February 22
When organizations consider transitioning their applications and networking infrastructure, there has long been a tendency to view the move as an “all or nothing” proposition. In many cases, this results in companies migrating workloads into an environment that may not be an ideal fit for their application needs or maintaining their legacy infrastructure for longer than they should. As IT decision-makers become more familiar with the options available in the market, however, they are beginning to recognize the benefits (and feasibility) of leveraging multiple solutions rather than confining their tech stack to a single platform. By diversifying their assets within a hybrid IT environment, forward thinking companies are redefining the possibilities and potential of data center networking.
From Data Centers to Centers of Data
In recent years, companies have been shifting their networks away from centralized data centers to a "centers of data" model that takes advantage of the diverse platforms and providers available in the market. This shift has been driven by several factors, including the need for greater agility and flexibility, the desire to optimize costs, and the recognition that a one-size-fits-all approach to IT infrastructure is no longer viable. In a centers of data model, companies distribute their data across multiple locations, including public and private clouds, colocation facilities, and edge locations, creating a more resilient and adaptable IT infrastructure.
By leveraging the capabilities of multiple platforms and providers, companies can take advantage of the unique strengths of each provider, optimizing performance, scalability, and cost-effectiveness. Additionally, by distributing data across multiple locations, companies can improve data resiliency and reduce the risk of downtime, ensuring that critical business operations remain uninterrupted. As the digital landscape continues to evolve, companies that embrace a centers of data model will be better positioned to meet the demands of a rapidly changing business environment, remaining agile and competitive in an increasingly complex IT ecosystem.
Enterprises Embrace the Hybrid IT Model
The push toward more diverse networking environments has also pushed enterprises away from pure cloud deployments to hybrid IT workloads that incorporate private servers, whether they’re managed on-prem or within a colocation facility. This trend is driven by the need for greater flexibility and scalability, as well as the desire to optimize costs and improve security. Hybrid environments allow organizations to leverage the benefits of data center and cloud-based infrastructure, creating a more agile and responsive IT ecosystem. By deploying applications and workloads across multiple environments, enterprises can better meet the demands of a rapidly changing business landscape.
A hybrid network also enables organizations to optimize their infrastructure investments, allowing them to choose the most appropriate deployment model for each workload. For example, applications that require low-latency, high-bandwidth connectivity may be better suited for on-premises deployments, while applications that require elasticity and scalability may be better suited for cloud-based environments. By taking a workload-centric approach to IT, organizations can ensure that each application or workload is deployed in the most appropriate environment, improving performance, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness.
Application Workloads in a Hybrid World
As organizations embrace the benefits of the cloud, they often find that the lack of control over their data and infrastructure can be a significant challenge. On the other hand, maintaining complete control over their IT infrastructure can lead to limitations in terms of scalability, flexibility, and cost-effectiveness. Balancing these priorities is essential to build an IT ecosystem that can respond quickly to changing business requirements while maintaining control over critical assets.
Platform-Specific Applications
Organizations are increasingly building applications for specific platforms and infrastructure environments, recognizing the benefits of building applications that take full advantage of the unique features and capabilities of those platforms. For example, organizations building applications for the cloud may take advantage of cloud-specific features such as autoscaling, serverless computing, and cloud-native databases, while those building applications for on-premises infrastructure may leverage platform-specific hardware, software, and network resources. By building applications that are tightly integrated with the underlying platform, organizations can optimize performance, reduce complexity, and lower costs.
However, it's important to note that applications built for specific platforms and infrastructure environments are not intended to be moved, as they are heavily dependent on the underlying platform's unique features and capabilities. As a result, organizations must carefully consider their long-term needs and priorities when deciding where to build and deploy applications, taking into account factors such as scalability, portability, and flexibility. While building applications for specific platforms can offer significant benefits, organizations must ensure that they have a clear understanding of the risks and limitations involved, and that they have a well-defined strategy for managing their application portfolio over the long term.
Prioritizing Cloud-like Performance
Organizations are increasingly looking to build applications and workflows that are "cloud-like," even if they are not intended to be hosted on the cloud. This trend is driven by the desire for greater flexibility, scalability, and user experience, as well as the recognition that cloud-native technologies and approaches can be leveraged in on-premises environments to improve efficiency and cost-effectiveness. By building cloud-like applications and workflows, organizations can create a more agile and responsive IT ecosystem.
Cloud-like applications and workflows typically leverage cloud-native technologies such as microservices, containers, and serverless computing, as well as cloud-oriented development and management practices such as DevOps, agile development, and continuous integration and delivery. By adopting these approaches, organizations can create a more modular and scalable application architecture, enabling them to quickly adapt to changing business requirements. Additionally, cloud-like applications and workflows often provide a better user experience, with self-service provisioning, on-demand resource allocation, and real-time data analytics, all of which can improve productivity and efficiency. By building cloud-like applications and workflows, organizations can bring the benefits of the cloud to their on-premises environments, improving their agility, scalability, and competitiveness.
Empowering Hybrid Networks with Colocation Data Centers
Colocation data centers can be a key element in helping organizations build hybrid IT networks that provide the flexibility and control they're looking for. By colocating their IT infrastructure in a data center, organizations can take advantage of the data center's network connectivity, power, cooling, and security capabilities, while maintaining control over their own IT assets. This can provide organizations with the best of both worlds - the flexibility and scalability of the cloud, and the control and customization of on-premises infrastructure.
Additionally, colocation data centers can offer a range of value-added services, such as managed hosting, network services, and disaster recovery, providing organizations with additional resources and expertise to support their IT needs. By leveraging colocation data centers as part of their hybrid IT strategy, organizations can create a more agile, efficient, and secure IT infrastructure that meets their unique needs and priorities.
How Evoque Can Transform Your Network
Finding the right colocation partner is the key to implementing a data center networking strategy that supports a flexible and versatile hybrid IT architecture. Evoque Data Center Solutions offers a unique combination of data center and cloud engineering expertise that can facilitate your transition to purpose-built workloads that leverage the benefits of diverse platforms and infrastructure environments. With multiple state-of-the-art colocation facilities located in key growth markets across North America and award-winning cloud consulting services, Evoque can support every step of your digital transformation journey. And thanks to our innovative SpendAgility offering, you’ll never be locked into a spending plan that limits your application flexibility.
To learn more about how Evoque’s data center networking services can unlock your organization’s potential, talk to one of our hybrid IT experts today.
