When a database must stay tucked away in an enterprise data center, running a dependent service in the public clouds spells "latency." Or does it?

Most hybrid architectures propose moving only certain application building blocks to the cloud. A prime example is a Web front-end on Amazon Web Services and a back-end transaction server in an on-premises data center. But a new wave of hybrid thought says it's OK to separate data from applications, even to allow multiple applications to run from multiple cloud provider sites against a common data source that can be located in a company's data center.

Not so long ago (like yesterday) that suggestion might, at a minimum, earn you an eye roll and a dismissive hand wave. In more extreme cases, we're talking a recommendation for an IT straightjacket. Separating data from applications and putting half in the cloud would be nothing short of insane. The latency and security problems will kill you, right?

Not necessarily. Separating data services from application services is nothing new; we do it all the time in data centers today. However, we typically provide high-speed links between the two to avoid latency, and, since it is usually all locked in a secure data center, security is less of an issue. Some organizations actually split services between two data centers, but in the process have built the dedicated network bandwidth necessary to support the traffic and ensure adequate performance. In that situation, security is managed by keeping it all behind the firewall, limiting access, and encrypting data in motion.

I equate the first situation to having a private conversation with my wife while we're in the same room. The second is having the same conversation, but now we're yelling between rooms within our home (more likely this is the model for a conversation with my teenage daughter). In this situation, the communications may not be ideal, and the risk someone else may hear is higher, but it's still a somewhat controlled environment.

Complex or not, hybrid cloud is popular in enterprises.

When it comes to moving application services to the cloud and leaving the data in the data center, some people would claim an appropriate analogy is using a bullhorn to have a conversation with your teenager while you are home and she is at the mall.

New technologies and cost models, however, offer an alternative to connecting services over the public Internet. One contributing factor is the ability to get cost-effective, high-speed network connections from cloud provider sites to data centers, of sufficient quality to minimize latency and guarantee appropriate performance. In addition to services offered directly by hosting vendors, colocation companies are jumping into the fray to offer high-speed connections between their colo data centers, as well as from these locations directly to some cloud provider sites.

[Hybrid Security: New Tactics Required. Interested in shuttling workloads between public and private cloud? Better make sure it's worth doing, because hybrid means rethinking how you manage compliance, identity, connectivity, and more.]

For enterprise IT, there are three things to consider when deciding whether this model is for you and considering options for high-speed network connections.

1. Security: While data may have traveled only behind the firewall in the past, now it is stepping out over a network, potentially among multiple cloud locations. Keeping this information safe in transit and dealing with access-control issues will be critical, as discussed in depth in this recent InformationWeek Tech Digest. Heck, in a post-Snowden world, the business may even care. Settling compliance issues, such as encrypting data before it goes over the wire and making sure data doesn't travel outside the appropriate geographic borders, is also critical before you provision any new connections.

2. Network bandwidth and performance: Depending on the application's sensitivity to latency, the cost to guarantee a given performance level over the network may eliminate any savings gained in moving the application to the cloud. My advice: Know exactly what you're getting before committing. SLAs need to be clear, as do penalties, and make sure you have monitoring tools to validate performance. It's particularly important to look not just at the network specs but the real-world, end-to-end performance. Benchmark over a period of time before moving the application to gain a base model. Run simulated transactions and workloads based on the benchmark; that will give you a sense of equivalent performance in the new environment. Recognize as well that if you are going into a public cloud, your mileage may vary on any given day. This is discussed in depth in the 2014 Next-Gen WAN report.

3. Business continuity/disaster recovery: The number of things that could go wrong just increased exponentially. Meanwhile, managing recovery plans becomes more complex. Map disaster scenarios prior to getting locked in, and budget for redundancy. Cable cuts and floods happen. Be prepared at the onset, rather than scrambling along with everyone else affected if a network connection is impacted. Recognize as well that you now have two different environments that may require two different plans for DR and have different recovery times. Of the three, this will likely be the most complex to work out.

While I've focused on the challenges, there are clearly benefits to be had if you need the scalability of a cloud environment for your applications. But just because we can doesn't mean we should. Much like raising a teenagers, each scenario is different, and you need to be up for the challenge before you head down that road.

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Monitoring an IT network is an essential part of any business' routine processes, yet so many companies fail to make sure they do this properly.

The risks of not monitoring a network are numerous. Among these, a failure to do so can lead to serious IT stability problems, as well as performance and reliability issues. On the security front, there are dangers of network attacks going unnoticed, as well as the potential for user misuse: according to a recent Forrester report, network security is so important that businesses spent over a fifth of their total security budget on it last year.

Here we've detailed the top five reasons why you must monitor your network:

Stability
Monitoring your network enables you to ensure that every aspect of your technology is stable and functioning as you expect. It is a crucial part of checking that systems are interacting correctly, and that there are no bottlenecks in the network where data is stuck.

As an indication of just how important stability is to companies, a recent survey by Opsview showed that 77% see the need for network stability as the main reason for monitoring.

Performance
A network simply has to perform to the levels required by all of its users, both within a company and externally (such as for partners and customers). Failure to do so can lead to staff being unable to operate effectively, and customers abandoning a purchase or not being provided with the level of service they have paid for. Businesses need to be clear about the capacity and speed requirements of their network, then use monitoring to verify what is happening. Around one fifth of those that monitor their network say performance is their main reason, though many others include it as a secondary key factor.

Reliability
Aside from a network simply performing to the levels expected, it must also work at all times. It is not unusual for a business to expect 99.9% uptime from their technology, and monitoring is an essential method for businesses to ensure success in this area. Real-time alerts in network monitoring software enable businesses to know as soon as there is any reliability problem, while the software can also alert them of potential issues that are emerging on this front.

Security (from external threats)
Businesses face an abundance of threats to their technology and their data, including hacking, phishing and other malicious damage. By combining the right security software with strong network monitoring, companies can identify weaknesses in their security setup as well as be alerted to any unusual traffic events, enabling a fast response to potential threats. On a scale of 1 to 5, where five is highly important, respondents to the survey placed the immediate alerting of network issues (including security and performance) at 4.69 on the scale, meaning it is crucial to them.

Preventing user misuse
IT network monitoring enables businesses to identify and stop any user misuse of their technology. Insider threats continue to be prevalent in businesses, particularly when it comes to unauthorized access by employees to sensitive data they do not need for their job. By using the right monitoring technology, businesses can see which users are doing what on the network, as well as receive alerts on any behavior that is classified as not safe.

Try out QWERTY's network monitoring with a 30 day risk free guarantee.

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