A lot of careful planning should go into every hybrid cloud infrastructure. Companies need to work out what kind of scope the IT resources should have. This isn’t relevant for the public portion of a hybrid cloud, because it can be spontaneously scaled at any time. It's about the private part: how big should it be and what needs to be taken into account?

As a general principle, it’s important to keep operating costs as low as possible. To achieve this, companies need a solution that relies on a uniform hardware and software basis. This avoids any duplication of work: Companies operating public and private clouds on different bases need two operating teams with different competencies for only one hybrid cloud infrastructure. If the hardware and software are based on the same technology for both public and private use, one team will be enough.

That’s the case, for example, with the Open Telekom Cloud Hybrid. The hardware that companies receive from Deutsche Telekom for the private part of the cloud corresponds exactly to the same components used in Deutsche Telekom's multiple-certified data centers in the state of Saxony-Anhalt. The software architecture is also the same: OpenStack is used, just like in the Open Telekom Cloud. This ensures the best possible compatibility between the instances at all times – one operating team is enough.

If the interlocking of resources is ensured, the next step is the dimensioning of the private stack. The size of the private part of a hybrid cloud infrastructure depends on the intended use. For example, some companies rely on the shortest possible response times for certain processes. If it’s a question of milliseconds, then resources from the public cloud are not really suitable. That's why some companies like to add systems to their public cloud resources that work directly on site. For example, to orchestrate production robots on the assembly line, to control autonomous transport vehicles in the warehouse or to ensure quality in production, where faulty components have to be detected and rejected within a fraction of a second.

The Open Telekom Cloud Hybrid in the “S” size is suitable for these kinds of applications. Companies receive a private cloud stack with 176 physical cores, around 2.5 terabytes of RAM and 76 terabytes of Block Storage. Object Based Storage (OBS) is optionally available. If desired, Telekom can implement the IT resources directly at the company's location. Equipped in this way, real-time applications can be executed with the lowest possible latency.

The “M” configuration of the Hybrid Cloud offers significantly more computing power. With 748 physical cores, 11 terabytes of RAM and 112 terabytes of OBS, it provides sufficient reserves for particularly resource-intensive real-time applications such as those required in product development using virtual or augmented reality. "For automotive manufacturers, working on virtual prototypes has been standard practice for years. Whether in design development, in determining the optimum drag coefficient or in chassis testing," says Sascha Smets, Senior Product Manager at T-Systems. "High-performance cloud resources are particularly well suited to this.”

The private instance of the Open Telekom Cloud Hybrid in the “L” version offers twice the performance compared to size "M." Another difference: Two availability zones raise the service level to 99.95 percent. This configuration enables companies to implement things like disaster recovery concepts. "The resources offer the optimal prerequisites for this. The only requirement here is to maintain an adequate distance between the two availability zones," says Sascha Smets. "To achieve the best possible balance between availability and latency, a distance of around 20 kilometers between the zones is recommended, so that companies can continue to deliver even in the event of a disaster such as a fire in one of the two zones.” 

The largest basic configuration of the Open Telekom Cloud Hybrid is double that of size “L” and also offers two availability zones. "There are no limits to the imagination here  – just as there are no limits to dimensioning," says Smets. "The Open Telekom Cloud Hybrid in size ‘XL’ is highly scalable upwards. From AI development to big data analytics to deep learning – no matter what application scenarios companies want to implement, the ‘XL’ Hybrid Cloud makes it possible.”

Companies interested in the Open Telekom Cloud Hybrid can request a free consultation here.