If you can't decide between private or public cloud storage services, look no further than hybrid cloud storage. Read on to learn how your business can use it.

What would happen if your computer died or network crashed at this very moment?

You'd be in a bit of shock and then immediately feel the dread that your files may be completely gone. The dread that operations are now frozen.

You may take the hard drive to a professional to gather the data but what if they couldn't? What if the data or hardware is corrupted beyond the point of saving?

Yikes.

Data loss can happen in more ways than one:

• User error (such as deleting important OS files)
• Hacking (such as with trojans, ransomware, or opening up to remote access)
• Environmental damage (such as with a fire, tornado, flood, or earthquake)
• Mechanical failure (such as short circuiting, faulty drives, and defects)
• Theft (such as physical attack at your home or business)

These events happen to the largest enterprises. If these corporations can be affected by loss then you can bet you're at risk.

This is why we always say the same thing: Backup, backup, backup.

The solution to all backup needs...

Enter: The Hybrid Cloud

Conducting regular backups should be a no-brainer especially since there are automated tools built into the OS to do so... but people still forget.

You could be cautious. You do regular backups to an external but the same mistakes can be made. Mistakes you would with the actual computer or device.

You're doing a backup but you're not making it any more secure.

A hybrid cloud solution is the best bet. It's becoming the go-to service due to its fault tolerance.

It is a mix of backup procedures and services located:

• Local, on-premise
• Private and third-party cloud platforms
• Public cloud services

Hybrid clouds offer an intuitive process of backing up data in many locations. This reduces the chance of a single-point failure.

It also increases the speed of the systems due to workload sharing.

As file sizes and transfer speeds continue to rise, so does the amount of data being collected for internal and external purposes.

It makes sense to use a robust network that's offered through hybrid cloud storage (and computing).

Other benefits include:

• Increased privacy when paired with the in-house cloud due to control on what's shared to the public solutions
• On-premise infrastructure which taps into the public cloud to manage heavier workloads
• Greater flexibility in server design which can drive down costs

See our complete list of benefits of hybrid cloud storage [Infographic].

This is starting to make sense as an investment, right?

Uses for Hybrid Cloud Storage

There are many different industries which have already adopted the model including financial, medical, and retail.

• Financial sectors use it to speed up reporting and analytics on trades along with keeping data secure resulting in higher performance.
• Medical industries use it to share data between healthcare providers, insurance companies, and patients which creates better well-being for clients.
• Retail has implemented it for sales information, data analytics, and privacy from third-party platforms which may be in competition resulting in a fantastic customer experience.

Each year introduces new tools and resources you'll want to use to improve your business.

The expanding use of CRM, business intelligence, internal messaging, reporting, scheduling, payroll, and customer data will create a strain on local servers due to the sheer amount of data and interconnectivity.

Public cloud solutions are often prepackaged as an all-in-one solution which means they can't be integrated into a business that requires flexibility in its design.

Hybrid cloud solutions allow IT to increase control and install it in ways they see fit. Removing the unnecessary elements while maximizing the sectors which are vital for the business.

Implementing the Hybrid Cloud for Storage

The process how it works is quite interesting and technical.

You may want a simple and elegant solution to your storage problem without becoming an expert. You're busy with the day-to-day operations so all that matters is that the task is done.

Microsoft Azure is one of the leading platforms offering integrated cloud services.

It helps individuals, businesses, and corporations to build, deploy, and manage applications within the cloud.

There are gaps in the Azure platform and those services built around the solution. Particularly in the quality of life items:

• Search
• Analytics
• Security
• Data governance

The platform complements Microsoft Azure but creates a greater ease-of-use when implementing it to a setup.

There are two particular areas which make it appealing:

Hybrid Cloud Storage

Using a virtual cloud gateway allows you to enable existing storage investments without having to create a new storage mount point.

It uses a combination of deduplication, compression, encryption, versioning, and security sync to reduce the data footprint in your storage environment.

Cloud Archive

Data sitting out there in storage doesn't help much if it's not used.

It's great to have the data backed up but the real benefit is when you have access to gain insights and audit activity. The always-on analytics creates a great visualization of your data to mitigate risks.

The built-in data loss policies will keep content safe along with defensible deletion for retention management.

The solutions also enhance cloud security and disaster recovery.

Another particularly interesting aspect of its implementation is what we call data-aware storage. This feature prevents data from becoming "dark"; a term used to describe what happens when data is stored but is no longer used even if it happens to be valuable.

It could be access rights, tracking user activity, and policy violations, and more.

You'll also get activity histories, content type breakdown, storage use by user, data growth rates, data ownership visualizations, and more.

HubStor aims at providing a solution that's set up within hours versus weeks through other providers.

It's best explained by requesting a demo to see the service and platform in action.

Conclusion

The data you collect for business purposes is as important as the products or services you offer. You are flying in the dark without your data.

Imagine the destruction that could take place if you rely on data to conduct your business.

You'd reach a stand-still.

What happens if the only backups were local or sensitive information stored in the public cloud? Not good.

The hybrid cloud is the next leap forward for computing and storage needs.

We hope HubStor can help be the expert for your expansion.