By Jacqueline Zenn, Content Leader at Parallels. Parallels were finalists in the ‘Best Hybrid Cloud Solution‘ awards at The 2024/25 Cloud Awards.

It seems that just about everyone or everything has shifted to the cloud these days, and for good reason.

However, putting things in the cloud isn’t a one-size-fits-all option for every or even most organizations — but the right hybrid cloud solution can evolve with your needs. 

For forward-thinking IT managers, the hybrid cloud or multi-cloud model may seem like the best of both worlds, offering the flexibility and cost efficiency of the cloud combined with the security of on-premises.  

In fact, nearly 50% of IT leaders cited increased flexibility as a primary reason to shift to the hybrid cloud, followed by cost savings.  

Some additional common reasons that organizations are adopting the hybrid cloud include making their operations more scalable, enhancing business innovation, and migrating data across IT workloads.  

There’s no denying that the hybrid cloud is quickly becoming the new normal. Still, if your organization is hesitant about the costs, security, effort, or other challenges involved, it is possible to make the cloud a custom fit for your needs.  

The hybrid cloud can grow and change with your organization

Being a consumption-based, service-driven model, there are almost definitely cloud solutions that can solve your problems, whether they are budget, effort, or security-based. 

The struggle often lies in the regulatory or compliance details, or perhaps your organization has invested in software or is tied to legacy systems that don’t allow for a shift to the public cloud.  

The move is often worth it, however, since the hybrid cloud allows your organization to evolve, grow, and adapt to a constantly changing world. It can even help you stay ahead of the game.

A framework that can flex to your needs

Having both public cloud and private cloud capabilities (or opting for a multi-cloud setup) with integration between internal and external environments at the data, process, management, and/or security layers enables you to place specific workloads where they need to live. 

You can really hone in on the most efficient, ideal placements for your organization’s circumstances.  Explaining the reasoning behind shifting to the cloud to the C-Suite (or any particularly risk-averse team members) can be more of a challenge. 

Change management and mitigating opposition

Opting for a hybrid cloud model often addresses data security and regulatory compliance concerns since sensitive information can stay in a private cloud(s).  

Hybrid solutions can also be adapted to any latency requirements or your organization’s goals. With a multi-cloud solution, you can avoid being locked into specific vendors or resource locations.

What’s more, a hybrid cloud environment may be the change that unlocks the potential of edge computing at your organization. The geographic limitations are reduced since you can process initial data at the edge or closer to its source and then send it to the decentralized cloud for further processing. It’s ideal for applications that demand real-time responsiveness and low latency. 

A hybrid cloud environment also allows you to experiment with various AI use cases since you can test AI solutions or technologies in the private cloud (safe from prying eyes or malicious entities) or use AI to analyze sensitive data while keeping it on-premises and therefore compliant with any applicable industry regulations.  

Planning your organization’s shift to a hybrid cloud model

Chances are the hybrid cloud is flexible and scalable enough for your organization. But once you’ve decided to make a change, developing a plan that includes solutions that are as flexible and scalable as the hybrid cloud itself is the next step.  

A “lift and shift” hybrid cloud migration plan might be one of the best ways to mitigate risk and set your IT department up for future success.  

By planning ahead for various risk factors and structuring your cloud framework appropriately, you can avoid key challenges like shifting less-than-ideal workloads, failing to optimize workloads for the cloud, or embracing the cloud before updating your internal IT processes.

It’s never too late to make a (hybrid) change

It’s 2025, and you may feel like your organization is already behind the curve in regard to the hybrid cloud (or adopting the cloud in general). 

Perhaps your internal processes and teams aren’t ready for the cloud, or you’re not sure where to start — especially if you’re considering a hybrid approach, which is more multi-faceted by nature.  

But even if you feel like the best time to make a move was yesterday, the second-best time is today.  

Start your hybrid cloud migration by assessing your current environment and identifying which applications and workloads can move to the cloud and which should remain on-premises.  

Next, select a cloud provider that suits your current setup. You should also review your network infrastructure to ensure proper connectivity between any on-premises and public and private cloud environments. Be sure to capture any relevant data privacy and security requirements as well.  

Also, consider your current usage and how that might work in a pay-as-you model or whatever payment structure the cloud providers you’re considering offer; after all, saving costs is often a significant reason that organizations investigate the possibilities of the hybrid cloud model in the first place. 

Future-proofing your investment in the hybrid cloud

The cost, time, and overall expenditure of effort involved in shifting to a hybrid cloud model may feel daunting, at least until you start digging into the problem.  

Prioritizing scalability, security, and ease of management by choosing a cloud provider that is designed with flexibility in mind and allows for consistent security policies across on-premises, private, and public cloud environments is key. Containerization (e.g., Docker or Kubernetes) may also improve security and portability while keeping things speedy for your end users.  

To further protect your investment, consider the possibilities of automation and orchestration tools to make provisioning, scaling, and management tasks more efficient across your entire hybrid cloud setup. Making the shift to a new model or solution is a great time to review your entire IT workflow and see if you can reduce manual efforts. 

Last but not least, protect your budget. Avoid vendor lock-ins and/or becoming too attached to a cloud provider. You can accomplish this by opting for a multi-cloud setup that allows your organization to switch between vendors as you see fit.