In recent years, the debate between on-premises or fully embracing the cloud has certainly diminished. As organisations pursue digitalisation, they are discovering that it doesn’t have to be a binary choice, as a hybrid cloud approach offers the best of both worlds – and most importantly, enables them to make the most of their data.
In Singapore, the hybrid cloud market is witnessing substantial growth as organisations seek to leverage the flexibility of public clouds while retaining control over sensitive data in private environments, especially as security and compliance remain top priorities for many. Even the nation’s public sector is increasingly adopting hybrid cloud solutions to maximise the efficiency of its cloud environment and investments. According to a report by Global Information Inc, the Asia-Pacific hybrid cloud market is expected to grow at a steady rate of around 19.6% in the coming years.
But no matter where an organisation may be in its modernisation journey, data is the most logical place to start. To maximise the value of hybrid cloud, organisations must be able to deliver effective, real-time data access for users, be it data analysts, marketing teams, or business leaders, regardless of location. This requires the ability to efficiently synchronise data changes and unify various data stores while guaranteeing low latency, high availability, and robust data integrity.
All of these and more can be best achieved with robust data replication and synchronisation capabilities. Here’s why they’re so important:
Simplifying data management
It is true that data has the power to unveil an organisation’s untapped potential. For example, with data, businesses can reveal hidden customer segments for targeted marketing campaigns, personalise the customer journey with data-driven recommendations, detect fraud as it is happening, and predict equipment failures for proactive maintenance. However, the AI and machine learning training engines that drive such innovations are only as good as the data they are fed.
The requirement for delivering quality data consistently, even as organisation-wide modernisation and hybrid cloud strategies are pursued, is to maintain strong visibility and controls over the data while it moves and changes.
In a hybrid cloud approach, data exists in a variety of environments. Data replication and synchronisation allow businesses to integrate large amounts of fragmented data from diverse environments into a more cohesive data experience for users. What may not be immediately obvious is that data replication and synchronisation can also play a pivotal role in cost reduction.
For instance, organisations could create copies of critical data in the cloud to leverage on-demand cloud resources for tasks like analytics or disaster recovery, thus avoiding the need for ongoing investment in on-premises infrastructure. Additionally, since synchronisation automates data movement, it can eliminate manual processes and reduce the risk of errors, leading to streamlined data management and lower operational costs.
Bridging the gap to real-time insights
The speed of business has never been faster. Hybrid cloud empowers businesses to make quicker decisions by running data wherever it works best. However, ensuring that data across different environments stays up-to-date, consistent, and accurate remains a vital challenge. This is particularly true in scenarios where several systems or applications are simultaneously accessing and modifying the same data.
Incorporating data replication and synchronisation capabilities into a hybrid cloud infrastructure makes it easier for anyone to access the latest data, whether on-premises or across the cloud. These technologies continuously copy and synchronise data changes to create a single source of truth — a crucial foundation for reliable and insightful decision-making.
Unlocking the full potential of hybrid cloud
For businesses of all sizes, data is the lifeblood of success. It fuels goal setting, informs critical decisions, and helps chart a clear path for the future. To take full advantage of the data at their disposal, these businesses must closely examine the state of their data management infrastructure and processes.
While a hybrid approach offers the best of both cloud and on-premises worlds, maintaining the integrity and timeliness of data is not a straightforward journey — one that necessitates access to real-time data replication and synchronisation.
Only then can organisations unlock the full potential of their hybrid infrastructure and unleash the power of more advanced use cases like AI, machine learning, and data analytics.
