# Best Enterprise Hybrid Cloud Storage Solutions

  *By [Rachana Hasyagar](https://research.g2.com/insights/author/rachana-hasyagar)*

   Products classified in the overall Hybrid Cloud Storage Solutions category are similar in many regards and help companies of all sizes solve their business problems. However, enterprise business features, pricing, setup, and installation differ from businesses of other sizes, which is why we match buyers to the right Enterprise Business Hybrid Cloud Storage Solutions to fit their needs. Compare product ratings based on reviews from enterprise users or connect with one of G2's buying advisors to find the right solutions within the Enterprise Business Hybrid Cloud Storage Solutions category.

In addition to qualifying for inclusion in the Hybrid Cloud Storage Solutions category, to qualify for inclusion in the Enterprise Business Hybrid Cloud Storage Solutions category, a product must have at least 10 reviews left by a reviewer from an enterprise business.




  
## How Many Hybrid Cloud Storage Solutions Products Does G2 Track?
**Total Products under this Category:** 76

### Category Stats (May 2026)
- **Average Rating**: 4.35/5
- **New Reviews This Quarter**: 11
- **Buyer Segments**: Small-Business 47% │ Mid-Market 29% │ Enterprise 24%
- **Top Trending Product**: IBM Storage Suite for IBM Cloud Paks (+0.073)
*Last updated: May 19, 2026*

  
## How Does G2 Rank Hybrid Cloud Storage Solutions Products?

**Why You Can Trust G2's Software Rankings:**

- 30 Analysts and Data Experts
- 1,700+ Authentic Reviews
- 76+ Products
- Unbiased Rankings

G2's software rankings are built on verified user reviews, rigorous moderation, and a consistent research methodology maintained by a team of analysts and data experts. Each product is measured using the same transparent criteria, with no paid placement or vendor influence. While reviews reflect real user experiences, which can be subjective, they offer valuable insight into how software performs in the hands of professionals. Together, these inputs power the G2 Score, a standardized way to compare tools within every category.

  
  
  ## What Are the Top-Rated Hybrid Cloud Storage Solutions Products in 2026?
### 1. [Nasuni](https://www.g2.com/products/nasuni/reviews)
  Nasuni is a leading unstructured data platform for enterprises where file data is mission-critical for both people and AI. We power the operational file layer where work happens — helping organizations manage, protect, and activate data so teams can work smarter, reduce costs, and operate securely without limits. Built on a patented architecture that fuses cloud object storage with enterprise file services — including permissions, versioning, and a global namespace — Nasuni delivers high-performance file access, global data availability, and a scalable, governed, AI-ready single source of truth across every major cloud. Trusted by more than 1,300 enterprises globally, Nasuni helps organizations modernize file infrastructure, strengthen data security, and support AI-driven operations. Learn more at www.nasuni.com.


  **Average Rating:** 4.5/5.0
  **Total Reviews:** 61
**How Do G2 Users Rate Nasuni?**

- **Low Latency:** 8.3/10 (Category avg: 8.4/10)
- **Ease of Use:** 8.7/10 (Category avg: 8.8/10)
- **High Availability:** 9.5/10 (Category avg: 8.8/10)
- **Monitoring Tool:** 8.2/10 (Category avg: 8.3/10)

**Who Is the Company Behind Nasuni?**

- **Seller:** [Nasuni](https://www.g2.com/sellers/nasuni)
- **Company Website:** https://www.nasuni.com
- **Year Founded:** 2009
- **HQ Location:** Boston, MA
- **Twitter:** @Nasuni (2,829 Twitter followers)
- **LinkedIn® Page:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/580624/ (682 employees on LinkedIn®)

**Who Uses This Product?**
  - **Top Industries:** Construction
  - **Company Size:** 64% Enterprise, 28% Mid-Market


#### What Are Nasuni's Pros and Cons?

**Pros:**

- Backup (15 reviews)
- Customer Support (13 reviews)
- Reliability (13 reviews)
- Storage Capacity (13 reviews)
- Features (12 reviews)

**Cons:**

- File Management (7 reviews)
- Limited Features (7 reviews)
- Access Issues (4 reviews)
- Difficult Learning (4 reviews)
- Expensive (4 reviews)

### 2. [NetApp ONTAP Data Management Software](https://www.g2.com/products/netapp-ontap-data-management-software/reviews)
  Simplify your data infrastructure—from the edge to the core to the cloud—with the industry's leading enterprise data management software.


  **Average Rating:** 4.4/5.0
  **Total Reviews:** 79
**How Do G2 Users Rate NetApp ONTAP Data Management Software?**

- **Ease of Use:** 8.6/10 (Category avg: 8.8/10)
- **High Availability:** 10.0/10 (Category avg: 8.8/10)

**Who Is the Company Behind NetApp ONTAP Data Management Software?**

- **Seller:** [NetApp](https://www.g2.com/sellers/netapp)
- **Year Founded:** 1992
- **HQ Location:** Sunnyvale, California
- **Twitter:** @NetApp (118,169 Twitter followers)
- **LinkedIn® Page:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/2105/ (12,677 employees on LinkedIn®)
- **Ownership:** NASDAQ

**Who Uses This Product?**
  - **Top Industries:** Information Technology and Services, Banking
  - **Company Size:** 46% Enterprise, 39% Mid-Market


#### What Are NetApp ONTAP Data Management Software's Pros and Cons?

**Pros:**

- Data Security (7 reviews)
- Reliability (7 reviews)
- Data Management (5 reviews)
- Cloud Services (4 reviews)
- Protection (3 reviews)

**Cons:**

- Expensive (8 reviews)
- Complexity (4 reviews)
- Complexity Issues (3 reviews)
- Complex Setup (3 reviews)
- Integration Issues (3 reviews)

### 3. [Azure Storage Explorer](https://www.g2.com/products/azure-storage-explorer/reviews)
  Azure Storage Explorer Preview is a standalone app that allows you to easily work with Azure Storage data - from any platform, anywhere. It creates and manages blobs, tables, queues, generate SAS keys, and more.


  **Average Rating:** 4.5/5.0
  **Total Reviews:** 58
**How Do G2 Users Rate Azure Storage Explorer?**

- **Low Latency:** 8.5/10 (Category avg: 8.4/10)
- **Ease of Use:** 9.0/10 (Category avg: 8.8/10)
- **High Availability:** 8.8/10 (Category avg: 8.8/10)
- **Monitoring Tool:** 8.2/10 (Category avg: 8.3/10)

**Who Is the Company Behind Azure Storage Explorer?**

- **Seller:** [Microsoft](https://www.g2.com/sellers/microsoft)
- **Year Founded:** 1975
- **HQ Location:** Redmond, Washington
- **Twitter:** @microsoft (13,101,622 Twitter followers)
- **LinkedIn® Page:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/microsoft/ (227,697 employees on LinkedIn®)
- **Ownership:** MSFT

**Who Uses This Product?**
  - **Top Industries:** Information Technology and Services, Computer Software
  - **Company Size:** 46% Enterprise, 28% Small-Business


#### What Are Azure Storage Explorer's Pros and Cons?

**Pros:**

- Ease of Use (2 reviews)
- Cloud Storage (1 reviews)
- Cost Efficiency (1 reviews)
- Customer Support (1 reviews)
- Flexibility (1 reviews)

**Cons:**

- Complexity (1 reviews)
- Complexity Issues (1 reviews)
- Expensive (1 reviews)
- Time-Consumption (1 reviews)

### 4. [Google Hybrid Cloud](https://www.g2.com/products/google-hybrid-cloud/reviews)
  Adapt your existing technology to a hybrid cloud designed with flexibility and scale in mind.


  **Average Rating:** 4.3/5.0
  **Total Reviews:** 45
**How Do G2 Users Rate Google Hybrid Cloud?**

- **Low Latency:** 8.7/10 (Category avg: 8.4/10)
- **Ease of Use:** 8.5/10 (Category avg: 8.8/10)
- **High Availability:** 8.9/10 (Category avg: 8.8/10)
- **Monitoring Tool:** 8.4/10 (Category avg: 8.3/10)

**Who Is the Company Behind Google Hybrid Cloud?**

- **Seller:** [Google](https://www.g2.com/sellers/google)
- **Year Founded:** 1998
- **HQ Location:** Mountain View, CA
- **Twitter:** @google (31,915,529 Twitter followers)
- **LinkedIn® Page:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/1441/ (336,169 employees on LinkedIn®)
- **Ownership:** NASDAQ:GOOG

**Who Uses This Product?**
  - **Top Industries:** Information Technology and Services, Computer Software
  - **Company Size:** 45% Small-Business, 36% Enterprise


### 5. [AWS Storage Gateway](https://www.g2.com/products/aws-storage-gateway/reviews)
  AWS Storage Gateway is a service that connect an on-premises software appliance with cloud-based storage to provide seamless and secure integration between an organizations on-premises IT environment and AWS's storage infrastructure.


  **Average Rating:** 4.5/5.0
  **Total Reviews:** 58
**How Do G2 Users Rate AWS Storage Gateway?**

- **Low Latency:** 8.3/10 (Category avg: 8.4/10)
- **Ease of Use:** 8.6/10 (Category avg: 8.8/10)
- **High Availability:** 7.9/10 (Category avg: 8.8/10)
- **Monitoring Tool:** 7.9/10 (Category avg: 8.3/10)

**Who Is the Company Behind AWS Storage Gateway?**

- **Seller:** [Amazon Web Services (AWS)](https://www.g2.com/sellers/amazon-web-services-aws-3e93cc28-2e9b-4961-b258-c6ce0feec7dd)
- **Year Founded:** 2006
- **HQ Location:** Seattle, WA
- **Twitter:** @awscloud (2,228,514 Twitter followers)
- **LinkedIn® Page:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/amazon-web-services/ (156,424 employees on LinkedIn®)
- **Ownership:** NASDAQ: AMZN

**Who Uses This Product?**
  - **Top Industries:** Information Technology and Services, Computer Software
  - **Company Size:** 34% Enterprise, 33% Small-Business


### 6. [Azure Stack](https://www.g2.com/products/azure-stack/reviews)
  An extension of Azure to consistently build and run hybrid applications across cloud boundaries.


  **Average Rating:** 4.2/5.0
  **Total Reviews:** 31
**How Do G2 Users Rate Azure Stack?**

- **Low Latency:** 8.9/10 (Category avg: 8.4/10)
- **Ease of Use:** 8.4/10 (Category avg: 8.8/10)
- **High Availability:** 9.1/10 (Category avg: 8.8/10)
- **Monitoring Tool:** 9.1/10 (Category avg: 8.3/10)

**Who Is the Company Behind Azure Stack?**

- **Seller:** [Microsoft](https://www.g2.com/sellers/microsoft)
- **Year Founded:** 1975
- **HQ Location:** Redmond, Washington
- **Twitter:** @microsoft (13,101,622 Twitter followers)
- **LinkedIn® Page:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/microsoft/ (227,697 employees on LinkedIn®)
- **Ownership:** MSFT

**Who Uses This Product?**
  - **Top Industries:** Information Technology and Services
  - **Company Size:** 42% Enterprise, 33% Mid-Market


#### What Are Azure Stack's Pros and Cons?


**Cons:**

- Difficult Learning (1 reviews)
- Learning Difficulty (1 reviews)

### 7. [Red Hat OpenShift Container Storage](https://www.g2.com/products/red-hat-openshift-container-storage/reviews)
  Red Hat OpenShift Container Storage is software-defined storage specifically built for container environments. It is based on Red Hat Gluster Storage and highly integrated with Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform. It gives data a permanent place to live—even when containers spin up and down—and easily scales across bare metal, virtual, container, and cloud deployments.


  **Average Rating:** 4.3/5.0
  **Total Reviews:** 27
**How Do G2 Users Rate Red Hat OpenShift Container Storage?**

- **Low Latency:** 7.8/10 (Category avg: 8.4/10)
- **Ease of Use:** 9.0/10 (Category avg: 8.8/10)
- **High Availability:** 8.3/10 (Category avg: 8.8/10)
- **Monitoring Tool:** 8.3/10 (Category avg: 8.3/10)

**Who Is the Company Behind Red Hat OpenShift Container Storage?**

- **Seller:** [Red Hat](https://www.g2.com/sellers/red-hat)
- **Year Founded:** 1993
- **HQ Location:** Raleigh, NC
- **Twitter:** @RedHat (300,364 Twitter followers)
- **LinkedIn® Page:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/3545/ (19,305 employees on LinkedIn®)

**Who Uses This Product?**
  - **Top Industries:** Information Technology and Services, Financial Services
  - **Company Size:** 42% Enterprise, 33% Mid-Market


### 8. [Oracle Cloud Data Management](https://www.g2.com/products/oracle-oracle-cloud-data-management/reviews)
  Oracle Cloud Data Management is a comprehensive suite of services designed to help organizations manage, govern, and analyze their data across various environments, including on-premises, hybrid, and multi-cloud infrastructures. By offering a unified platform, it enables businesses to streamline data operations, ensure data integrity, and accelerate digital transformation initiatives. Key Features and Functionality: - Enterprise Data Management: Facilitates the management and governance of changes to master, reference, and metadata across the enterprise, supporting business transformations and ensuring compliance with standards. - Database Management: Provides a unified console for monitoring, performance management, tuning, and administration of both cloud and on-premises databases, enhancing operational efficiency. - Data Catalog: Offers a metadata management service that helps data professionals discover data and improve data governance, providing a searchable inventory of data assets with business context. - Data Integration: Supports seamless integration of enterprise applications, allowing organizations to streamline workflows and improve efficiency. - Data Warehousing: Enables the creation of robust data warehouses, providing a centralized repository for comprehensive analysis and reporting. Primary Value and Solutions Provided: Oracle Cloud Data Management empowers organizations to adapt and respond to change more effectively by providing tools for managing and governing enterprise data. It accelerates cloud adoption, enhances business agility, and ensures alignment of enterprise applications. By offering a system of reference for all enterprise data, it supports business transformations, de-risks mergers and acquisitions, stimulates trustworthy business analytics, promotes compliance to standards, and builds alignment between how a business runs its operations, measures performance, and plans for the future.


  **Average Rating:** 4.3/5.0
  **Total Reviews:** 32
**How Do G2 Users Rate Oracle Cloud Data Management?**

- **Ease of Use:** 8.8/10 (Category avg: 8.8/10)

**Who Is the Company Behind Oracle Cloud Data Management?**

- **Seller:** [Oracle](https://www.g2.com/sellers/oracle)
- **Year Founded:** 1977
- **HQ Location:** Austin, TX
- **Twitter:** @Oracle (828,755 Twitter followers)
- **LinkedIn® Page:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/1028/ (199,301 employees on LinkedIn®)
- **Ownership:** NYSE:ORCL

**Who Uses This Product?**
  - **Company Size:** 54% Enterprise, 30% Mid-Market


### 9. [ExpanDrive](https://www.g2.com/products/expandrive/reviews)
  ExpanDrive ends the frustration of juggling multiple cloud accounts and clunky sync tools. In today’s world, files are scattered across Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, Box, SharePoint, S3, and even legacy servers. Each has its own app or web portal, forcing you to waste time downloading, syncing, and duplicating files. The result? Chaos, wasted disk space, and slower workflows. ExpanDrive solves this by mounting your cloud storage directly on your desktop. Every service — from Google Drive and Dropbox to S3, SharePoint, and SFTP — appears as a drive in Finder or Explorer. No more switching apps or logging into portals. Your files simply show up where you expect them, ready to open, edit, and save from any application. Unlike traditional sync clients, ExpanDrive doesn’t force you to download everything or clog your hard drive. Instead, it streams files on demand while letting you choose specific items to cache for offline use. Behind the scenes, ExpanDrive’s fast transfer engine ensures reliability with large files, complex folders, and long-running operations. Security comes standard, with encrypted connections and trusted authentication like OAuth and SSH keys. Whether you’re a freelancer managing client projects, a small business streamlining collaboration, or an IT pro mounting servers, ExpanDrive adapts to your workflow. And with its freemium model, anyone can get started for free — then upgrade for background sync, advanced transfers, and team features. ExpanDrive brings simplicity, freedom, and speed to cloud storage. One interface. Every provider. Zero chaos.


  **Average Rating:** 4.0/5.0
  **Total Reviews:** 86
**How Do G2 Users Rate ExpanDrive?**

- **Low Latency:** 10.0/10 (Category avg: 8.4/10)
- **Ease of Use:** 9.0/10 (Category avg: 8.8/10)
- **High Availability:** 8.3/10 (Category avg: 8.8/10)
- **Monitoring Tool:** 10.0/10 (Category avg: 8.3/10)

**Who Is the Company Behind ExpanDrive?**

- **Seller:** [Files.com](https://www.g2.com/sellers/files-com)
- **Company Website:** https://www.files.com/
- **Year Founded:** 2008
- **HQ Location:** Scottsdale, Arizona
- **LinkedIn® Page:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/filesdotcom/ (83 employees on LinkedIn®)

**Who Uses This Product?**
  - **Top Industries:** Information Technology and Services, Computer Software
  - **Company Size:** 72% Small-Business, 16% Enterprise


#### What Are ExpanDrive's Pros and Cons?

**Pros:**

- Ease of Use (4 reviews)
- Easy Access (3 reviews)
- Cloud Storage (2 reviews)
- Convenience (1 reviews)
- Intuitive (1 reviews)

**Cons:**

- Poor Customer Support (3 reviews)
- Syncing Issues (2 reviews)
- Document (1 reviews)
- Inconvenience (1 reviews)
- Integration Difficulty (1 reviews)


    ## What Is Hybrid Cloud Storage Solutions?
  [Storage Management Software](https://www.g2.com/categories/storage-management)
  ## What Software Categories Are Similar to Hybrid Cloud Storage Solutions?
    - [Object Storage Solutions](https://www.g2.com/categories/object-storage-solutions)
    - [Cloud File Storage Software](https://www.g2.com/categories/cloud-file-storage)

  
---

## How Do You Choose the Right Hybrid Cloud Storage Solutions?

### What You Should Know About Hybrid Cloud Storage Solutions

### What are Hybrid Cloud Storage Solutions?

Hybrid cloud storage solutions connect data storage operations between on-premises storage (private storage) and public cloud (shared storage). By integrating workload between these two environments, companies can store their sensitive data in their IT infrastructure to meet compliance and security requirements. Other less sensitive data can be transferred to public cloud data centers. Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) providers will store these data at a low price and scale based on need. This hybrid approach is very flexible as it allows users to scale their operations based on cloud computing and storage demand. 

Common connection methods for hybrid cloud storage include virtual private network (VPN), wide area network (WAN), and hybrid cloud application programming interface (API). The most widely used option is VPN. This type of network offers a private and secure connection like a private internal network. Another type of network is the WAN which sends traffic over multiple connection types. WAN is the most flexible connection method because it accepts traffic from personal computers and the Internet of Things (IoT). The last type of network option is a dedicated network from cloud providers. Vendors can create their API to incorporate a dedicated bandwidth and low latency connection. Organizations can use all three connection methods or just one, depending on their needs.

One challenge companies face is designing a compatible hybrid cloud architecture that runs smoothly. A complex hybrid cloud environment needs to connect hundreds of different pieces of hardware to multiple public clouds across the globe. Companies need to plan out for compatibility to make sure that all hardware and software integrate with ease. Hybrid cloud solutions provide visibility into complex environments so that companies know how to allocate their resources. A correct hybrid setup should automatically manage this process so that the workload operations on both environments are seamless and efficient.

### What are the Common Features of Hybrid Cloud Storage Solutions?

The following are some core features within hybrid cloud storage software that can help users in setting up their hybrid cloud operation:

**System integration:** Hybrid cloud storage solutions synchronize on-premises and public cloud infrastructure. The goal is that data should flow seamlessly across multiple environments. However, there are always technical differences between onsite hardware and third-party cloud. Hybrid cloud solutions bridge these differences by synchronizing different big data. These solutions integrate data from multiple sources so that users can manage workload operations in multiple cloud environments.

**Encrypted connection:** Network connections are the most important part of a hybrid cloud design. Company infrastructure and data centers connect either through a private network or public internet. Hybrid cloud solutions usually offer VPN and API connections. A cloud VPN allows employees to securely access company applications and data in the cloud through providers’ websites or applications. Unlike traditional VPNs, a cloud VPN doesn’t require infrastructure. It’s globally accessible and easy to deploy. API connection is a dedicated network from cloud providers. They incorporate a dedicated bandwidth and low latency connection. However, API connectivity varies by vendor, so users should demo all vendors’ API connections before purchasing. 

**Central management:** Hybrid cloud can be complicated to manage because it integrates numerous private clouds and public clouds. These cloud solutions all have different API and service-level agreement (SLA) requirements. Therefore, a central cloud management tool is critical in a multi-cloud environment. These tools oversee all cloud operations in a single dashboard so users do not have to manage each cloud separately.

### What are the Benefits of Hybrid Cloud Storage Solutions?

**Data compliance:** Hybrid cloud storage solutions allow users to keep sensitive data on-site without sacrificing scalability. Rather than relying on all aspects of third-party cloud infrastructure, companies can separate their data between what they want others to see and what they need to keep to themselves. Since hybrid cloud connections and on-site data remain private, this also fits many compliance requirements.

**High scalability:** Hybrid cloud storage is a cost-effective solution because it is similar to public cloud storage services. These cloud storage solutions are highly scalable because they can rapidly allocate cloud resources up and down based on computing demand. This helps companies to use public cloud computing for high-performance workloads and keep clients happy by providing a hassle-free online experience. 

**Flexible cost:** Companies only pay for the extra resources when they need to compute more data. They will also save on cloud infrastructure investment and optimize costs by working with a cloud provider.

**No vendor lock-in:** Without a full commitment to public cloud, companies can migrate their public cloud data to their private server when needed. This reduces the dependency on a single public cloud provider. Multiple public cloud options are also available once hybrid cloud architecture is set up. With the correct hybrid configuration, companies should be prepared to quickly switch from one cloud provider to another when a better rate or service is available.

**Business continuity:** Many businesses are utilizing hybrid cloud storage as disaster recovery. Cloud backup software will replicate data in case of an unexpected disaster. For organizations that require data protection, they will benefit from a mix of on-premises and public cloud solutions to meet their SLAs in case one solution goes down.

### Who Uses Hybrid Cloud Storage Solutions?

**IT teams:** Most companies would have their IT teams set up the hybrid cloud design. Depending on the size of the company, the design complexity can range from a couple of IT developers to dozens of IT professionals.

### What are the Alternatives to Hybrid Cloud Storage Solutions?

Alternatives to hybrid cloud storage software can replace this type of software, either partially or completely:

[Infrastructure as a service (IaaS)](https://www.g2.com/categories/infrastructure-as-a-service-iaas): IaaS describes the various ways in which third-party vendors provide cloud-driven, cloud-hosted infrastructure to businesses. IaaS vendors provide public cloud storage, which is the base layer of hybrid cloud storage. Users would need to set up their public cloud before connecting to hybrid. If the users don’t need to work with private cloud storage, then they can use public cloud storage without a hybrid cloud setup.

[Virtual private cloud (VPC)](https://www.g2.com/categories/virtual-private-cloud-vpc): VPC is a public cloud environment that a host isolates as part of its resources for a specific user. Since a VPC is part of a public cloud, it shares the same cloud infrastructure as the public cloud, but only the user can access it. Therefore, VPC is a safer storage environment than the public cloud. Users can consider VPC storage if they don’t have on-premises storage requirements.

#### Software Related to Hybrid Cloud Storage Solutions

Related solutions that can be used together with hybrid cloud storage tools include:

[IoT edge platforms](https://www.g2.com/categories/iot-edge-platforms) **:** IoT edge platforms help facilitate localized computer processing on IoT devices. These devices constantly analyze streams of data, including information about networks, actions, and anything else the device is connected to or interacting with. Hybrid cloud architecture establishes IoT Edge connection by linking local hardware and cloud servers. 

### Challenges with Hybrid Cloud Storage Solutions

**Integration:** Hybrid cloud storage can be difficult to set up if companies are using different vendors for hybrid cloud storage and public cloud storage. Many top IaaS cloud providers offer hybrid cloud solutions that are native to their cloud environment. However, bundled cloud storage services will result in vendor lock-in. Therefore, many customers don't use hybrid solutions from their IaaS providers. However, they need to hire additional staff who understand different vendor technologies to integrate both hybrid cloud and public cloud systems.

**Load balancing:** Load balancing is a network management method that distributes global and local network traffic among different servers. When one cloud is receiving much more load than another cloud, it drives up costs and reduces performance. By redistributing the loads to the underutilized cloud, this situation can be avoided. In hybrid cloud and multi-cloud environments, users need to efficiently distribute resources across different cloud infrastructures. Companies might need to buy a platform-agnostic, multi-cloud [load balancing software](https://www.g2.com/categories/load-balancing) that can distribute traffic regardless of the underlying infrastructure and the cloud services being used.

**Compliance:** Part of the reason why a company may go for a hybrid cloud instead of a public cloud is because of data compliance issues. Sensitive data are kept on-premises and data that requires heavy computing resources are stored in the public cloud. IT teams need to learn how to keep sensitive data secured and separated from public cloud data. Companies shouldn’t assume that their cloud developer already knows this process. They need to be trained on how to keep compliance to avoid a future data leak.

### How to Buy Hybrid Cloud Storage Solutions

#### Requirements Gathering (RFI/RFP) for Hybrid Cloud Storage Solutions

Hybrid cloud storage solutions can differ significantly depending on use case and vendor selection. Whether a company is looking for its first hybrid cloud storage software tool or looking to replace an existing one, g2.com can help buyers find the best tool.

The effectiveness of hybrid cloud solutions depends on how well the business integrates them into its environment. Infrastructure and use case requirements are critical to a successful hybrid approach. Infrastructure requirements should cover application integration, network connectivity, security, accessibility, scalability, hardware consumption, and so on. Companies need to build a hybrid cloud solution based on their infrastructure, not the other way around. If they don’t consider these requirements, they would have to buy additional software to integrate with the hybrid cloud architecture, which would waste time and money. 

Use case requirements should cover specific goals of the hybrid cloud setup: business continuity, edge connectivity, data compliance, and others. No cloud solution can do it all so businesses should prioritize which business goal is the most important first. A clear and focused business use case makes the development process faster and easier. Once the initial implementation is successful, then businesses can think about growing their hybrid cloud capability into other areas.

#### Compare Hybrid Cloud Storage Solutions

**Create a long list**

There are hundreds of IaaS providers that offer hybrid cloud tools. Companies should start with software that fits their infrastructure requirements. For companies that already have public cloud storage, they can first also start by looking into their cloud provider’s hybrid cloud offering for comparison. Based on these requirements, companies should select 5-10 vendors for initial use case assessment.

**Create a short list**

For those solutions that meet the infrastructure criteria, buyers can try to apply vendor pricing to their use case. How much would a fully functioning hybrid setup cost based on the estimated workload? This should give buyers a budget of how much the solution will cost and filter out the ones out of the price range.

**Conduct demos**

System integration is the most important consideration. Businesses need to demo the solution in their environment. It doesn’t matter how well the hybrid cloud solution performs in the vendor's controlled environment since hybrid architecture is highly customizable. This is also a chance to see how easy it is to manage the whole system. Users should be able to manage multiple hybrid cloud infrastructures by using a centralized dashboard. The last thing any IT team wants to do is to fix a complex bug through different cloud management tools. After the business ensures that the hybrid solution will run smoothly in their system, they can select the best solution based on price and quality of service.

#### Selection of Hybrid Cloud Storage Solutions

**Choose a selection team**

The IT team, purchasing team, and other teams who will be using the hybrid cloud tools should be included in the selection process. The IT team provides technical expertise. The purchasing team needs to ensure that the vendor contract aligns with other software vendor contracts. For example, there is no reason to buy a hybrid cloud software specifically for an application that will expire in a month. Users of the hybrid cloud tools can participate in product demo for questions and feedback.

**Negotiation**

Since every hybrid cloud architecture is different, pricing is highly customizable and comes down to negotiation. Many vendors offer complete storage platforms, including hybrid cloud storage. Companies can choose what part of the service they need for the best pricing or buy the whole solution for a discounted price.

**Final decision**

The CTO and IT managers should be the final decision-makers. They need to consider the ease of implementation for the business use case. Selecting a complex hybrid solution that no one knows how to implement is suboptimal. It is important to perform a trial run if possible with a small selection of IT professionals or developers. This will help to ensure that the selected solution integrates well with an IT administrator’s systems setup or a developer’s day-to-day work. If the tool is well-liked and well-utilized, the buyer can take that as a sign that their selection is the right one. If not, a reevaluation of the options may be necessary.