Discover if Hybrid Cloud solution is right for your business. Learn setup steps, key partners, and Hybrid vs Multi-Cloud differences in this IT leader’s guide. 

In today’s digital-first business environment, IT leaders are entrusted with the responsibility to balance scalability, security, and cost-efficiency. One technology that ticks all three boxes is Hybrid Cloud — a model that combines public cloud and private cloud to deliver flexibility and scalability without compromising control. 

If you’ve ever wondered whether a hybrid strategy is the right fit for your organization, this guide will give you a clear, strategic overview. You can also check out Cloud Services – Swan for an overview of Swan’s expertise.  

What is Hybrid Cloud? 

A Hybrid Cloud combines a private cloud infrastructure (on-premises or hosted) with public cloud services (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, Oracle, etc.) through secure, high-speed connectivity. 

The key benefit? The ability to keep sensitive and critical workloads in a controlled private environment while leveraging public cloud scalability for less critical applications. The flexibility is further extended to move the less critical workloads back to the private cloud infrastructure when the situation is permissible by optimizing the investment made on premises.  

Hybrid Cloud vs Multi-Cloud: Understanding the Difference

Many times, the concepts Hybrid Cloud and Multi-Cloud are used interchangeably, but they serve different purposes: 

• Hybrid Cloud – Integrates private and public clouds into a connected, interoperable environment. 

• Multi-Cloud – Uses multiple public cloud providers without necessarily integrating them. 

How to Set Up a Hybrid Cloud for Your Business? 

Setting up a hybrid cloud infrastructure involves planning, aligning the right technology and the right partners to have a seamless execution and this where Swan’s value-added expertise comes in: 

Hybrid Cloud Architecture 

• Private Cloud Layer – Secure hosting for compliance-heavy workloads. 

• Public Cloud Layer – On-demand resources for variable or seasonal workloads. 

• Virtualization Layer – Abstracts hardware into virtual machines or containers (e.g., Nutanix, VMware vSphere, Microsoft Hyper-V, HPE Simplivity, Kubernetes) to ensure portability and efficient resource usage. 

• Connectivity Layer – VPN, SD-WAN, or dedicated fiber to ensure secure, low-latency data transfer. 

• Management Layer – Orchestration tools to control both environments from a single dashboard. 

Hybrid Cloud Storage 

• Primary Storage (Private) – For critical data requiring compliance. 

• Secondary Storage (Public) – For archives, backups, and burst capacity. 
  Automated policies can shift data between these tiers based on usage and cost optimization goals. 

Top Hybrid Cloud Partners for Indian Enterprises where Swan collaborates with. 

Choosing the right OEMs and cloud providers is key for optimizing performance and ROI. 

Private Cloud Partners: 

• Yotta – Enterprise-grade Tier IV data centers. 

• Ctrl S – Strong disaster recovery and compliance frameworks. 

• ESDS – Managed cloud solutions with vertical-specific expertise. 

• E2E Networks – Cost-effective bare metal and private cloud services. 

Public Cloud Partners: 

• Microsoft Azure – SPD Partner with strong enterprise integration.  

• Amazon Web Services (AWS) – Select Tier Partner with global reach. 

• Google Cloud Platform (GCP) – AI/ML and Kubernetes leadership. 

• Oracle Cloud – Optimized for Oracle workloads. 

Advantages and Disadvantages of Hybrid Cloud 

Advantages: 
Hybrid cloud offers a best-of-both-worlds setup, giving IT leaders the freedom to balance performance, security, and cost according to business priorities. The flexibility to place workloads strategically, combined with the ability to scale resources instantly, makes it ideal for businesses facing fluctuating demands. Enhanced compliance options and disaster recovery capabilities add resilience to critical operations. 

Disadvantages: 
Hybrid cloud isn’t without challenges. Managing two or more environments increases technical complexity and requires a skilled workforce. Integration issues, expanded security risks, and potential cost overruns mean you need a strong governance model from day one. Choosing the wrong partner or over-relying on one provider can also create vendor lock-in challenges. 

Why Should companies evaluate their hybrid cloud strategy?  

The ultimate purpose of a hybrid cloud strategy is to equip the business to have flexibility in running their operations. Businesses with critical operations like the BFSI industry have critical workloads. It is then advised to keep their critical data on premises and move the less critical software applications to the cloud. Since public cloud operates on an Opex (Operational expenditure) model, which works on a pay-as-you-go subscription, the organization only pays for the service they are taking for the specified period, this also gives control to the organization to keep their data and costs under control simultaneously. Flexibility is vice vera where at any given time, the workload can be moved back to their on-premises infrastructure. This helps to make optimum use of their investment made on premises and meet the temporary surge in demand without having to invest further. 

Enterprise Cloud Migration implemented by Swan with the help of its technical experts? 

Swan has done multiple projects in this area for its customers Pan India, where it has helped major enterprises to manage their workloads, manage temporary surge in demand all while effectively optimizing costs. You can get a detailed overview of multiple case studies for Hybrid cloud strategy consultancy that Swan has provided for its enterprise clients at Case Studies and Resources  . Below are the two use cases that Swan has worked in for a brief overview.  

Use Case – 1 

A leading manufacturing enterprise faced frequent capacity constraints, slow provisioning, and high DR costs while struggling to meet compliance requirements. Their legacy on-premises infrastructure couldn’t keep pace with seasonal spikes and maintaining a dedicated DR site was costly and underutilized. 

  

The proposed Hybrid Cloud solution integrated a modern on-premises cluster (for mission-critical and regulated workloads) with Azure for elastic scale, development, analytics and disaster recovery. ExpressRoute ensured secure, low-latency connectivity, while Azure Arc provided unified governance across environments. DR was enabled via Veeam/Azure Site Recovery, eliminating the need for an expensive secondary data center. 

This approach enabled cloud bursting during peak loads, accelerated provisioning from weeks to hours, and optimized costs with a pay-as-you-go model. Sensitive data remained on-premises for compliance, while non-critical workloads benefited from cloud flexibility. 

Impact: 

• 40% reduction in DR costs. 

• 3x faster time-to-market. 

• Zero downtime during seasonal peaks. 

• Strengthened compliance and security posture. 

This hybrid model combined resilience, scalability, and cost efficiency, aligning IT agility with business growth. 

Use Case 2 

For another large Mumbai based enterprise, Hybrid Cloud DR with Nutanix + Azure was proposed which is an affordable and flexible way to protect business systems. It used Nutanix servers at the client’s office and Microsoft Azure in the cloud. Local systems ran on Nutanix while backups were sent to Azure storage. Important virtual machines were also copied to Azure so they could run there if needed. A secure VPN or private link kept data safe. If something went wrong on-site, work was quickly moved to Azure and later moved back when things were fixed and in control. This setup kept systems functional without disrupting costs and lowered disaster recovery, all while following compliance protocols.  

Conclusion 

A Hybrid Cloud strategy can help you combine security with flexibility, but it’s not a universal solution. Your IT roadmap, workload mix, and compliance needs should guide the decision and Swan’s in-house Solution and IT experts are just the right fit to guide you through it. 

With the right architecture — including virtualization and containerization layers — and strong OEM partnerships, hybrid cloud can transform your infrastructure into a scalable, secure, and future-ready platform. 

Get in touch with us by sending us an enquiry at enquiry@swansol.com  

FAQ’s 

How much does hybrid cloud implementation cost for Indian enterprises? 

Hybrid cloud costs vary significantly based on your current infrastructure, workload requirements, and chosen partners. Typically, Indian enterprises see 20-40% cost savings compared to maintaining separate on-premises and cloud environments. The investment includes infrastructure setup, connectivity (point to point /ExpressRoute/VPN), management tools, and ongoing operational costs. Swan provides customized cost assessments based on your specific requirements and existing infrastructure. 

Is hybrid cloud secure for banking and financial services (BFSI) in India? 

Yes, hybrid cloud is particularly well-suited for BFSI organizations. Critical customer data and core banking systems remain on-premises or in private cloud for maximum control and compliance with RBI guidelines. Less sensitive applications like customer portals, analytics, and development environments can leverage public cloud benefits. This approach meets regulatory requirements while enabling digital transformation. 

How long does it take to set up a hybrid cloud infrastructure? 

A typical hybrid cloud implementation takes 3-6 months depending on complexity. The timeline includes assessment (2-4 weeks), architecture design (2-3 weeks), infrastructure setup (6-12 weeks), connectivity establishment (2-4 weeks), and testing/migration (4-8 weeks). Swan’s experienced team can accelerate this process through proven methodologies and pre-configured solutions. 

What are the main challenges of managing hybrid cloud environments? 

The primary challenges include managing multiple environments with different interfaces, ensuring consistent security policies across platforms, data integration between on-premises and cloud, skill requirements for hybrid management, and potential vendor lock-in. Swan addresses these by offering services by our trained and skilled IT experts.  

Can we migrate back from cloud to on-premises if needed? 

Yes, one of the key advantages of hybrid cloud is workload portability. Applications and data can be moved between private and public cloud environments based on changing business needs, cost optimization, or compliance requirements. Swan designs hybrid architecture with containerization and virtualization layers that ensure seamless workload mobility. 

Which cloud providers work best with hybrid cloud in India? 

For Indian enterprises, Microsoft Azure, AWS, and Google Cloud are the leading public cloud partners. For private cloud, providers like Yotta, CtrlS, ESDS, and E2E Networks offer strong local presence and compliance frameworks. Swan is a certified partner with all major providers and can recommend the best combination based your specific industry and requirements. Swan also works alongside Nutanix, VmWare and HPE VMV, KVM for on prem virtualization to connect the two.  

How does hybrid cloud help with disaster recovery (DR)? 

Hybrid cloud provides excellent DR capabilities by using public cloud as a secondary site, eliminating the need for expensive dedicated DR infrastructure. Your primary systems run on-premises while automated backups and replica systems are maintained in the cloud. In case of disasters, operations can quickly shift to cloud resources and move back once primary systems are restored. 

Can small and medium enterprises (SMEs) benefit from hybrid cloud? 

Absolutely! SMEs can start with a basic hybrid setup using public cloud for non-critical applications while keeping core business data on-premises or in a managed private cloud. This approach provides enterprise-grade capabilities without the full infrastructure investment. Swan offers scalable hybrid solutions that grow with your business needs.