A majority of the existing instances of hybrid cloud computing are not very complicated, most of which involve a CRM application in the cloud and an ERP application running on site. This type of computing is typically not that complex than integrating apps on site with the difference of one of the apps running on a third-party vendor platform accessible via a wide area network. However, there are complexities in hybrid cloud computing that can be eased out with the use of new tools and management techniques.

These hybrid cloud management challenges are amplified with the need to manage an array of diverse environments. For instance, due to the need of more availability, you might have to increase the capacity of an application in the private cloud. The most efficient way to meet this demand is to shift the app to a public cloud. However, you may have questions as to how to ensure synchronization between these two computing environments and how to tackle with application infrastructure between the two as the virtual machines differ. Another key challenge is the integration amongst the different clouds, which can be tackled by implementing configuration management interfaces for analyzing configuration between cloud entities, thus enabling portability.

Special Tools Required for Hybrid System

Keeping in mind the challenges, tools for hybrid environments must be utilized with some special features.

• Sole Point of Analysis: The tools must offer a sole reference point for managing distinct multiple platforms. For example, a single reference point may be required to gather configuration data from one environment and compare it with the one used in another cloud. The tools must also be capable of assessing the parameters of these interfaces as the diverse platforms in the hybrid environment shall interact with one another. In reality, this job is very tiresome when performed without using the specialized tools.

• Perceptibility: The monitoring procedure for assisting the smooth progress of hybrid cloud needs a layer that can function for all infrastructure, private cloud, and public cloud activities. There might be a management console in IT mechanism for monitoring the private cloud and internal operations, while public clouds may offer exclusive toolset for monitoring the visibility to operations when an event triggers in the private cloud, which influence the public cloud. 

• Migration and Transition Facilitator: A transition needs to be set in for tapping the power of cloud for fulfilling the increasing demands and faster rate of changes. Migration of customary legacy operations can be facilitated by migrating to a private cloud platform in the beginning. Later when the need of capacity increases along with the improvements in the public cloud, these activities can be shifted to public clouds.

Configuration Management for Hybrid Evolution

This is the player behind the hybrid cloud evolution. There is no reason to assume that cloud automatically forms up a valuable service-focused architecture. The extreme dynamic spirit of cloud-based operations boosts the configuration information volume and increases the changes to track. As a fact, several IT firms will have to advance their infrastructure prior to enjoying the true benefits of dynamic hybrid cloud environments.

Bio: Denise Warthen is a software designer in an IT company that is known for its dynamic enterprise solutions for different business niches. She has gained a diverse experience of over six years in this field. It is her dream to overcome the problems being faced by her firm’s cloud enterprise system. Denise plans to fulfill this dream by constantly learning about the hybrid cloud management challenges and other limitations on the Internet. She is researching profoundly on these areas of her domain nowadays and is also consulting with experts. Denise is also a blogger who loves to posts on these hot topics across several blogs.