A strategic approach to hybrid cloud backup: Key considerations and best practices

Businesses are continuously searching for efficient and effective ways to manage and protect their data. One approach gaining significant traction is the hybrid cloud hosting, a computing environment that effortlessly integrates on-premises infrastructure (private cloud) with public cloud services. This combination allows for the smooth sharing of data and applications between both environments, providing a robust and versatile solution for modern enterprises.

The hybrid cloud market is not just growing; it’s booming. Valued at USD 129.68 billion in 2024, it is projected to skyrocket to USD 352.28 billion by 2029, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 22.12 percent during this period. This impressive growth highlights the increasing adoption of hybrid cloud solutions across various industries.

So, what exactly is hybrid cloud backup, and why are so many businesses leaning toward it? In simple terms, hybrid cloud backup involves using both on-premises and cloud-based solutions to secure data. This method offers the best of both worlds — the control and security of a private cloud, along with the scalability and flexibility of public cloud services.

This article will guide you on implementing a hybrid cloud backup strategy. It’ll explore key considerations, discuss best practices, and compare top solutions available in the market.

Why hybrid cloud backup is groundbreaking for businesses

Hybrid cloud backup solutions combine the benefits of both on-premises and cloud-based backups, offering several specific advantages over relying solely on one approach. It enables rapid recovery by storing backup data both locally and in the cloud. 

This dual approach means mission-critical data can be swiftly restored from local copies, minimizing downtime. Simultaneously, the cloud provides a remote recovery option, adding an extra layer of redundancy. This ensures that even in the face of local disasters, businesses can maintain continuity and keep operations running smoothly.

The advantages of hybrid cloud backup are reflected in the following.

Cost savings

Traditional on-premises solutions often require substantial upfront investments to expand local storage infrastructure. In contrast, hybrid cloud backup allows businesses to leverage cost-effective cloud storage for certain data while keeping critical information on-site. This approach helps avoid the high costs associated with scaling local storage, making it a financially savvy choice.

Scalability and flexibility

Hybrid cloud backup offers unparalleled scalability and flexibility. As your data grows, you can easily scale storage resources using the cloud without investing in additional on-site infrastructure. This flexibility ensures that your backup solution can adapt to changing needs, whether you’re experiencing rapid growth or seasonal fluctuations in data volume.

Enhanced security

Security is a top priority for any business, and hybrid cloud backup addresses this concern effectively. Sensitive data can be kept in secure local storage, ensuring tight control over vital information. Less critical data can be backed up to the cloud, where it benefits from robust encryption and security measures. This layered approach to data protection enhances overall security, giving you peace of mind.

Simplified compliance

Compliance with data regulations such as GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI-DSS is simplified with hybrid cloud backup. Regulated data can be selectively kept on-premises under your direct control, ensuring compliance with specific requirements. This strategic data placement helps businesses meet regulatory standards without compromising on data accessibility or security.

Efficient data management

Hybrid solutions provide flexibility in data placement, which optimizes backup strategies. Frequently accessed data can be kept locally for fast restores, while older data can be moved to the cloud for long-term retention. Integrated management tools simplify oversight of the hybrid environment, making data management more efficient and streamlined.

Vendor support and reliability

Choosing a reliable vendor is crucial for the success of a hybrid cloud backup strategy. Liquid Web, for instance, offers 24/7 expert support and high uptime guarantees, ensuring your backup solution is always operational and backed by professional assistance. 

Additionally, Service Level Agreements (SLAs) play a vital role in ensuring consistent performance and support quality, providing businesses with confidence in their hybrid backup solution.

Key factors to consider when implementing a hybrid cloud backup strategy

As organizations embrace the flexibility and scalability of hybrid cloud environments, they also encounter a unique set of challenges that come with managing data across both on-premises and cloud systems. Here are several key factors to focus on for an optimal hybrid cloud backup strategy.

Data consistency and synchronization between on-premises and cloud-based backup systems

Ensuring data consistency is necessary because it guarantees that data stored on-premises and in the cloud is identical, reflecting the same values and updates at any given time. Additionally, synchronization ensures that any changes made to data on-premises are replicated to the cloud-based backup system and vice versa, minimizing the risk of discrepancies or data loss.

Together, data consistency and synchronization are essential for maintaining the integrity and reliability of data in a hybrid cloud backup environment. Users can trust the data to be the same whether accessed locally or from the cloud.

Achieving this typically involves a combination of technologies and strategies, such as real-time data replication, automated conflict resolution, and robust network infrastructure.

Recovery point objectives (RPO) and Recovery time objectives (RTO)

RPO and RTO are critical metrics in data protection and disaster recovery. RPO refers to the maximum acceptable amount of data loss measured in time, while RTO is the maximum acceptable amount of time to restore data after a disruption. These objectives help define your backup and recovery strategies.

Determining appropriate RPO and RTO values depends on your business needs and data criticality. For instance, a financial institution might require near-zero RPO and RTO, whereas a small business might have more lenient requirements.

Strategies to ensure data durability and minimize loss include regular backups and data replication across multiple locations. This approach helps create a resilient backup system capable of withstanding various disaster scenarios.

Easy data integration

Integrating on-premises and cloud environments can present challenges such as data consistency and application compatibility. On-premises gateways play a crucial role in facilitating data integration, ensuring that your data flows smoothly between environments.

Best practices for data synchronization include real-time data updates and consistency checks to maintain data integrity across both environments. Also, using APIs and VPNs can ensure secure and efficient data movement between on-premises and cloud environments.

Security and compliance

Understanding and complying with relevant regulations and standards like GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI-DSS is vital for any business. With only 1 in 3 breaches detected by existing security tools in the last 12 months and 25 percent of organizations unable to identify the root cause or respond in real time, the need for strong security measures is clear.

Data encryption is a key element in protecting sensitive information both in transit and at rest. Make sure to implement strong access controls, as well, to further prevent unauthorized data access. Regular security audits and assessments help identify and address vulnerabilities.

⭐ Did you know? Those using Liquid Web’s hosting services get encryption solutions that safeguard your data from unauthorized access by default. 

How to determine the optimal mix of on-premises and cloud storage

Finding the right balance between on-premises and cloud storage is key to optimizing performance, security, and cost-effectiveness. Here’s a guide to help you determine the optimal mix for your organization:

1. Assess your workloads and data

Start by evaluating your applications and data to determine which are best suited for on-premises versus cloud storage.

• Latency-sensitive workloads: Applications that require high performance and low latency, such as real-time analytics or financial trading platforms, may be better suited for on-premises storage to ensure quick response times.
• Security/compliance requirements: Data subject to strict security or compliance regulations, like medical records or financial data, might need to stay on-premises for greater control and adherence to regulatory standards.
• Less sensitive data: Non-critical data and workloads with variable capacity needs, such as marketing content or development environments, are ideal candidates for cloud storage due to the flexibility and scalability the cloud offers.

2. Evaluate costs and budget

Cost considerations play a crucial role in determining the optimal storage mix.

• Cloud vs on-premises costs: While cloud storage offers pay-as-you-go pricing, on-premises solutions provide more predictable costs that might be lower in the long term, especially if you already own the infrastructure.
• Total cost of ownership (TCO): Factor in the capital and operational expenses of maintaining on-premises hardware against the flexibility of Cloud Operational Expenditures (OPEX). 

✨ Liquid Web offers both on-demand cloud pricing and longer-term contracts, providing options for greater cost predictability. Work with them to model your TCO and make an informed decision.

3. Assess in-house expertise

The expertise available within your organization also influences your storage strategy. Managing on-premises infrastructure requires specialized IT skills, which can be challenging for some organizations to maintain.

However, with Liquid Web, you don’t have to worry about that. Liquid Web’s fully-managed hosting services (particularly the cloud offerings) and support take the burden off your shoulders.

4. Plan for future growth

Finally, consider your organization’s projected data growth and evolving application needs. Cloud storage offers immense scalability to accommodate increasing volumes of unstructured data, which is particularly useful as your business grows.

Liquid Web’s cloud and dedicated hosting plans provide multiple tiers that can scale with your requirements, ensuring your storage solutions can evolve with your business.

Comparing leading hybrid cloud backup solutions

When choosing a hybrid cloud backup solution, it’s essential to consider factors such as data protection and recovery capabilities, scalability, security features, and ease of integration with existing systems.

Liquid Web + Acronis

Liquid Web’s Acronis Cyber Backups is a cloud backup solution that provides secure, off-server data protection with a self-service portal for easy backup configuration, management, and restoration. It offers the following key benefits for hybrid cloud backup.

• Off-server backup storage: Backups can be stored in the Liquid Web cloud (Liquid Web’s data centers) or the Acronis backup cloud (Acronis’ data centers), providing off-site protection for your data.
• Encryption: Fully encrypted backups are available with either storage option to ensure data security.
• Ransomware protection: Acronis Cyber Backups include built-in ransomware protection to safeguard your backups from malicious attacks.
• Fast recovery: The solution enables at least 2x faster recovery compared to traditional backup methods, with a near-zero impact on server resources.
• Flexibility: It supports backup and recovery across various environments, including physical, virtual, and cloud, allowing you to protect all workloads from a single platform.
• Instant data recovery: Quickly restore essential data such as attachments, contacts, files, and emails directly from the backup storage without the need for third-party tools.
• Managed services: Liquid Web’s managed service team can handle the backup environment for you, reducing the workload on your IT department.

By combining Liquid Web’s cloud resources, enhanced cybersecurity, and optimized bandwidth with Acronis’ powerful backup and anti-ransomware technologies, this solution provides a comprehensive and efficient approach to hybrid cloud backup and data protection.

Veeam Data Platform

Veeam’s platform enables organizations to protect their data across physical, virtual, and cloud environments from a single management console, offering:

• Built-in backup isolation and security features like immutable backups, encryption, and role-based access controls to protect against ransomware and ensure compliance.
• Centralized management, monitoring, and reporting across hybrid and multi-cloud environments from a single console.
• Portability to easily migrate workloads to the cloud, between clouds, or back on-premises using Veeam’s universal .vbk backup file format.

HYCU

HYCU (Hybrid Cloud Uptime) is a Backup-as-a-Service (BaaS) provider that offers multi-cloud data protection and recovery solutions. Here’s how HYCU helps with hybrid cloud backup:

• Provides purpose-built data protection for native cloud and on-premise applications. It offers policy-based data protection extending to cloud storage for risk mitigation, including advanced ransomware protection with object lock storage for data immutability.
• HYCU’s R-Cloud platform includes core functionalities like backup and disaster recovery, ransomware protection, data migration and mobility facilitation, plus data security and compliance.
• Integrates perfectly with cloud storage solutions like Impossible Cloud Storage. This integration enables reliable and responsive data management with instant access to cloud storage data. It also reduces cloud storage costs and complexity.

Commvault

Commvault is a data protection and management platform that provides backup and recovery solutions for hybrid cloud environments. It helps organizations simplify and streamline their data protection across on-premises infrastructure and multiple public clouds. It offers:

• A single-user interface and API-first support to discover, protect, and manage data across hybrid and multi-cloud environments. Centrally define backup policies that apply uniformly.
• Blends snapshot and traditional backup methods to significantly reduce cloud database protection costs compared to snapshot-only solutions used by many backup vendors.
• Secure RBAC access, multi-factor authentication, encryption, and air-gapped, immutable backup copies to safeguard data from threats. Anomaly detection warns of potential attacks.
• Fast, granular data recovery from any location to any location, even at a petabyte scale. Minimizes downtime and data loss from disruptions.

Why choose Liquid Web’s hybrid cloud solutions

When it comes to hybrid cloud solutions, Liquid Web stands out for its commitment to providing robust, secure, and scalable options that meet the diverse needs of businesses. Here are several compelling reasons to choose Liquid Web for your hybrid cloud solutions aside from its partnership with Acronis for backups (mentioned in the previous section).

Robust data protection and recovery

Liquid Web’s hybrid cloud solutions (with services like VMware-based private cloud, dedicated servers, and custom cloud) offer top-tier data protection and recovery capabilities. With advanced backup technologies and reliable recovery options, you can rest assured that your data is always secure and accessible. This ensures that in the event of a disaster or cyberattack, your business can quickly recover and continue operations with minimal disruption.

Scalability and flexibility

As your business grows and your data requirements change, Liquid Web’s flexible server options make it easy to scale your storage needs. Whether you need to expand your storage capacity or adjust your backup strategies, Liquid Web’s hybrid cloud solutions can accommodate your evolving requirements without the need for significant upfront investments.

Advanced security and compliance measures

Security is a cornerstone of Liquid Web’s hybrid cloud solutions. Advanced encryption technologies protect your data both in transit and at rest, ensuring that sensitive information remains confidential. The company also complies with industry standards and regulations, providing protection against a wide range of cyber threats. 

Liquid Web can also assist with security audits, offering services such as vulnerability scanning and assessment for Windows and Linux servers, compliance scanning packages, and server hardening services like Server Secure Plus and Imunify360 Plus. This layered security approach ensures that your data is safeguarded at all times.

Easy integration

Liquid Web’s hybrid cloud solutions integrate effortlessly with your existing IT infrastructure. The user-friendly management interface simplifies the process of configuring and managing your backup solutions, allowing you to focus on your core business activities. This integration ensures that you can quickly and easily implement a hybrid cloud strategy without significant disruptions to your operations.

24/7 expert support and comprehensive SLAs

With Liquid Web, you gain access to 24/7 expert support and a comprehensive Service Level Agreement (SLA). This ensures high availability and quick response times, providing you with the confidence that any issues will be promptly addressed by experienced professionals. Liquid Web’s commitment to customer support means that you always have a trusted partner ready to assist you whenever needed.

Optimizing hybrid cloud backup for efficiency and cost-effectiveness with Liquid Web

Hybrid cloud backup is a powerful solution, offering numerous advantages that contribute to both efficiency and cost savings for businesses. Its scalability allows organizations to expand their storage needs effortlessly as their data grows. Businesses can optimize their data placement, ensuring critical data is accessible on-premises while leveraging the cloud for less sensitive information. 

Liquid Web’s hybrid cloud solutions are designed to maximize these benefits, offering a robust, secure, and scalable approach to data management and protection. Their solutions cater to businesses of all sizes, providing the tools needed to efficiently manage and protect data across on-premises and cloud environments. You’ll get access to features like:

• Hassle-free migration: Liquid Web ensures that migrating data between on-premises and cloud environments is smooth and hassle-free, minimizing downtime and disruption.
• Real-time monitoring: With advanced monitoring tools, businesses can keep track of their data in real-time, ensuring optimal performance and quick identification of any issues.
• Compliance support: Liquid Web helps businesses meet regulatory requirements with comprehensive compliance support, ensuring data protection and adherence to standards like GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI-DSS.

Contact Liquid Web today to find the perfect backup solution for your business and take the first step toward a more efficient and secure data management strategy.

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