Best Hybrid Cloud Storage Solutions
Hybrid cloud storage solutions seamlessly connect on-premises or private cloud to public cloud. Companies use hybrid solutions to gain the scalability and cost-effectiveness of the public cloud without compromising data regulation and violating on-premises infrastructure requirements. Mid-market companies, enterprises, and governments benefit the most from hybrid cloud storage tools because they need to process big data and secure sensitive information. These software types also centralize and streamline many data access and retrieval operations. Hybrid cloud storage solutions will typically connect users to a number of file storage and sharing software, object storage software, block storage software, and backup systems. Since hybrid cloud setup can be complicated, companies can also use a hybrid integration platform (HIP) to help them set up and use hybrid solutions.
To qualify for inclusion in the Hybrid Cloud Storage category, a product must:
Best Hybrid Cloud Storage Solutions At A Glance
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Cloud Storage is a managed service for storing unstructured data, like videos and documents. It is most commonly used for data lakes for analytics, storing AI data, or web hosting. With Cloud Storage
- Software Engineer
- Data Engineer
- Information Technology and Services
- Computer Software
- 45% Small-Business
- 29% Enterprise
31,497,057 Twitter followers
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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
- Information Technology and Services
- Computer Software
- 46% Enterprise
- 28% Mid-Market
13,133,301 Twitter followers
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Nasuni is a unified file data platform for enterprises facing an explosion of unstructured data, combining storage and data services into a single hybrid cloud solution. Nasuni’s approach enables b
- Construction
- 66% Enterprise
- 25% Mid-Market
2,864 Twitter followers
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Adapt your existing technology to a hybrid cloud designed with flexibility and scale in mind.
- Information Technology and Services
- Computer Software
- 45% Small-Business
- 36% Enterprise
31,497,617 Twitter followers
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- User Satisfaction
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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
- Information Technology and Services
- 35% Enterprise
- 32% Mid-Market
2,217,364 Twitter followers
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Pure's Evergreen Storage Service (ES2) delivers OPEX storage-as-a-service (STaaS) for private and hybrid clouds.
- Information Technology and Services
- 61% Mid-Market
- 22% Small-Business
65,885 Twitter followers
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provide a range of independent Cloud options
- Information Technology and Services
- 50% Enterprise
- 28% Mid-Market
794,531 Twitter followers
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Atlas Core is OpenDrives’ award-winning software-defined platform, whether on-premises, cloud, or hybrid, and is the driving force behind the Open ecosystem. Born out of M&E, OpenDrives has a deep
- 50% Small-Business
- 25% Mid-Market
605 Twitter followers
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- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
An extension of Azure to consistently build and run hybrid applications across cloud boundaries.
- Information Technology and Services
- 42% Enterprise
- 33% Mid-Market
13,133,301 Twitter followers
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- User Satisfaction
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Azure StorSimple meets the needs of performance and capacity-centric applications, and gives you a complete hybrid cloud storage solution for enterprises
- Computer Software
- Information Technology and Services
- 43% Mid-Market
- 33% Enterprise
13,133,301 Twitter followers
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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 Conta
- Information Technology and Services
- Financial Services
- 42% Enterprise
- 33% Mid-Market
297,275 Twitter followers
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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 l
- Information Technology and Services
- Computer Software
- 72% Small-Business
- 16% Enterprise
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- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
HPE Cloud Volumes will get you there faster. HPE Cloud Volumes provides an enterprise-grade multicloud storage service for running your applications in Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure. Cloud s
- 43% Enterprise
- 21% Small-Business
88,361 Twitter followers
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Simplify your data infrastructure—from the edge to the core to the cloud—with the industry's leading enterprise data management software.
- 48% Enterprise
- 33% Mid-Market
118,581 Twitter followers
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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
- 54% Enterprise
- 30% Mid-Market
820,686 Twitter followers
Learn More 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): 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): 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: 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 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.
