Hybrid cloud is emerging as the preferred deployment model for modern enterprises seeking to balance agility, control and compliance. A hybrid cloud architecture seamlessly integrates private cloud resources, typically hosted on-premises, with public cloud services, forging a dynamic computing environment. With Microsoft Azure Arc, organisations can unlock the full potential of hybrid cloud computing, empowering them to innovate faster, scale efficiently and drive business growth in the digital age.
In this article, we explore why hybrid cloud solutions are becoming increasingly popular and how Microsoft's Azure Arc can improve the ease and efficiency of managing multiple environments.
Why adopt a hybrid cloud model?
Data sovereignty and compliance
Industries with strict data sovereignty and compliance requirements, such as healthcare and finance, require storage and processing of sensitive data within specific jurisdictions. A hybrid cloud enables organisations to adhere to regulatory standards while harnessing the advantages of cloud computing.
Legacy infrastructure integration
Many enterprises operate legacy applications and systems, which could be challenging to migrate to the public cloud due to dependencies or compatibility issues. A hybrid cloud facilitates the gradual modernisation of IT infrastructure by seamlessly integrating legacy systems with cloud-native technologies.
Flexibility and scalability
Hybrid cloud offers unparalleled flexibility and scalability, allowing organisations to allocate resources dynamically based on fluctuating workload demands. Businesses can scale computing, storage and networking resources seamlessly across hybrid environments, optimising performance and cost efficiency.
Disaster recovery and business continuity
Hybrid cloud provides robust disaster recovery and business continuity capabilities, enabling organisations to replicate data and workloads across geographically dispersed locations. In a localised outage or disaster, businesses can seamlessly failover critical operations to alternate environments, minimising downtime and ensuring uninterrupted service delivery.
How can Microsoft's Azure Arc help?
Microsoft Azure Arc is a hybrid and multi-cloud solution that extends Azure management and services to any infrastructure, including on-premises, multi-cloud and edge environments. With Azure Arc, organisations can easily control and oversee these resources from one central platform, making it easier to manage everything and work more efficiently.
Benefits include:
Centralised management:
Azure Arc makes it simple for organisations to manage and monitor their resources across different environments from one central place. It helps administrators streamline tasks, enforce policies and make sure everything follows organisational standards all from a single interface.
Infrastructure as Code (IaC)
It facilitates the adoption of infrastructure as code (IaC) principles, allowing organisations to define and deploy resources consistently across hybrid and multi-cloud environments using familiar tools such as Azure Resource Manager templates and Kubernetes manifests.
Kubernetes management
It enables organisations to deploy and manage Kubernetes clusters anywhere, whether on-premises, in the public cloud or at the edge. Through Azure Arc, businesses can use familiar Azure services such as Azure Policy, Azure Monitor and Microsoft Defender to govern and secure Kubernetes deployments across hybrid environments.
Data services extension
It enables organisations to run Azure data services, such as Azure SQL Database and Azure Database for PostgreSQL, anywhere. This capability provides a consistent experience for managing and scaling databases across hybrid environments, empowering organisations to unlock the full potential of their data assets.
Application services
A key component of Azure Arc's capabilities is its integration with Azure App Service (in preview), a fully managed platform for building, deploying and scaling web applications and APIs. This integration empowers organisations to leverage Azure App Service's robust features and capabilities across hybrid environments, streamlining application development and deployment processes while ensuring consistency and compliance.
