Hybrid and multi-cloud: The future of AI in business

Businesses often face the dual challenge of maximising their technological capabilities while navigating financial constraints. 

Gartner's recent data reveals that IT leaders in Australia and New Zealand will grapple with flat budgets into 2024, considering inflation and labour costs. Despite this, there will be increased investments in cybersecurity and cloud solutions, highlighting a crucial trend: the future of business lies in hybrid and multi-cloud solutions. 

With cloud set to be the second-biggest area of spending growth in Australia, it's no wonder that businesses are looking for ways to invest optimally.

Embracing the hybrid and multi-cloud future
The shift towards hybrid and multi-cloud environments is not just a trend; it's a strategic evolution. Businesses are increasingly recognising the need for flexibility, scalability, and resilience in their IT infrastructure. Hybrid and multi-cloud solutions offer the perfect blend of public and private cloud benefits, ensuring optimal performance, cost-efficiency, and security.

According to Gartner, 79% of IT leaders in Australia and New Zealand are directing significant additional funding towards cloud platforms, reflecting the region's ongoing "love affair" with cloud technology. This trend is set to continue, driven by the need to reduce reliance on legacy infrastructure and enhance data management capabilities. As such, businesses need comprehensive solutions that seamlessly integrate public, private, and on-premises resources.

Managed Service Providers (MSPs) lead the way in cloud integration
Navigating the complexities of hybrid and multi-cloud adoption requires a trusted partner with deep expertise and a holistic approach. MSPs  offer solutions to help businesses thrive in this new paradigm. From initial consultation and strategy development to implementation and ongoing management, these solutions are designed to deliver maximum value and performance.

Our team tailors solutions that meet client needs, ensuring smooth transitions and minimal disruption. We leverage the latest technologies and best practices to optimise infrastructure, enhance security, and drive innovation. With Interactive, businesses can confidently embark on their hybrid and multi-cloud journey, knowing they have a reliable partner every step of the way.

For example, end user management is integral to business continuity.  As we've seen with a recent global outage , the ability to troubleshoot technical issues to bring devices back online is integral to minimising downtime. While end user management may be seen as an old-school approach, it's particularly important for smaller IT teams when it comes to responding to business disruption. The ability to bring together the full range of managed services is a core facet of Interactive Anywhere, and it's one of the reasons our clients work with us.

But perhaps the most underappreciated aspect of working with an MSP is the extra pair of eyes available to evaluate vendors and offer strategic counsel. This can be invaluable, particularly when juggling multiple vendor relationships across diverse IT systems.

Hybrid and multi-cloud empower the modern workforce
In today's fast-paced business environment, the ability to work from anywhere is no longer a luxury but a necessity. Hybrid cloud solutions are designed to support remote and hybrid work models, providing secure, high-performance access to applications and data, regardless of location, enabling businesses to maintain productivity and collaboration across distributed teams.

Ideally, an MSP will be able integrate seamlessly with hybrid and multi-cloud solutions, offering a unified platform that simplifies IT management and enhances user experience. By ensuring secure and efficient access to resources, an MSP will empower businesses to adapt to changing work dynamics and remain competitive in a digital-first world.

Multi-cloud strategies are crucial for scalability and right-sizing as they provide businesses with the ability to dynamically allocate resources across different cloud environments based on current demands and workloads. By utilising multiple cloud providers, businesses can scale their operations efficiently, avoiding the limitations and potential bottlenecks associated with relying on a single cloud vendor. 

One of our new services, Interactive Anywhere, is about meeting businesses where they're at on their IT journeys, so flexibility is second-nature. 

This flexibility ensures that resources can be scaled up or down in response to fluctuating needs, maintaining optimal performance without over-provisioning or under-utilising assets. It also means that customers have the power to choose, to place workloads anywhere they need, so that they can pivot and take advantage of opportunities and efficiencies. For example, putting sensitive data on private cloud while handling everything else of public offers the best of both worlds. 

By selecting the most cost-effective and performance-appropriate services from different providers, businesses ensure they are not paying for unused capacity or facing shortages during peak times. This strategic allocation helps in optimising costs and maximising resource efficiency, leading to significant operational and financial benefits. 

The most significant value add for MSPs in business is cross-cloud visibility – whether it is on prem, co-location, private or public, an MSP provides ease of management at a single point of contact. 

In essence, hybrid and multi-cloud environments empower businesses to achieve a perfect balance of scalability and resource management, driving both efficiency and growth.

Meeting the challenges of an AI-driven future
The rise of AI and machine learning presents new opportunities and challenges. While AI spending is currently sixth on the priority list, it is expected to grow significantly. In order to support AI workloads, drive efficiency and contain costs, businesses are once again looking to hybrid and multi-cloud solutions. This approach helps businesses harness the power of AI while maintaining robust security and data integrity.

At the same time, cyber security remains a top priority for IT leaders, with 87 per cent of CIOs and executives planning to increase their investment in this area in 2024. At Interactive, we treat cyber security as an integral part of our hybrid and multi-cloud solutions. Our comprehensive security frameworks and proactive monitoring services safeguard your data and infrastructure, mitigating risks and ensuring compliance.

Conclusion
The future of business is undeniably hybrid and multi-cloud. As IT leaders face budget constraints and the need for enhanced security and innovation, adopting a flexible and scalable cloud strategy becomes imperative. 

Now is the time to invest in a cloud solution that adapts to your needs, so you don’t get left behind. Get in touch with us to futureproof your infrastructure strategy.