IT Trends & Technology Blog | FNTS

Benefits of Hybrid Cloud for Financial Services

Written by Ken Marr | October 16, 2024

In today’s tech-driven world, "cloud computing" has become more than just a buzzword—it’s a game changer. From hosting applications to managing data, cloud computing offers something for nearly every industry. According to Gartner, the cloud services market is projected to grow by 17.3% in 2019, reaching over $200 billion globally.

 However, the financial industry isn’t like every other business sector. 

Financial institutions face unique challenges that make transitioning to the cloud more complex. With sensitive customer account data, proprietary software, and the need for constant service availability, there’s little room for error. 

And with the fast-paced, dynamic nature of financial services, the pressure on IT systems is immense.

But financial institutions don’t have to choose between sticking with on-premise solutions or going fully into the cloud. 

The hybrid cloud for the financial industry offers a flexible middle ground. 

This approach allows organizations to leverage the cloud's scalability and innovation while maintaining control over critical operations, delivering the best of both worlds for financial services.

What Is the Hybrid Cloud?

A hybrid cloud environment combines the public cloud with a private cloud, allowing applications, data, and services to be shared between the two. The private cloud offers services solely for one customer over the internet from a provider or within a private internal network. The public cloud provides computing services over the public internet, leveraging infrastructure shared across many customers but keeping data segregated.

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In the event of high demand, failover, or other special circumstances such as testing or new product development, a hybrid cloud environment allows a business to scale up from its private cloud to the public cloud. Under this model, a business can keep its data, applications, and services secure and private. It also has the flexibility and computing power to offload basic and non-sensitive tasks to the public cloud.

3 Hybrid Cloud Benefits for the Financial Industry

A hybrid cloud model can deliver a secure, cost-effective blended environment for financial services companies while allowing them to maintain customer security and regulatory compliance. In particular, the three key benefits of a hybrid cloud include: 

  1. Freeing up resources for more sensitive tasks
  2. Enabling fast and reliable services
  3. Introducing consumption-based costs

1. Freeing up Resources for More Sensitive Tasks

Leveraging public cloud services frees up resources, allowing in-house IT teams to pivot their focus towards tasks that are more critical and sensitive to business success. 

With core services and data managed by external providers, internal IT personnel can channel their expertise and institutional knowledge into high-value projects within the private cloud setting. 

This approach, allowed by the hybrid cloud for the financial industry, helps financial institutions retain control over sensitive data while benefiting from the scalability and flexibility of public cloud resources.

This strategic shift enables the IT team to devote more time to improving operational efficiency through strategic investments rather than allocating resources to routine maintenance tasks. Businesses then can adapt quickly to changing market conditions and devote necessary attention to innovative solutions that drive competitive advantage.

2. Enabling Fast and Reliable Services

Organizations can deliver critical customer services with improved performance and reliability by separating computing resources between public and private clouds. 

While less important and sensitive services are offloaded to the public cloud, critical applications and sensitive data remain within the confines of a private cloud

This configuration allows these services to run on dedicated servers, providing faster performance and reducing the risk of service interruptions. It ensures customers receive a consistently high level of service quality, strengthening trust and satisfaction.

This approach optimizes resource use and enables businesses to adapt quickly to customer needs and market demands, ultimately fostering innovation and maintaining a competitive edge.

3. Introducing Consumption-Based Costs

A key aspect of hybrid cloud computing advantages is its ability to provide a flexible, cost-effective approach to managing variable workloads. This allows organizations to handle sudden spikes in demand without investing in costly infrastructure that may remain underutilized during off-peak periods. 

By leveraging the hybrid cloud advantage, financial institutions can achieve greater efficiency and scalability while keeping capital expenditures in check. This will ultimately support long-term strategic growth and agility in a rapidly changing market.

For instance, a financial services company may experience a typical, steady-state resource demand. Still, particular events, like quarterly reporting or yearly audits, can cause temporary spikes in resource requirements. 

This increased need can spill over into the public cloud, which is managed and maintained on the company's behalf. This eliminates the necessity to invest in in-house equipment that might remain idle for most of the year, thereby helping control steadily growing capital expenditures. 

Organizations can better manage financial outlays and focus on strategic growth by combining consumption-based pricing for additional resources with the more stable costs of critical services and typical computing needs.

FAQs on Hybrid Cloud: Empowering the Financial Industry

What is a hybrid cloud, and how does it benefit the financial industry?

A hybrid cloud combines public and private cloud environments, allowing financial institutions to scale operations and access the flexibility of the public cloud while maintaining control and security over sensitive data in their private cloud.

How does the hybrid cloud help reduce costs in financial services?

Hybrid cloud models allow financial institutions to adopt a consumption-based cost structure. They can use public cloud resources for temporary spikes in demand without investing heavily in underutilized infrastructure.

Can a hybrid cloud model support the fast-paced nature of the financial industry?

Absolutely. A hybrid cloud enables quick scaling to meet fluctuating demands, ensures reliable service delivery, and supports innovation, making it ideal for the fast-evolving financial industry.

 

Embracing Hybrid Cloud for Financial Industry Success

Adopting a hybrid cloud for financial industry empowers financial services organizations to strike the perfect balance between innovation and security. 

Financial institutions can confidently meet their customers' evolving demands by leveraging public cloud resources' scalability, efficiency, and cost savings while retaining control over sensitive data in a private environment.

This flexible hybrid cloud model allows businesses to scale seamlessly, optimize IT operations, and reduce capital expenditures—all without compromising data integrity or compliance.

Ready to Step Up Your IT Strategy?

Contact the expert team at FNTS today to explore how a hybrid cloud solution can drive your organization's growth and efficiency.