of plans altogether. This sort of flexibility is great for companies who expect change and don’t want to get locked into paying for services they don’t need.
• Perform regular data backups: The cloud offers easier data backup than on-premises servers ever could. Cloud-based servers give users peace of mind by allowing business-critical data to be restored in the event of data loss. Companies cannot risk the types of damages and loses that result from failing to secure their data.
• Adjust to your company’s needs: Cloud-based storage is built to scale. Need a few extra terabytes of data to store more data? Simply upgrade your plan with a click or two. Unlike a company’s servers that would need to have new hardware installed, cloud-based servers can quickly be expanded to meet the needs of your company.

WHY CLOUD STORAGE MAY NOT BE THE BEST OPTION

Though there are several benefits to using the cloud for your storage needs, it also comes with some drawbacks. Cloud storage may not be the best choice for your company because:

• Internet determines user experience: When you use cloud storage, a fast and reliable internet connection is a must-have. A redundant Internet connection should also be considered if a majority of the workload will be hosted in the Cloud. For those who need to work quickly, a slow internet connection can provide a horrible user experience while they access your cloud servers.
• Costs can balloon with little warning: The rapid scalability of cloud storage, while an advantage listed above, can also be a costly determent if left unmanaged.  Cloud services are consumption models, so the more storage your Company requires, the higher the monthly cost.  Companies should adopt policy and process to avoid the surprise of a costly invoice.  A single point of contact should be identified within the Company, one who is accountable for the Cloud relationship and lap-lanes should be established for consumption with anticipated cost increases when lap-lanes are exceeded.
• Access is based on connection: A downside of relying on the internet to store your files is that an internet outage can totally knock out your access to important files. Losing access to your data during a connection outage can delay your operations and make it impossible for some staff members to be productive. While the reliability of the internet has come a long way over the years, companies need to be confident in their connection before they switch to cloud storage.
• Litigation – search warrant: If your company is the focus of an investigation, law enforcement could issue a search warrant to your cloud supplier.  Forcing access to your Company storage without your consent to search for artifacts that support an investigation.  Electronic materials that are strategic to the Company operation, may not be appropriate for Cloud storage.  Companies should have written guidelines and acceptable use policy to accompany the cloud storage service
• Data is less secure: Whenever you work with a cloud storage company, you are entrusting the management of your data to another party for them to manage and keep secure. Whenever  an outside-party is trusted with your company data, you run the risk of unauthorized personnel accessing it. To avoid this, you’ll want to ask about security practices and procedures of the Cloud company and how they encrypt your data while it’s in transit and at rest.

ADVANTAGES OF ON-PREMISES STORAGE

Unlike cloud storage, on-premises storage relies on infrastructure at your Company’s brick and mortar office to manage your data. You’ll own all of the equipment and you will be responsible for the lifecycle management. As you might guess, there are several pros and cons of on-premises solutions for data storage.

Though cloud-storage has been all the rage lately, some companies still believe that on-premises solutions are best suited for their business needs. For example, many enjoy the greater security that on-premises solutions and storage give their data. On-premises storage is a great option for your business because it can:

• Operate without internet: One of the major upsides to on-premises storage is that it doesn’t require users to have an internet connection to access data. Though most businesses rely on the internet to conduct business, there’s always a fear that the loss of a connection could harm productivity and make it impossible to access crucial data. On-premises servers will provide you with an internal network that is accessible anytime, no matter your internet connection.
• Lower monthly internet costs: If your business doesn’t rely on the internet or cloud-based services, you may not need to pay for such a high-speed connection. For those with on-premises storage, the need for a strong connection with fast download speeds is reduced even further. Based on your needs, you may not have to pay for a more expensive internet plan if you don’t have to access the cloud to view files.
• Provide greater security: Unlike cloud-storage, which is more vulnerable to third parties and prying eyes, on-premises storage is completely restricted from anyone other than authorized personnel. On-premises servers are not accessible to those outside the network, as they are not storing the data online. For companies who handle sensitive data, like those in the financial industry, on-premises storage may be a preferred option.
• Offer control over server hardware: Some companies enjoy having dedicated servers within their building to handle all their needs. Instead of having to ask a cloud storage company to upgrade their storage plan or add new features, the company can simply do the upgrades themselves. Potentially, being able to modify the server’s hardware can give savvy companies greater flexibility and customization for their storage needs.

WHY ON-PREMISES STORAGE MAY NOT BE THE BEST OPTION

Despite the many advantages that come with on-premises storage, there are some drawbacks companies should be aware of. On-premises storage may not be the best choice for your business because it can:

• Require extra IT support: If you decide you want to use on-premises storage, you’ll also need to have IT staff to maintain and manage your servers. This could mean you have to hire new staff members or devote more of your current staff’s time to maintaining the servers. This extra support can add to your costs and reduce the efficiency of your IT department as they will have increased responsibilities associated with the on-premises servers.
• Adherence to industry compliance: If your Company operates within a regulated industry such as Finance or HealthCare, the responsibility to abide by the governing regulations will fall squarely on your Company as you are the owner and operator of the servers and on-premise storage.  Compliance can require the attention of many employees, additional money for outside audits and potential fines if the infrastructure is found to be out of compliance.
• Increase maintenance costs: Along with the initial capital investment required to purchase servers and other hardware, you’ll also need to continue to buy hardware, software and licenses to upgrade the system or repair it. Oftentimes, a piece of hardware will malfunction and need to be replaced. Additionally, in order to realize the most from your server investment, you will want to upgrade your equipment, which will likely be annually (at least), and will require an investment of more money.
• Require a greater capital investment: When you first set up on-premises storage, you’ll have to invest a significant amount of capital to purchase the servers and other pieces of hardware to get it running. For companies just trying to get off the ground, this level of capital investment can be a huge disadvantage. Along with purchasing the equipment, you’ll also need to devote time and money to make sure it’s properly installed.
• Increase the risk of data loss: Data is the backbone of your business. Losing it can be crippling, both for your efficiency and your reputation. With on-premises storage, a malfunction in the system or a compromised system held for ransom can cause you to lose your data permanently. While a cloud-based system will keep your data backed up, on-premises storage systems have all the data stored on an internal server, meaning you assume a greater amount of risk.  A best practice for on-premise storage, to avoid the loss of data, is to include an off site backup service that replicates the data to another site or media.
• Limit your company’s ability to scale:If your company scales up and needs more storage space or other capabilities, it’s more difficult to scale your on-premises servers quickly. Unlike cloud-storage, where companies can simply pick a more expansive plan with a click, on-premises storage requires you to install new hardware and devote manpower to building the new systems.

When you are comparing your options of on-premise and cloud storage, make sure to weigh the pros and cons of each. As you are selecting your provider for the services, ask the right questions to make sure you get the best option for your organization.

2. Cloud-Based Software vs. On-Premises Software

Is on-premises or cloud better for your business? Whenever a company looks to add new software to their business, it’s important for them to know about whether cloud computing or on-premises software is a better option for their needs.

ADVANTAGES OF CLOUD-BASED SOFTWARE

If you’re interested in cloud-based software, you’ll be happy to know that there are plenty of advantages to using it. Some of the top benefits include:

• Affordability: Generally, costs are lower for cloud-based applications. Instead of having to pay a large licensing fee upfront, you’ll have much lower monthly costs. Often times, these monthly costs take the form of subscription fees. Along with the lower initial costs that make them more affordable, the companies offering these subscriptions often include maintenance and support, saving you manpower and the financial cost of having to troubleshoot problems yourself.
• Ease of deployment: One of the biggest advantages of cloud computing is its ability to be deployed quickly without long installation processes. Customers of cloud software vendors will be able to start using the vendors’ application within minutes. Quick deployment gives companies an edge over the competition, and as such, is very popular among competitive companies.
• Management services: One major aspect of cloud computing is the management services that vendors will typically offer clients. Instead of having to host the software or purchase hardware themselves, a customer can work with a vendor who will take care of it all externally, freeing up staff and reducing costs. The business won’t ever have to worry about upgrades or network monitoring, as the vendor will manage it all.

WHY CLOUD-BASED SOFTWARE MAY NOT BE THE BEST OPTION

As you can see, cloud-based computing has several benefits. However, before you sign up for it, there are a few disadvantages you’ll need to be mindful of, including:

• Long-term costs: One drawback to cloud-based software is that, in the long-term, subscription costs can end up costing more in total than if a company would have paid for a licensing fee from the very beginning. This is especially true if your organization does not rely on the latest version of the software.  Cloud-based software provides the latest version to the user and those development costs are reflected in the monthly subscription.
• Less flexibility: Flexibility and customizability is often an issue for companies that use cloud-based software. The suppliers that provide software to companies via the cloud often don’t include widely customizable options. All consumers are provided the same off-the-shelf application.  The service is often designed for the industry rather than the specific needs of a company, meaning that customers may not receive a service that is convenient for everything they do.
• Security concerns: Like the security issues that affect cloud storage, cloud software also has comparable problems with security. Though security has gotten better, the cloud can still be hacked into by outside forces that look to extract data from these online programs. If you go with the cloud, seek out suppliers who support single sign-on and multi-factor authentication. Onboarding / offboarding processes should be adopted to manage employee access via a common company directory server.

ADVANTAGES OF ON-PREMISES SOFTWARE

On-premises software comes with advantages that are sure to provide value to your business. The following are some of the top ways on-premises software can be of assistance:

• Greater customization: Since you’ll handle all of the on-premises software yourself, you’ll likely be able to customize it much more than if you were subscribing to a cloud-based system. If your company has niche needs that aren’t regularly covered by options in the industry, then on-premises software may be right for you.
• License purchase versus subscription: licensing models for premise systems are usually tied to the host hardware vs. the employee.  A company has greater discretion for reallocating licenses within this concurrent seat model.  It is usually a best practice to purchase 10-15% more licenses to accommodate growth during the lifecycle of the platform.
• Greater security: Better security is commonly cited as the main reason businesses stick with on-premises security. Like with storage, it’s less likely that anyone will be able to access your programs and siphon data if you keep everything in-house. Additionally, it’s typically easier to install extra data protection tools to data and programs based on an on-premises system rather than a cloud-based one.

WHY ON-PREMISES SOFTWARE MAY NOT BE THE BEST OPTION

Even with the many advantages on-premises software provides, you’ll also need to take into account the downsides, including:

• Long deployment times: One major issue affecting companies that use on-premises software is its inability to be deployed quickly. When you purchase a piece of software, you’ll have to configure the hardware, test the program to see if it’s working, and then roll it out to every employee. This can be incredibly time-consuming and can put you at a disadvantage.
• Scalability: Another common issue with on-premises software is that it doesn’t scale as well as cloud-based software. For example, if you increase the number of users in a program, your IT staff will have to manually install the software or hardware to let your new employees use it. Additionally, old software can go out of date and saddle you with programs that you no longer have any use for.
• Remote offices and mobile workforce: If your company has multiple offices or a large mobile workforce, on-premise software can introduce new challenges in providing access to these remote employees.  Additional network or carrier services must be included, increasing the operational costs and overall complexity for the Company.
• Upfront costs: When you decide to purchase software and integrate it into your on-premises system, you’ll need to pay a higher initial cost for the services. While these costs may even out over time, it’s likely that new, updated programs will hit the market, meaning you may not use a program long enough to make back the money you spent at the beginning. For companies that don’t have a lot of capital on hand, a cloud-based subscription may be better.

3. Do You Have to Choose One or the Other?

One major trend in a variety of industries is the use of hybrid systems that utilize both cloud and on- premises solutions. This means you don’t have to be exclusive with your usage of on-premises or cloud-based systems. Instead, you can use both for the most appropriate needs. For example, you might have some in-house servers for the most important data, while having day-to-day data in a cloud so all your employees can access it quickly.

Find the Right Solution With Network doctor

Whether you want on-premises, cloud or hybrid solutions, you can trust Network Doctor to provide them. As one of the top business technology companies in NY and NJ area, we know that reliable technology is crucial for businesses to succeed. Choosing Network Doctor for your on-premises or cloud-based needs means you’ll be working for an organization that has over 20 years of experience in guarding sensitive data, making companies more efficient and providing top quality customer service. If you’re looking to add more cloud-based services to your business, we have a variety of cloud solutions available to consumers, along with on-premises ones as well. If you’re unsure of what you need, contact one of our representatives to receive expert advice on how we can help.

A hybrid cloud computing environment uses a mix of on-premise, private cloud and third-party, public cloud services with orchestration between these platforms. This typically involves a connection from an on-premise data center to a public cloud. The connection also can involve other private assets, including edge devices or other cloud services.

How do hybrid clouds work?

A hybrid cloud computing model allows enterprises to deploy workloads in private IT environments or public clouds and move between them as computing needs and costs change. This gives a business greater flexibility and more data deployment options. A hybrid cloud workload includes the network, hosting and web service features of an application.

While the terms are sometimes discussed interchangeably, there are key differences between hybrid and multi-cloud models. A hybrid cloud creates a single environment to operate both in on-premises, private resources and in public cloud resources — such as those offered by Microsoft, AWS, and Google. A multi-cloud environment consists of two or more public cloud providers but does not require a private or on-premises component.

Hybrid cloud benefits

Hybrid cloud computing enables an enterprise to deploy its most sensitive workloads in an on-premise cloud and to host less-critical resources on a third-party public cloud provider. This approach allows organizations to get the best of both private and public cloud models.

What are the core benefits of hybrid cloud?

1. Flexibility. Users work with various types of data in disparate environments and adjust their infrastructure. A company can build a hybrid cloud that works for its needs, using traditional systems as well as the latest cloud technology, without a full commitment to a vendor. Organizations savvy with a hybrid cloud setup can migrate workloads to and from their traditional infrastructure and a vendor’s public cloud whenever necessary.
2. Cost management. The public cloud component of the hybrid cloud provides cost-effective IT resources without incurring capital expenses and labor costs. IT professionals can determine the best configuration, service provider, and location for each service, thereby cutting costs by matching the resource with the task best suited to it. Services can be easily scaled, redeployed, or reduced when necessary, saving costs through increased efficiency and avoiding unnecessary expenses.
3. Agility and scalability. Hybrid cloud offers more resource options via a public cloud provider vs. an organization’s physical data center. This makes it easier to provision, deploy and scale resources to meet demand spikes. When demand exceeds capacity of the local data center, an organization can burst the application to the public cloud to access extra scale and capacity.
4. Resiliency and interoperability. To increase resiliency, a business can run workloads redundantly in both private and public environments. Components of one workload can also run in both environments and interoperate.
5. Compliance. Compliance restrictions on where data can reside mean organizations in highly regulated industries cannot move all workloads to the public cloud. With hybrid cloud, organizations can keep data in a private environment while operating workloads in the cloud, or they can operate workloads in a private data center and move data to and from the public cloud as needed. This allows companies to meet regulatory requirements and still benefit from the elasticity of the cloud.

Other hybrid cloud computing advantages include consistency and support for greater standardization in IT management practices.

Hybrid cloud architecture

Establishing a hybrid cloud requires three main components:

1. A public infrastructure as a service (IaaS) platform, such as Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services (AWS) or Google Cloud Platform (GCP)
2. Private computing resources, such as an on-premise data center
3. An adequate network connection to the hybrid cloud’s private and public cloud environments

Networking and hybrid cloud integration

A strong network connection is critical to a successful hybrid cloud strategy. Typically, this involves a wide area network (WAN) or dedicated networking service for additional security. You should consistently evaluate your connection and ensure it meets the uptime requirements specified in your service-level agreement (SLA) with a cloud provider.

An enterprise has no direct control over a public cloud architecture. That means a business must adjust its resources and environments to make them compatible with its chosen public cloud platform’s resources, services and application programming interfaces (APIs). This requires implementation of suitable hardware within the data center, including servers, storage, a local area network and load balancers. For an effective hybrid arrangement, these on-premises resources and environments must be able to integrate and interoperate with public cloud services and APIs.

There are two main approaches to hybrid cloud integration: Use the cloud as the front-end application hosting point, or create a unified elastic resource pool of data center and cloud functions. Consider the following questions to determine which integration strategy is right for you:

• What are my architecture’s complete hybrid integration requirements?
• What combinations of technologies address my integration requirements?
• What is the most appropriate integration style or pattern for my use cases?
• Where does it make sense to deploy my integration platform?

Hybrid Cloud Computing Platforms

Hybrid cloud architecture traditionally builds a virtualization layer or hypervisor on top of on-premise resources to create and support virtual machines and increasingly container-based workloads. On top of this, IT teams install a private cloud software layer, such as VMware or OpenStack, which delivers various cloud capabilities: self-service access to services such as compute or database instances, automation and orchestration, resilience and billing. This layer is integrated into services and APIs from public cloud providers.

A newer architectural approach involves public cloud providers offering hybrid cloud platforms that extend public cloud services into private data centers. This means everything is based on the same software stack. These hybrid cloud platforms deliver connections between public and private resources in different ways, but they often incorporate common industry technologies, such as Kubernetes to orchestrate container-based services.

Examples of this hybrid cloud architecture include Azure Stack, Azure Arc, AWS Outposts, Google Anthos and VMware Cloud on AWS.

Public Cloud vs. Private Cloud

A hybrid cloud model consists of public cloud and private cloud components.

The public cloud model relies on a third-party provider for on-demand IT resources, such as virtual machines, applications or storage, as well as services such as data analytics over the internet or a dedicated network. Public cloud providers host workloads and deliver cloud services to multiple organizations. The private cloud model typically uses on-premises architecture, either in a company’s local data center or a separate physical infrastructure provided by a third party. Private cloud can also be based on virtualization software. Organizations with a private cloud model do not share resources with other users.

The two cloud models approach key elements of cloud computing differently, and there are several tradeoffs with on premise vs. cloud.

Payment structure. Public cloud is priced on a pay-as-you go model where organizations pay only for the capacity they use, typically a monthly fee. Improperly configured workloads, however, can lead a business to underutilize and overpay for public cloud services. Meanwhile, on-premises computing requires a high upfront investment and additional costs primarily for maintenance.

Security. Private cloud users must secure their on-premises environments, but they have more control of sensitive data and workloads that reside in their own data center, with proprietary infrastructure and resources. Public cloud providers and users share security responsibility: The provider typically ensures security of the infrastructure itself, while users must properly secure applications and data inside the cloud. Public cloud users have access to the latest security expertise and tools but are subject to misconfigurations, breaches and other risks of hosting in a shared environment over the public internet.

Availability. Public cloud providers offer high availability and scalability, but are not immune from outages that cause downtime across services. Meanwhile, private cloud has its own availability risks: On-premises hardware can break down and require maintenance, and any physical environment is subject to the effects of natural disasters, such as floods or fires.

Organizations planning to adopt a hybrid approach will need to move workloads between private and public clouds. Hybrid cloud migration strategies to consider include lift and shift, refactoring and redesign.

Hybrid Cloud Computing Use Cases

Before you implement a hybrid cloud model, review common hybrid cloud use cases to determine whether this approach fits your company’s IT needs.

Digital transformation. Companies often want to modernize their IT infrastructure through public cloud adoption. Legacy applications or compliance factors, however, may preclude a business from entirely shutting down a private data center. Hybrid cloud enables companies with mixed data and application types to migrate parts of their IT infrastructure to the cloud and to retain on-premises applications that must remain in the data center.

Disaster recovery. A hybrid cloud helps organizations fortify their disaster recovery strategy by replicating on-premises workloads and backing up data in the cloud. If there’s a disruption in the data center, workloads fail over to the cloud environment and operate properly via on-demand cloud resources. However, implementation must be handled properly to avoid hybrid cloud backup challenges, such as bandwidth consumption and management complexity.

Development and testing. It’s cheaper and faster to develop and test applications in the public cloud because there’s no need to purchase and set up on-premises physical hardware.

Data processing. Hybrid cloud gives a company the option to use powerful public cloud services to run periodic analytical queries on locally stored data.

Highly changeable workloads. Hybrid cloud is particularly valuable for dynamic or highly changeable workloads. For example, a transactional order-entry system that experiences significant seasonal demand spikes is a good hybrid cloud candidate.

Exploring a cloud provider. Some organizations use a hybrid approach to evaluate a potential public cloud migration. An IT team can experiment with cloud tools on a small scale and learn how to work with the cloud provider before committing to a full public cloud adoption.

Hybrid Cloud Challenges

Despite these benefits, there are hybrid cloud challenges to consider.

Compatibility. On-premises and public cloud environments work together in a hybrid cloud approach, but they are not fully compatible. It is difficult to synchronize them. For example, the back-end data center component of a hybrid cloud application cannot respond as quickly as the front-end public cloud component. This causes latency problems and other complexities.

Data handling. Improper data placement and movement in a hybrid cloud can create security and cost challenges. To secure data in transit, encrypt all traffic. Meanwhile, if data is not located in the right environment, moving data across cloud environments triggers cloud network and egress fees that can quickly add up. Ensure that necessary workloads reside in public cloud storage to avoid unnecessary transfers and prevent spikes in charges.

Complex access management. Authentication and authorization add to the hybrid cloud security challenges. Organizations need to adopt centralized protocols to access data in both private and public cloud environments. Use IAM and single sign-on tools, and assign permissions only when necessary to concentrate hybrid cloud access management.

Skills gap. Hybrid cloud adoption requires users and IT staff to possess a specific set of technical skills. The expertise required to work with a public cloud differs from that for a private data center, and the learning curve to close that skills gap can lead to human error.

Private cloud maintenance. A hybrid cloud’s on-premises or private cloud component requires substantial investment, maintenance and expertise. Implementation of additional software, such as databases, helpdesk systems and other tools can further complicate a private cloud. Proper data planning, public cloud security tools and investment in employee training and cloud certifications can help mitigate some of the challenges associated with hybrid cloud adoption.

Hybrid Cloud Management

Because hybrid cloud architecture comprises multiple environments and types of components, cloud management is a complex task. Fortunately, there are strategies and tools to help resolve the complications of hybrid management and create a streamlined approach across environments.

Implement hybrid cloud management practices to maximize control of your environments. For example, establish a cloud governance policy that defines standard processes for resource configurations, access control and other important operations. This will create a consistent, unified approach across the various components in your hybrid architecture.

Centralize control of on-premises and cloud-based resources with a hybrid cloud management tool set. These types of tools provide capabilities such as cost and performance monitoring, security, reporting and analytics.

Hybrid Cloud Computing is a Win-Win Solution

From the high altitude perspective, any solution that enables an organization to respond in a flexible manner to IT demands is a win. Avoiding big upfront capital expenses for in-house IT infrastructure will appeal to the CFO. Being able to quickly spin up IT resources as they’re needed will appeal to the CTO and VP of Operations.