Unlocking True Hybrid Cloud: How to Get Enterprise-Grade Storage on Google Cloud
For years, IT leaders have faced a persistent challenge: how to effectively manage data across both on-premises data centers and public cloud environments. The dream of a seamless hybrid cloud has often been hindered by inconsistent performance, siloed management tools, and security gaps between these two worlds. A groundbreaking development is set to change this, bridging the gap by bringing powerful, software-defined storage capabilities directly to the public cloud.
A leading enterprise-grade, software-defined storage (SDS) block solution is now available on the Google Cloud Marketplace. This move signifies a major step forward in creating a truly unified hybrid cloud experience, allowing organizations to run their most critical applications with the same high performance and reliability they expect from their own data centers.
The Core Challenge: Inconsistency in Hybrid Environments
The “cloud smart” approach isn’t just about moving workloads to the cloud; it’s about strategically placing them where they run best. However, this strategy often creates operational friction. Teams are forced to use different tools and processes to manage on-premises storage versus cloud storage, leading to increased complexity and higher costs.
Furthermore, mission-critical applications that demand high availability and robust data protection have traditionally been difficult to migrate to the cloud without compromising on these requirements. This has left many businesses with a fragmented data landscape, unable to fully capitalize on the agility and scale of the cloud for their most important workloads.
A Unified, Software-Defined Solution
The introduction of an advanced software-defined storage platform on Google Cloud provides a powerful answer to these challenges. By decoupling the storage software from the underlying hardware, this solution creates a common software-defined storage layer that stretches across on-premises and Google Cloud environments.
This means that for the first time, organizations can deploy a proven, enterprise-class storage foundation on Google Cloud infrastructure. This isn’t just about basic storage; it’s about bringing a full suite of advanced data services to the cloud.
Key benefits of this unified approach include:
- Guaranteed 100% Data Availability: For mission-critical applications where downtime is not an option, this solution extends its hallmark 100% data availability guarantee to workloads running on Google Cloud. This provides an unprecedented level of confidence for running top-tier applications in a public cloud environment.
- Seamless Hybrid Cloud Operations: By leveraging a single data plane, organizations can achieve a unified management experience across their entire data fabric. This consistency simplifies operations, reduces the need for specialized training, and eliminates the silos that have plagued hybrid environments for so long.
- Enhanced Cyber Resilience: The platform includes advanced data protection features designed to safeguard against data loss and ransomware attacks. With features like immutable snapshots and robust replication, businesses can build a more resilient infrastructure that protects critical data no matter where it resides.
- Streamlined Procurement and Billing: Because the solution is available on the Google Cloud Marketplace, customers can take advantage of streamlined procurement through their existing Google Cloud commitment. This simplifies billing and makes it easier for enterprises to acquire and deploy the technology quickly.
Actionable Tips for Building a Resilient Hybrid Cloud Strategy
As you architect your hybrid cloud, keeping a few best practices in mind can ensure you build a resilient, efficient, and secure environment.
- Prioritize a Unified Management Plane: Avoid tool sprawl at all costs. Adopting solutions that offer a single pane of glass for managing both on-premises and cloud resources is critical. This reduces operational complexity and minimizes the risk of human error.
- Don’t Compromise on Data Services: Treat your cloud-based workloads with the same rigor as your on-premises applications. Ensure your cloud storage solution provides essential enterprise features like high availability, asynchronous replication for disaster recovery, and robust backup capabilities.
- Validate Your Security Posture: A hybrid environment expands your potential attack surface. Implement a “defense-in-depth” strategy that includes immutable data copies and proactive monitoring to protect against ransomware and other cyber threats across your entire infrastructure.
The Future of Enterprise Storage is Unified
The lines between the data center and the public cloud are blurring faster than ever. The availability of enterprise-grade, software-defined storage on major cloud marketplaces marks a pivotal moment in this evolution.
For businesses looking to accelerate their digital transformation, this development provides a clear path forward. It enables them to modernize their applications, embrace the agility of the cloud, and manage their most valuable asset—their data—with the consistency, performance, and security they require, creating a truly unified and powerful hybrid cloud foundation.
Source: https://datacenternews.asia/story/hitachi-vantara-launches-vsp-one-sds-on-google-cloud-marketplace
