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One of the main drivers behind the adoption of hybrid IT is the need to support high-performance workloads. Leveraging interconnection strategies appropriately can significantly improve the performance of resource-intensive applications. This in turn significantly improves the user experience. Here is a brief guide to what you need to know.
In IT, workloads are a measure of the demand placed on a system’s resources, especially processing, memory, storage, and (network) bandwidth. Different types of workloads have different resource requirements, and managing workloads effectively is crucial for ensuring optimal system performance.
High-performance workloads are computing tasks or processes that demand a substantial amount of system resources to achieve optimal results. These are typically applications and/or services that analyze large datasets and/or have to produce results especially quickly.
In the context of hybrid IT setups, high-performance workloads often include tasks related to scientific research, engineering simulations, financial modeling, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and data analytics.
Hybrid IT environments are environments that combine both real-world and cloud infrastructure.
Traditionally, the real-world infrastructure was an on-premises data center. There is still likely to be a data center element. It will, however, probably be a colocation facility rather than on-premises infrastructure. Now, any on-premises infrastructure is likely to be for edge computing although this is also often implemented through colocation.
Similarly, in the early days of hybrid IT, the cloud element was likely to be a single public cloud. Now, it’s more likely to include multiple public clouds plus a private cloud.
For a hybrid IT infrastructure to deliver meaningful benefits, it needs to operate as a cohesive whole. That means there needs to be truly seamless integration between all of the disparate elements in the infrastructure. Making this happen requires the strategic use of effective interconnection strategies.
Interconnection strategies are the methods and technologies used to establish seamless and efficient communication between different components, systems, or environments within an IT infrastructure.
Direct cloud interconnection: This involves establishing a direct link between a real-world data center and a cloud service provider’s infrastructure.
Multi-cloud interconnection: This involves interconnecting different cloud environments to facilitate seamless data transfer and workload distribution between them.
Edge computing interconnection: This involves establishing connections between edge computing devices and central data centers or cloud resources.
All three interconnection strategies provide the same four core benefits. Firstly, they improve the efficiency of data transfer between different environments. By extension, this means that they improve response times (i.e. reduce latency). Secondly, they improve security by reducing the data’s exposure to the potential threats associated with public internet communication.
Thirdly, they improve agility by making it easier for organizations to adapt to changing workloads and demands. Fourthly, dedicated interconnections tend to be more reliable than the public internet. This means that using them generally improves the overall resilience of a hybrid IT setup.
Here are some common challenges of high-performance workloads along with examples of how interconnection strategies can be used to address them.
Legacy systems may have different architectures, protocols, and data formats, making seamless integration complex and prone to compatibility issues. Interconnection strategies can mitigate this challenge by providing adaptable and interoperable solutions.
Utilizing middleware and integration platforms, organizations can establish connectivity between legacy systems and modern high-performance workloads. By implementing standardized communication protocols and leveraging interconnection points strategically, organizations can ensure a smooth integration process, minimizing disruptions and optimizing the overall performance of hybrid IT setups.
The various components in hybrid IT setups are often dispersed over wide geographic areas. This reduces the business’ exposure to localized disruptions but increases their vulnerability to latency. Using direct interconnection can mitigate this risk as it enables data to travel over a direct, fast connection rather than the public internet. This can significantly improve the responsiveness of high-performance workloads.
Multi-cloud environments are more complex than single-cloud environments and, hence, more challenging to manage effectively. Implementing interconnection points that support a consistent networking approach across different clouds vastly simplifies workload management. It therefore facilitates efficient data distribution and load balancing for high-performance workloads.
Balancing and scaling resources efficiently to meet varying workloads can be challenging in hybrid IT environments. Interconnection strategies enable dynamic resource allocation by seamlessly connecting different environments. This enables businesses to implement automated scaling mechanisms that ensure high-performance workloads always have the resources they need.
High-performance workloads often involve sensitive data that needs to be protected at all times. Secure interconnection strategies, such as implementing dedicated and encrypted connections, play a crucial role in ensuring security. This means they also help to ensure that relevant compliance standards are continuously upheld.
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