OPINION Hybrid cloud “Getting an MSP involved at a very early stage can help mid-market enterprises through the crucial planning process.” Phil Alton, Node4 Better-quality cloud experiences W Phil Alton, director, Node4 Channel, outlines how MSPs can help businesses to successfully transition to the hybrid cloud environment were more advantages to be gained if public clouds were deployed in conjunction with private ones. Instead of relying solely on public cloud providers, IT professionals increasingly began combining both. They recognised that such an approach enabled environments to be fine-tuned so applications could reside where they best met an organisation’s needs. processes. This also allows costs to be optimised appropriately for different levels of security and criticality, instead of having a blanket approach. Another significant factor influencing the take-up of hybrid is performance. Distributing workloads effectively has a huge impact on the user experience and productivity. However, deciding which applications should run in a private versus a public cloud is complex, especially when taking into consideration security and compliance requirements. determine and enforce robust security measures to protect critical data within a hybrid environment. Contracts can include commitments to comply with industry standards and security regulations, such as NIS2, by implementing tools such as advanced encryption, multi-factor authentication, continuous monitoring and behavioural analytics. ith hindsight it’s easy to see why the hurried scramble to public clouds that took place during the pandemic hasn’t worked out for all companies. Those in the mid-market have perhaps had the most difficult time. Many didn’t achieve the expected economies of scale and, at the same time, were frustrated by the lack of flexibility within services provided by suppliers. On top of this, some had to deal with unforeseen issues such as data sovereignty when working across borders. Needing to ensure compliance with local data privacy and industry-specific regulations added an extra burden to a growing raft of problems. Security often proved to be an additional concern with clarity lacking around how responsibilities were shared across areas such as access control, vulnerability management, and incident response and remediation. Silver linings Rocky transitions Moreover, the transition process to third party clouds turned out rockier than anticipated. Integrating existing on-premise systems, applications and data was often lengthy and ate up costly technical resources and time. Customers became worried about the growing level of investment required and whether they would end up locked into a single provider, incurring further outlay whenever changes were needed. Variable pricing models also made budgeting unpredictable and forward planning challenging. What had promised so much in terms of efficiency and performance risked turning into an expensive disappointment for mid-level enterprises. Fortunately, experience started to show there 38 | Comms Business Magazine | October 2025 www.commsbusiness.co.uk © MAY-stock.adobe.com Success relies on selecting the right option for the right job, as every cloud offers far more than just a silver lining. By taking a mix-and-match approach businesses can achieve the ideal balance. Typically, this means using a public cloud for fluctuating workloads and less critical data, a private cloud for specialist applications that need a dedicated, secure architecture and keeping an on-premise infrastructure for traditional IT systems. Going the hybrid route gives organisations the advantage of massive scalability, enabling data and applications to move seamlessly between private and public clouds depending on requirements. As necessary, resources can be scaled up or down using a public cloud to supplement capacity for non-sensitive data. Critical workloads and data can also be held safely in a discrete, private cloud or on-premise with resilient security, backup and recovery A better fit MSP adoption Getting an MSP involved at a very early stage can help mid-market enterprises through the crucial planning process, identifying which applications, data and workloads are suitable for the cloud. MSPs can provide in-depth evaluation of an organisation’s IT environment, designing a hybrid cloud architecture to align with corporate strategy and risk tolerance. By developing a detailed plan and migration schedule, they will ensure that the transition is as seamless as possible, minimising disruption and downtime. Importantly, MSPs offer expert guidance in the areas of security and compliance, avoiding any ambiguity around accountability, which can be a grey area with public cloud providers. Instead, MSPs will help After the transition to hybrid is complete, MSPs will continue to refine systems and the infrastructure to optimise performance and cost efficiency. Proactive monitoring and maintenance minimise issues and any incidents that occur are dealt with promptly in line with SLAs, relieving the strain on in-house IT staff. Training and informing employees about the migration plans will help users to get the most out of the hybrid environment. Whether it’s an onsite explanation of new security measures or new tools, MSPs can provide a range of support services that a mid-market customer might lack in-house. Many have a wide skillset that’s worth tapping into, especially when internal resources are limited. With a comprehensive range of services encompassing IT infrastructure, data, applications and security, MSPs that focus on hybrid can provide a compelling option for mid-level enterprises wanting a better-quality cloud experience at a lower cost. Successful MSPs have always taken a customer-centric approach and the current desire for tailored cloud solutions will be a neat fit with their existing ethos.
Comms Business October 2025: Page 38
