Businesses are embracing hybrid cloud in record numbers because it lets them choose a mix of applications, services and platforms — all tailored to their needs. Yet, many struggle with the complexity of operating different private and public clouds in conjunction with traditional infrastructure. Often, they don’t have the right skills to oversee and manage their cloud implementations and that can lead to unrestrained cost and risk.

Businesses are embracing hybrid cloud in record numbers because it lets them choose a mix of applications, services and platforms — all tailored to their needs. Yet, many struggle with the complexity of operating different private and public clouds in conjunction with traditional infrastructure. Often, they don’t have the right skills to oversee and manage their cloud implementations and that can lead to unrestrained cost and risk.

Earlier this year, almost a thousand professionals were asked about their adoption of cloud computing, and the results were compiled in the 2018 State of Cloud Survey. The survey reveals that cloud adoption continues to grow and 81% of respondents have a multi-cloud strategy. And the top cloud challenges these users face? Spend and security.

According to the survey, cloud users are aware that they are wasting money in the cloud – they estimate 30% waste. To combat this issue, 58% of cloud users rate cloud optimization efforts as their top initiative for the coming year. And according to Gartner, by 2020, organizations that lack cost optimization processes will average 40% overspend in public cloud.

Additionally, security continues to weigh on users’ minds. A whopping 77% of respondents in the survey see security as a challenge, while 29% see it as a significant challenge.

Many businesses that struggle with spend and security issues wonder if these problems can be solved. The answer is yes – with the right tools and expertise.

Microsoft Azure Stack: Minimizing security and regulatory concerns

Enter Microsoft Azure. Customers all over the world are choosing Microsoft Azure for their public cloud needs, making it one of the fastest-growing cloud platforms available today. And TheStreet.com reports that its growth shows no signs of slowing down, as “…72% of Azure customers see themselves deploying workloads in Azure Stack over the next three years.” So why is there so much interest in Azure Stack and how can it help businesses conquer security concerns?

Microsoft Azure Stack is an extension of Azure that lets business build and deploy hybrid applications anywhere. It lets DevOps leverage the same tools and processes they are familiar with in Microsoft Azure to build either private or public cloud instances of Azure, and then deploy them to the cloud that best meets their business, regulatory, and technical needs. Microsoft Azure Stack also allows businesses to speed development by using pre-built solutions from the Azure Marketplace, including many open-source tools and technologies.

In terms of meeting security needs, Azure Stack enables businesses to deliver Azure-consistent services within their own data center. That capability gives them the power and flexibility of Azure public cloud services — completely under their own governance.

Consumption-based pricing:
A better way to implement and consume hybrid cloud resources

Another concern businesses have when using the cloud is overspending. One of the main reasons enterprises overspend is because they lack automation and simple tools that enhance the agility of the cloud to continuously monitor compliance and cost. And most businesses overprovision their infrastructure on-premises to be ready to handle unpredictable growth, which further adds to overspending.

Managed consumption for hybrid cloud is an operating model that lets businesses consume the exact cloud resources they need, wherever their workloads live — while also driving improved performance, cost, security and compliance. Some of these models also eliminate the need for staff to manage the hybrid environment day-to-day, which helps reduce human error and enables staff to focus on innovation.

If deployed correctly, this type of model lets businesses see who is using their cloud, what the costs are, and whether policies are followed. And with the right partner and tools to show usage, track cost, and monitor compliance and security, the business can be confident that they’re getting the most from their Azure hybrid cloud.

What’s the best way to implement a Microsoft Azure hybrid cloud environment?

A new service offered by Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) meets these needs, letting the enterprise better manage both spend and security concerns of hybrid clouds on and off premises. Using services from Cloud Technology Partners (CTP, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company), processes that manage cloud resources are set up in a customer’s environment of choice. After that, CTP services establish specific cost, security, and compliance controls. Coming soon, HPE GreenLake Hybrid Cloud will manage those resources on behalf of the customer. And unlike a traditional managed service, HPE GreenLake Hybrid Cloud will offer an automated, cloud-native model that is designed to eliminate the need for organizations to hire or train new staff to oversee and manage cloud implementations.

For Microsoft Azure Stack on-premises, HPE offers HPE ProLiant for Microsoft Azure Stack using HPE GreenLake Flex Capacity. This deployment model lets customers gain a pay-per-use experience, not only for the Azure Stack services, but for the underlying infrastructure. And by only paying for the capacity used, businesses can save more on IT cost – up to 30% of the infrastructure cost.

To learn more about HPE GreenLake Hybrid Cloud for Microsoft Azure Stack, watch this short video. For more information about HPE ProLiant for Microsoft Azure Stack, watch this on-demand video.