5 Solutions that Can Help Simplify & Accelerate Your Hybrid Cloud Journey

From cloud-driven networking to smart data backups, the following solutions can help you reduce the complexity of hybrid cloud architectures.

For the foreseeable future, hybrid cloud is likely to continue to evolve and pivot, taking on more complexity as it does so. Binding all the moving parts together to deliver predictable user experiences that enable organizational productivity and premium customer experience, while keeping costs down, is a bigger challenge than ever for IT teams.

How Extreme simplifies hybrid cloud networking and security

Our partners at Extreme Networks help network and security operations teams and their organizations by building security inherently into the network. They deliver exceptional cloud management, wired and wireless with AI and Universal ZTNA, Fabric for wired and wireless for on-premises deployments, end-to-end visibility across the two and universal hardware that can be deployed with either management approach.

ExtremeCloud Universal ZTNA provides complete access security. It combines cloud-native network access control and zero trust network access in a single policy engine. It is easy to deploy and use for IT and end users alike and it makes application and network access security simpler with a single policy engine.

For on-premises deployments, Extreme’s secure network fabric enables network and security automation. Extreme Fabric is zero touch, making it simple to deploy and scale and is incredibly resilient.

Extreme’s Universal switching and access points also make it easy to deploy and redeploy switches and APs to support rapidly evolving use cases. This improves customer investment value and the ease and simplicity of reusing network hardware over time.

Key benefits

• Simplified network and security management: Streamlines management of cloud-native and on-premises network management from a single pane of glass.
• Secure, resilient networks: AI for cloud-managed deployments reduces risk with proactive anomaly detection. Universal ZTNA tightens up access security without adding new complexity. Extreme Fabric enables a zero downtime approach with automated, sub-second network failover.
• End-to-end visibility and management: Provides real-time monitoring and control for improved network performance and security.
• Improved total cost of ownership: Consistent operations and Universal hardware help customers control costs and make the most of their investment.

A hybrid cloud may include various PaaS and IaaS offerings from multiple vendors working in tandem. Many times, organizations face difficulties in automating the configuration and provisioning of these offerings from a central plane of control.

This leads to slower deployments and inconsistency between participating platforms. An IT administrator may have to manually execute tasks for each platform, whether provisioning a new network or replicating a defunct VM, which can further heighten configuration gaps and chances of manual errors that lead to subpar performance.

How Red Hat’s Ansible platform automates cloud orchestration

The Ansible Automation Platform from our technology partners at Red Hat offers a unified, automated solution for managing hybrid IT environments. It enables consistent configuration and provisioning across hybrid systems using a simple, human-readable automation language. 

With Ansible, organizations can define infrastructure as code (IaC), ensuring that configurations are consistent, repeatable and scalable. The platform allows for seamless orchestration of multicloud deployments, eliminating silos between different environments.

Ansible Automation Platform’s large ecosystem of Certified Content Collections allows organizations to connect multiple platforms and transform existing manual processes into repeatable and scalable processes.

IT administrators can create automation templates that can be easily used multiple times instead of manually executing platform tasks.

Key benefits

• Unified automation across environments: Orchestrates and automates tasks across on-premises, private and public cloud infrastructures.
• Infrastructure as code: Ensures consistent configuration and management of hybrid cloud systems, reducing manual errors and improving scalability.
• Improved deployment velocity: Speeds up deployments, automates workflows and enhances resource management across hybrid cloud setups.

A local area network serves as the last-mile layer that connects devices, IoT and on-premises hardware to an organization’s broader hybrid infrastructure. As more endpoints access this network, the load on Wi-Fi access points can quickly result in traffic congestion – a common issue faced by large corporate offices.

This results in slower speeds, increased latency and dropped connections, which can significantly impact real-time applications like videoconferencing, live streaming or augmented/virtual reality experiences.

How Ruckus enhances network performance with Wi-Fi 7

Our partners at Ruckus Networks offer Wi-Fi 7 technology that efficiently handles congestion in high-density environments and latency issues affecting real-time applications, while ensuring robust security in diverse settings.

Wi-Fi 7 introduces advancements such as multilink operation (MLO) for simultaneous multiband communication, preamble puncturing for efficient spectrum use and enhanced quality of service (QoS) to prioritize latency-sensitive traffic.

These innovations collectively enhance throughput, reduce interference and provide a more stable and responsive wireless experience across various applications and environments.

Key benefits

• Higher bandwidth and network speeds: Achieve peak speeds up to 46 Gbps, supporting bandwidth-intensive applications like 8K streaming and AR/VR.
• Improved reliability in high-density areas: Maintain stable connections in crowded venues such as stadiums and larger offices.
• Future-proof infrastructure: Support the 6 GHz band while being backward compatible with Wi-Fi 6E, ensuring compatibility with existing devices and preparing networks for future demands.

For private cloud solutions that have on-premises server racks or computing hardware, ensuring uninterrupted power supply is a key tenet for hybrid cloud success. But organizations might need assistance in determining the right power inlet and backup configuration to maintain power efficiency.

Overprovisioning a UPS system can raise operating costs and contribute towards overall CAPEX. Therefore, understanding the optimal power requirements is critical for delivering infrastructure performance.

How CyberPower helps organizations assess their power protection requirements

Our partners at CyberPower enable organizations in their power assessments by offering a comprehensive Power Assessment Tool, designed to evaluate the power needs of IT environments, including hybrid cloud setups.

This tool considers the total wattage of connected devices, runtime requirements and how the workloads are distributed across the organization’s hybrid infrastructure (on-premises and cloud).

By accurately assessing power requirements, the tool recommends the right UPS solutions that fit the business’ needs without overspending on unnecessary capacity.

Key benefits

• Customized power solutions: Organizations get tailored recommendations, helping them choose UPS systems that align with their unique power needs.
• Enhanced operational continuity: By accurately assessing power requirements, organizations can prevent downtime and maintain consistent operations across hybrid infrastructures.
• Optimized resource allocation: The tool aids in selecting energy-efficient UPS systems, contributing to cost savings and sustainable energy use.

Although cloud platforms offer natively available backup solutions, these may not fully suffice in a ransomware attack scenario. Organizations need speedy backups that can help them recover with minimal downtime.

Attackers can encrypt primary data, compromise backup applications and delete backup data, which can lead to significant downtime. While immutable backups offer protection, they can be costly and inflexible.

Additionally, retaining backup data for extended periods, as required by compliance or business needs, might also lead to increased storage costs.

How ExaGrid safeguards data backups in a hybrid setup

Our partners at ExaGrid have come up with the retention time-lock (RTL) feature, a unique approach to ransomware recovery. RTL prevents unauthorized deletion of backup data by implementing a time-lock period during which delete requests are delayed.

This delay allows organizations to detect and respond to ransomware attacks promptly. ExaGrid's architecture includes a non-network-facing repository tier, creating a tiered air gap that is inaccessible to attackers, further enhancing data security.

The system's deduplication ensures efficient storage and the time-lock period is configurable, balancing security with storage efficiency.

Key benefits

• Enhanced ransomware protection: Delay backup delete requests, providing a window to detect and recover from attacks before data is compromised.
• Cost-effective, long-term retention: By allowing for adjustable retention periods, ExaGrid enables organizations to maintain necessary backup data without incurring prohibitive storage costs.
• Seamless integration and management: ExaGrid's system integrates smoothly with existing backup applications and offers centralized management, simplifying operations and reducing administrative overhead.

Whether you have a fully functional hybrid cloud architecture or are planning to migrate workloads, CDW Canada can help you meet your hybrid infrastructure needs at every step of the journey.

Our deep expertise in partner offerings and a team of infrastructure experts can help you configure the right solutions for your unique setup. Whether establishing a high-performance network or provisioning cloud services, we focus on maximizing the value of your investment.

Our key services include hybrid cloud strategy and consulting, infrastructure modernization, security and compliance, fully tailored to your business requirements.