What is the best way to integrate cloud computing with existing infrastructure?

1 Assess your needs

Before you start integrating cloud computing with your existing infrastructure, you need to assess your current and future IT needs. What are your business goals, priorities, and requirements? What are the advantages and disadvantages of using cloud computing for different types of workloads and applications? How much control, scalability, and flexibility do you need over your IT resources? How will you measure and optimize the costs and benefits of cloud computing? By answering these questions, you can identify the best cloud computing model and service level for your organization.

2 Choose your cloud model

There are three main cloud computing models that you can choose from: public, private, and hybrid. Public cloud is when you use a third-party provider's infrastructure and services over the internet, such as AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud. Private cloud is when you create and manage your own cloud infrastructure on-premises or in a dedicated data center. Hybrid cloud is when you combine public and private cloud resources to create a seamless and flexible IT environment. Each cloud model has its own pros and cons, depending on your security, compliance, performance, and cost considerations.

3 Implement cloud integration tools

To integrate cloud computing with your existing infrastructure, you need to use some cloud integration tools that enable data and application interoperability, synchronization, and orchestration across different platforms and environments. Some examples of cloud integration tools are cloud connectors, APIs, middleware, gateways, and brokers. These tools help you connect, communicate, and coordinate your cloud and on-premises systems, as well as manage data quality, consistency, and governance. You should choose the cloud integration tools that best suit your integration needs, such as data integration, application integration, or process integration.

4 Adopt cloud-native practices

Another way to integrate cloud computing with your existing infrastructure is to adopt cloud-native practices that optimize your IT operations and development for the cloud environment. Cloud-native practices include using microservices, containers, serverless functions, DevOps, and agile methodologies to create and deploy scalable, resilient, and portable applications that run on any cloud platform. By adopting cloud-native practices, you can reduce the complexity and dependency of your applications on your underlying infrastructure, and increase the efficiency and agility of your IT processes.

5 Monitor and manage your cloud environment

Finally, to integrate cloud computing with your existing infrastructure, you need to monitor and manage your cloud environment effectively. You need to have visibility and control over your cloud resources, performance, security, and costs. You need to use cloud management tools that help you automate, optimize, and troubleshoot your cloud operations, such as cloud orchestration, configuration, monitoring, backup, and recovery tools. You also need to align your cloud management policies and practices with your business objectives and compliance standards.

Integrating cloud computing with your existing infrastructure can be a complex and challenging task, but it can also bring significant benefits and opportunities for your organization. By following these best practices and strategies, you can create a hybrid IT environment that leverages the strengths of both cloud and on-premises systems, and delivers value, innovation, and competitive advantage for your business.