How hybrid cloud can help SMBs with digital transformation and security

In the digital era, the needs of small and medium businesses (SMBs) are evolving fast. One of the trending digital transformation products the segment is looking at is hybrid cloud, which combines private cloud (on-premises data centre) with public cloud.

Hybrid cloud helps in cost reduction, supports remote work and creates workplace efficiency. US-based IT firm Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) has come up with various solutions around the hybrid cloud for Indian SMEs.

Bhawna Agarwal, Country Head-Strategy & Growth, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, India, says that SMBs are increasingly prioritising high-performance cloud computing solutions that can handle intensive workloads efficiently and reliably. Secondly, there is a growing emphasis on the rapid deployment of cloud computing services. “SMBs seek solutions that can be quickly implemented and operationalised to adapt swiftly to market changes and business needs. Additionally, SMBs place a high value on security and data privacy in cloud solutions,” she says.

Talking about the benefits of hybrid cloud, Agarwal says that one of the biggest advantages is driving cost efficiency. It can enable SMBs to optimise their IT expenditures by allowing them to maintain essential on-premises infrastructure while leveraging cost-effective cloud services for additional storage and computing power. Moreover, the dynamic nature of the hybrid cloud can allow SMBs to scale their IT resources according to demand and future-proof their IT infrastructure.

“This flexibility ensures that they can quickly adapt to market changes and growth opportunities without incurring significant additional costs, thus empowering them to stay relevant in a fast-paced business environment,” she says.
Another advantage will be providing a balanced approach to data security and regulatory compliance. By keeping sensitive data on-premises and using the cloud for other crucial information and applications, SMBs can ensure high levels of security and meet industry-specific compliance requirements, she says.

Further, in a remote-friendly work era, hybrid cloud can help increase collaboration and productivity as it provides seamless access to applications and data from anywhere, at any time.

She says the hybrid cloud solutions will help maintain business continuity and disaster recovery, which are critical aspects for SMBs to sustain operations without disruptions. “Hence, the hybrid cloud can enable robust disaster recovery solutions by integrating cloud-based redundancy with on-premises systems, providing SMBs with the resilience needed to face unexpected challenges,” she says.

Some of the HPE’s services for SMBs include HPE Pointnext Services, which assist SMBs in developing and managing application workloads as they expand their edge environment using a hybrid cloud. Another service offers comprehensive configurations designed for file data management and backup, including disaster recovery.

“These file solutions offer SMBs a centralised data repository, ensuring accessibility from any device to facilitate seamless and secure collaboration among employees. Our HPE SMB solutions for shared storage with HPE ProLiant rack servers provide the processing power for virtualisation, database and file and backup workloads, and it can be easily extended to a hybrid cloud for additional disaster recovery options,” she says.

Last year, the company launched an initiative called SMB Digital Yatra across 30 cities in India. “Through the initiative, we focused on addressing the unique technology challenges faced by SMBs across a wide range of markets in India and providing them with an integrated experience encompassing innovative solutions using HPE GreenLake, HPE Servers, and HPE Data Services,” she says.

The SMB market in India is poised for significant growth as digital transformation takes centre stage, Agarwal adds. SMBs will be focusing on having a pragmatic mindset, investing in technology solutions customised with AI integration to enhance their operations and broaden their customer reach.