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What’s Fueling the SMB Appetite for Hybrid Cloud?

There are few constants in the business world, and the hybrid cloud’s rising popularity among Small to Medium-sized Businesses (SMB) is one of them. Consider these numbers:

• The number of SMBs that use a mix of private and hybrid cloud is expected to increase by 100 percent, according to market research firm Techaisle.

• This year, 56 percent more SMBs are expected to adopt the hybrid cloud than last year. In 2015, SMB hybrid cloud adoption will reach 28 percent.

• By 2017, research firm Gartner expects that nearly 50 percent of all businesses will have transitioned to a hybrid cloud solution.

• Roughly 87 percent more SMBs are expected to opt for hybrid-only clouds this year.

Even more hybrid cloud converts will evolve from two further sources: 1. SMBs that are adopting private clouds right now2. or SMBS that are adopting public clouds right now

Of the 44 percent of businesses that expect to use the public cloud this year, Techaisle predicts the majority inevitably will transition to hybrid cloud resources soon after. The same holds true for those using private clouds. Lure of the Hybrid CloudWhy is the hybrid cloud so popular? The appetite for SMB consumption of hybrid cloud resources has been fueled by the multitude

Cost savings: use cloud solutions save money on hardware costs, software purchases, maintenance, and upgrades. Security: With a hybrid cloud, data that is sensitive, confidential, often-used, business-critical, or proprietary can remain on-premise. This also applies to retail data such as credit card information or social security numbers, a feature that renders the hybrid cloud ideal for retailers. Uncloak shadow IT: Adopting a hybrid cloud eliminates covert use of public cloud resources by employees; such use of “shadow IT” creates real security concerns. Leverage owned resources: Part of the cost savings of adopting hybrid cloud services comes from a business’s ability to leverage hardware and infrastructure that it already owns. Leverage provider resources: Software as a Service (SaaS) and Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) save businesses the cost of having to purchase or upgrade software and infrastructure.

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What’s Fueling the SMB Appetite for Hybrid Cloud?

Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery (BC/DR) solutions: With the hybrid cloud, SMBs instantly access BC/DR solutions, providing a failover safe haven for data and applications. Scalability: Hybrid clouds enable businesses to scale resources to account for expected or actual workloads. In addition, businesses have the ability to select an application best suited for that specific workload, resulting in greater agility. The Unique SMBMost SMBs will benefit from a hybrid cloud solution, but it’s always important to take the business’s unique characteristics into account when employing a hybrid solution. SMBs will want to take into consideration factors such as these:

• • • The ease and speed with which data needs to be accessed—by employees and by customers alike• What applications would “live” in the cloud• Security requirements• Cost requirements

No matter which cloud solution a business adopts, partnering with a reliable, industry-leading provider makes good business sense. Contact Spectrum Business

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