Enterprise hybrid cloud

Managing and securing an enterprise hybrid cloud

Enterprise hybrid clouds enable organizations to become more flexible, efficient and adaptable as business needs change. They also pose new management and security challenges. IT teams often have less control and visibility into sensitive data migrated to hybrid cloud environments, and ensuring fast, reliable connectivity to assets located within an enterprise hybrid cloud can be a complex task.

Spectrum Enterprise gives large-scale, multi-site organizations the tools to transition to an enterprise hybrid cloud architecture built around advanced SD-WAN technologies. With solutions that simplify management, increase connectivity and heighten cloud data security, Spectrum Enterprise provides the tool that IT teams need to ensure hybrid clouds meet performance demands.
 

Challenges of enterprise hybrid clouds

Enterprise hybrid clouds combine private and public cloud resources into a single centralized computing environment. Offering the vast resources of the public cloud and the security and control of a private cloud, hybrid clouds give IT teams more flexibility to use the cloud resources that are ideal for each workload.

While the benefits are significant, enterprise hybrid clouds create some difficult challenges.

Performance

Because data withing a hybrid cloud environment must move between multiple data centers over the internet, IT teams must ensure fast and reliable connections and minimize latency.

Legacy applications

Integrating legacy applications into hybrid cloud deployments can be challenging. Though they may perform essential functions, older applications are not always cloud-friendly.

Multi-cloud deployments

Since enterprise hybrid clouds are often part of a multi-cloud approach to IT infrastructure, IT teams may need to navigate a confusing mix of management interfaces and vendor-specific APIs.

Security and compliance

Data within an enterprise hybrid cloud environment is spread over multiple resources, making it difficult to protect sensitive information and track adherence to regulatory requirements concerning different types of data.

Increased complexity

With workloads running on different resources, hybrid clouds raise a number of management challenges for IT teams. The complexity of enterprise hybrid cloud environments also means there are more security maintenance requirements and more “windows and doors” to lock to prevent data leaks and breaches.

Visibility

With hybrid environments, it’s more difficult for IT teams to visualize all data assets and activity, making management and security more difficult.

Skills gaps

Organizations are often challenged to find IT professionals with the required skills and experience to manage complex hybrid environments.

Shared security responsibilities

Responsibility for security in a hybrid cloud deployment is shared between cloud service providers and on-site IT teams, increasing the potential for security gaps.
 

Managing enterprise hybrid clouds with Spectrum Enterprise

Built with trusted technology and expert support, Spectrum Enterprise solutions provide IT teams with the tools and solutions they need to secure and manage enterprise hybrid clouds more easily.

Spectrum Enterprise Cloud Connect offers dependable and private connectivity to cloud services. With high-performing, secure, fiber-based connections, Cloud Connect allows organizations to confidently access cloud-based compute resources, applications and enterprise cloud storage from any location on a wide area network (WAN). Cloud Connect delivers premium end-to-end network performance, ensuring the speed, reliability and security that allows organizations to fully benefit from cloud services.

Spectrum Enterprise Cloud Security with Cisco+ Secure Connect provides a centralized, streamlined platform for implementing security priorities across enterprise hybrid cloud environments. Combining zero trust network access (ZTNA) and cloud-based firewall capabilities, this solution enables IT to easily enforce security measures for corporate and personal devices. Secure Connect also improves latency by eliminating the need to backhaul traffic through a centralized hub to apply security policies.

Enterprise Network Edge is a managed networking platform that helps IT teams minimize the complexity of hybrid cloud infrastructure. This Spectrum Enterprise solution offers access to multiple cloud instances and advanced security with throughput speeds up to 100 GPS to support distributed workforces. Powered by Fortinet, Enterprise Network Edge creates a secure SD-WAN environment throughout an organization’s public network to simplify the transition to hybrid architecture.
 

Benefit of managing hybrid infrastructure with Spectrum Enterprise

With Spectrum Enterprise solutions for cloud security, connectivity and management, IT teams can:

• Increase performance with an SD-WAN solution that offers low latency, intelligent routing for critical applications and scalability for thousands of locations.
• Ensure connectivity by connecting to multiple cloud service providers simultaneously to deliver a seamless and secure user experience, relying on dedicated bandwidth and fast connectivity backed by an care and an end-to-end service-level agreement (SLA) with a 100 percent uptime guarantee¹.
• Enhance protection with cybersecurity/SASE technologies such as cloud-based firewalls, ZTNA and cloud access security brokers (CASBs).
• Improve authentication for all users connecting to networks or cloud applications, even for users connecting on unmanaged personal devices.
• Simplify management with fully managed or co-managed solutions.
• Gain visibility into performance, routing, firewall settings and other network components across all locations from a centralized portal.
• Reduce costs and create efficiency with SD-WAN architecture.
• Support the remote workforce with the ability to easily apply policies and manage firewall and malware protection, regardless of location.
• Simplify compliance for secure data in regulated industries.
   

Why Spectrum Enterprise?

Spectrum Enterprise provides scalable, fiber technology solutions for communications service providers and the nation’s largest businesses. Our wholly owned fiber network is engineered for growth and is the foundation of everything we offer. Our portfolio of solutions include:

• Internet services that power reliable connections with speeds up to 100 Gbps and provide secure remote access for distributed workforces.
• Networking solutions that ensure reliable connectivity to every business location as well as private and public clouds.
• TV solutions that inform, engage and entertain viewers in hospitality, healthcare, education, government, and other industry verticals.
• Voice and unified communications and collaboration technologies that enable workers to connect from anywhere and collaborate how they want.
• Solutions and expertise for smart city, smart spaces and smart campus technology. 
  
  

FAQs

What is an enterprise hybrid cloud?

An enterprise hybrid cloud is an IT computing environment that incorporates on-premises or private cloud infrastructure with the services of one or more public cloud vendors.
 

What are the benefits of an enterprise hybrid cloud?

A hybrid cloud lets IT teams choose the best infrastructure for each application and workload, moving workloads between private and public clouds as needed to improve performance and minimize cloud costs.
 

What is an enterprise hybrid cloud versus multi-cloud?

While a hybrid cloud combines public cloud and private cloud resources, a multi-cloud combines services from two or more public cloud providers, or from two or more private cloud environments.

¹100% uptime SLA guarantee applies only to Dedicated Fiber Internet, Secure Dedicated Fiber Internet, Ethernet Services, Cloud Connect and Enterprise Trunking.