Issue link: http://cp.revolio.com/i/549869
THE DATA CENTER JOURNAL | 9 www.datacenterjournal.com hyBrid it = compromised security? Security breaches seem to be grow- ing in scope and in extent of subsequent damage. e hack of the U.S. Office of Per- sonnel Management (OPM), for instance, exposed sensitive information of over 20 million past, current and prospective fed- eral employees—including Social Security numbers and many personal details. Even firms that specialize in security are not immune to determined malicious parties. us, any IT model that weakens security is an invitation to disaster. Although it has made strides, the cloud remains under a "cloud" of its own—one of suspicion regarding the capability of providers to protect their customers. Whether that suspicion is justified remains the subject of debate. But the cloud situation (including hybrid IT) seems to be more of a mixed bag than a black-and-white matter of which approach is more secure. For in- stance, although cloud computing involves a third party, necessarily expanding the attack surface for hackers, economies of scale mean that customers can in some cases gain access to stronger protections than they might be able to afford on their own. "Security concerns are pervasive in every aspect of an IT infrastructure. Hybrid IT models are no different," notes Lamendola. "Top-tier colocation providers can offer significant value in the physical security of customer assets, and the adop- tion of industry security standards can set themselves apart from their competition." Patterson adds that despite the worries about a broader attack surface that IT architectures dispersed among several operators may produce, coloca- tion providers can compensate through their security offerings. "e process of securing an organization's data begins with the physical controls around access to the systems that host their data. By partner- ing with a colocation provider, businesses can reap the benefits of enhanced security expertise, technology and even personnel that would typically require significant spending to implement onsite and on an individual basis." In addition, even in the case where a company wants to (or must, perhaps owing to regulatory compliance) maintain data on its own hardware and control the encryption process, "Coloca- tion can enable layers of physical and virtualized security, while still ensuring businesses are able to implement their own security measures." So again, security becomes a spec- trum rather than a set of just two or three discrete options. Of course, it's a major concern regardless of the IT model, so every choice is a risk, but hybrid IT and colocation together enable a rich menu of selections from which customers have at least some ability to pick and choose. what's it gonna cost? Even the best business model must still work under the rules of economics. In other words, cost is still king. One of the benefits of colocation with regard to cost is the economies of scale that providers offer. In addition, customers need only purchase what they need, and they can typically scale operations as necessary to fit their business. Compared with traditional data center construction, the savings may be worth the loss of control. e cloud offers a similar proposition, converting capital expenses into operating expenses. erefore, the hybrid IT approach melds the two. "In most cases, customers should expect to achieve cost benefits from colocation providers that support hybrid IT infrastructures," said Lamendola. "e cost benefits will range from direct costs, such as space, power and bandwidth, to indirect costs, such as efficiency, reduced maintenance and reallocation of internal IT resources." In addition, both Lamendo- la and Patterson note that the combination of colocation and hybrid IT also enables companies to scale their operations to fit business or compliance needs more easily compared with a traditional data center. Of course, precise costs will depend on the company's goals and requirements—par- ticularly what it wants to outsource and what it wants to keep control of. To that end, different colocation providers may offer better deals depending on their focus relative to customer needs. But customers must still do their homework: the mat- ter of cost with regard to outsourcing is another unsettled matter (likely meaning it varies case by case). industry trends "Colocation providers recognize that the market is changing, and they are doing their best to meet those changing demands," said Patterson. "Each provider is looking at their unique value proposi- tion and identifying partners or technolo- gies that can complement that value in the hybrid space. is could be deployment of a public-cloud platform or integration with an existing provider via high-speed connectivity, but either way will result in a more robust customer experience." By enabling customers to maintain some control over their IT hardware, colocation providers stand to offer a broad range of resources through hybrid IT. Offering a similar sentiment, La- mendola adds, "e current trend among colocation providers is to modify their business models to drive more managed- IT services to their customers or enable partners to deliver those services within the colocation provider's framework. As traditional colocation services become increasingly commoditized, these provid- ers must find new avenues to keep their services in line with and at times ahead of the industry demands." is flexibility is one of the chief ways that colocation, implementing a hybrid IT model, can stand out. conclusions Colocation and hybrid IT are a strong match in that they enable provision of complementary services to companies that want to outsource certain aspects of their IT operations. Using this model, providers can offer flexibility that enables a wide range of options—for instance, main- taining some hardware control for privacy, security or regulatory compliance while still having access to other IT options, all while shedding the need to design, build and maintain a traditional data center. With growing interest in and reliance on the cloud across industries, colocation providers that pursue a hybrid IT model are simply chasing the market as customer demand shis. n