The Case for Big Data on Hybrid Clouds

When analysts serve up their vision of IT today, it usually consists of four main trends, sometimes called “pillars:” cloud, social, mobile and big data. Fair enough, but what do you get when you combine pillars? The two that are probably the most complementary fit are big data and cloud.

When you consider what it takes to carry out a successful big data project, it becomes clear that the cloud is an ideal platform. That’s because big data sets are, well, big. And by its very nature, the cloud offers elasticity – almost limitless computing capacity and storage that can be added quickly as needed. That comes in handy when analyzing thousands upon thousands of health care records, the behavior of customers on social media sites and real-time location-based data.

But here’s where a word of caution is well placed. Big data projects are still relatively new and thus best practices are not well defined. It’s possible to launch a big data project that can undergo scope creep and get out of hand. If you’re using a public cloud service, that can result in the unpleasant surprise of high charges.

For this reason, many organizations will find themselves better off starting a big data project on a private cloud. That way, infrastructure usage can be better monitored and managed. As additional capacity is needed, it can be added via a public cloud service – with usage closely monitored. Voilà! A hybrid cloud. For many, it will be the ideal platform for big data projects.

Are you involved in a big data project and if so, have you considered the hybrid cloud platform?