While I feel there is sometimes too much talk about cloud computing these days, there is often not enough meaningful discussion about hybrid cloud computing models and their inherent value both to end users and to managed service providers. Because most of the channel wants to discuss public cloud, MSPs need to pay attention to the larger picture of how to remain relevant in a cloud world.
For MSPs, investing in one cloud computing model or the other is not enough. Most MSPs have customers who fit into at least a handful of categories, such as size, market vertical, or the type of service they consume. For example, if you take a MSP who specializes in data backup, it would be unlikely that this MSP would have 100% of its customers in either the public or private cloud category. More likely, there would be customers who demand more privacy and security from private cloud, while other customers would prefer the lower cost benefits of public cloud. MSPs need to plan their technological cloud strategy keeping this point in mind.
What's Your Hybrid Cloud Strategy?
When developing a cloud strategy (this includes evolving your existing cloud strategy) MSPs must have a clear idea of the customer base to whom they will be selling AND servicing. It's important to note here that there is a big difference between selling and servicing a customer. Any decent salesperson could sell a cloud solution to even the most sophisticated customer. Yet, whether that cloud solution is the best fit for the customer is where MSPs need to be aware of the customer's true needs as well as the MSP's capabilities.
It is for this precise reason that during the early days of cloud many MSPs resisted and counseled their customers against moving towards the cloud, principally because the loss of privacy, security, availability, and other business factors could not be guaranteed, either by the MSP or the underlying cloud vendor used by the MSP. Customers who are responding to a "knee jerk" reaction to move to the cloud need to weigh many options before making this decision. If they have access to a trusted MSP, that MSP needs to have a response that involves a "hybrid" solution, or one that involves both public and private cloud options.
What Do I Need to Build a Hybrid Cloud?
The answer to this question will naturally depend on many factors. However, the basic answer is to build a hybrid cloud you need to have 1 part public cloud and 1 part private. Hopefully, you can blend the two together and create a flexible and powerful cloud solution that works for the majority of your customers. Again, depending on your specific situation, a hybrid cloud architecture ideally involves a public cloud option (for whatever it is you are selling) and then a mirror of that same solution, except delivered in such a way that the MSP can audit (if need be) and lock down all the elements of the service delivery chain. What does this mean?
