Agility at Scale: Rapid Application Provisioning in Hybrid Cloud Environments

In today's competitive business landscape, IT agility is no longer a luxury, it's a business imperative. Heads of Technology and IT Directors are under pressure to rapidly deploy new applications that drive innovation and propel business growth. Hybrid cloud environments offer a compelling solution, combining the flexibility of public cloud with the control of on-premises infrastructure. However, provisioning applications quickly and efficiently in these complex environments can be a significant challenge.

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This article explores the challenges of rapid application provisioning in hybrid cloud and shares best practices to accelerate deployment while maintaining security and compliance.

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Challenges to Rapid Application Provisioning in Hybrid Cloud

The agility promised by hybrid cloud environments can be impeded by the very complexity that gives them their USP. Here we look at how these hybrid structures can create roadblocks to rapid application provisioning.

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Hybrid cloud blends on-premises infrastructure with potentially multiple public cloud providers. Each of these environments has its own set of provisioning tools and processes. IT teams are then tasked with managing these disparate methods across different parts of the same application. This can be a time-consuming and error-prone endeavour, slowing down the entire deployment process.

Effectively allocating resources across both on-premises and public cloud environments requires careful consideration of several factors. Compute power, storage capacity and network bandwidth all need to be carefully balanced to ensure optimal application performance. Adding another layer of complexity is the potential for these resources to have different formats between your on-premises infrastructure and the cloud provider you're using. Matching the right resource type with the right workload in this hybrid landscape can be a significant challenge.

Security policies and compliance requirements can also differ significantly between on-premises and public cloud environments. Balancing the need for rapid provisioning with maintaining consistent security measures requires rigorous attention to detail. IT teams need to ensure that vulnerabilities aren't introduced during the provisioning process, all while adhering to any relevant regulations that might apply. This can be a delicate balancing act, potentially slowing down deployments.

These challenges highlight the need for streamlined provisioning workflows and tools to navigate the complexities of hybrid cloud environments. The next section will explore best practices that can help IT leaders overcome these hurdles and achieve rapid application deployment.

Best Practices for Accelerated Deployment

While challenges exist, achieving rapid and secure application provisioning in hybrid cloud is possible through the implementation of best practices:

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• Standardisation and Automation: Standardise configuration templates and automate provisioning workflows across your entire hybrid cloud environment. This reduces human error and streamlines the process.
  
  
• Infrastructure as Code (IaC): Leverage Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tools to define your infrastructure in a human-readable format (e.g., YAML, JSON). This allows for version control, collaboration, and automated provisioning of infrastructure across various cloud environments.
  
  
• Cloud Management Platforms (CMPs): Consider utilising a Cloud Management Platform (CMP). Our Managed CMP, for example, provides a unified interface for provisioning, managing and optimising applications across your entire hybrid cloud infrastructure, including both public and on-premises deployments. This eliminates the need to navigate separate cloud consoles and simplifies provisioning complexity.
  
  
• Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery (CI/CD): Integrate CI/CD pipelines into your development process to automate application builds, testing, and deployments. This enables faster iteration cycles, allowing for rapid application delivery.
  
  
• Upskilling and Training: Invest in ongoing training and skill development for your IT team to ensure they possess the necessary expertise for both on-premises and public cloud technologies relevant to your hybrid environment.
  
  
• Security Automation: Implement security automation tools to streamline policy enforcement and configuration management across your hybrid cloud. This ensures consistent security measures without sacrificing speed during provisioning.
  
  

By adopting these best practices, you can significantly accelerate application deployment in your hybrid cloud environment, enabling your business to innovate faster and capitalise on emerging opportunities.

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Rapid application provisioning in hybrid cloud environments empowers businesses to achieve agility at scale. While challenges exist, implementing best practices can significantly streamline the process. TIEVA’s Cloud Management Platform (CMP) is a valuable tool that can help you overcome these challenges and unlock the full potential of your hybrid cloud for faster deployments and a competitive edge. 

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For a demo or to learn more, please contact our team.‍