Is a SharePoint Hybrid Environment Win-Win?

January 7, 2018 | Posted in: Case Study, SharePoint

While cloud computing continues to grow (just look at the Q3 earnings reports for Amazon, Microsoft, IBM and Alphabet), it’s not new anymore. We’ve moved past the early adopter phase; a trend which is especially true in the context of SharePoint deployments. In fact, data shows that only 37% percent of companies are still using SharePoint On-Premises. But does this mean that everyone else has fully embraced SharePoint deployments in the Cloud?

It most certainly does not! With the release of SharePoint 2016, Microsoft opened up a new avenue – the hybrid SharePoint deployment. SharePoint 2016 provides full cloud compatibility, mobility and business intelligence.

Microsoft is pushing Hybrid SharePoint Deployments

Since the launch of Office 365, Microsoft has thrown a lot of energy into promoting the Cloud. “Microsoft wants to get customers behind the Cloud, moving to the Cloud, actively using the Cloud,” explains Steeves and Associates CEO, Dave Steeves. “However, most organizations are not in a hurry. Cloud migrations are not the easiest, and the common existence of custom complexities didn’t make migration any easier. Moreover, many organizations faced regulatory and compliance issues in migrating to the Cloud.”

More recently there has been a shift in Microsoft’s attitude to the Cloud. “It’s no longer about pushing the Cloud on customers, it’s about bringing the Cloud to customers,” explains Dave. The release of SharePoint 2016 and the rise of the hybrid SharePoint deployment are a testament to this. With a hybrid deployment organizations can have the best of both worlds and work with the Cloud in a way which is best suited to their needs. For example, organizations can move workloads to the Cloud that provide an immediate cost-savings, such as personal sharing, while keeping complex custom development or data/workflows subject to compliance issues on-premises. It’s a win-win solution.

Is SharePoint Hybrid a Win-Win? [On-Demand Webinar]

Watch the Building a Case for SharePoint Hybrid On-Demand Webinar now to discover how a hybrid deployment of SharePoint can provide your organization with the best of both worlds.

Hosted by Dave Steeves (Steeves and Associates), Michal Pisarek (Bonzai Intranet) and Gilbert Okello (Steeves and Associates) you’ll gain a comprehensive view of the SharePoint hybrid pros/cons, industry data and case study in the practice of hybrid environments.

Click HERE to watch on-demand now! >>

SharePoint Hybrid deployments are extremely flexible

The release of SharePoint 2016 means that organizations are no longer forced to choose between a strictly on-premises deployment and a strictly cloud deployment. Instead, they can leverage the flexibility of a hybrid development to approach the Cloud at their own pace, building scenarios and including features that fit their specific needs.

One such scenario is a Hybrid “Site and Search” deployment. With a hybrid deployment, organizations can select the sites that they need in the location that suits them best, whether it be on-premises or in the Cloud and Search will discover that data regardless of where it is hosted.

For example, sites containing resource heavy files, such as media assets, could be configured in the Cloud while sites containing financial data subject to corporate compliance could be stored on-premises. What’s more, as users navigate from Cloud-based sites to sites hosted on-premises, the user experience is completely consistent and seamless.

SharePoint Hybrid with Office 365

Another such scenario is one in which organizations are able to leverage Microsoft’s many Cloud services. In this scenario organizations work in an on-premises SharePoint environment, but are able to access all the functionality offered by Office 365. They can pick and choose which cloud services they want to leverage, whether it be Yammer, Power BI, Planner or one of Office 365’s many other tools. Given that Office 365 is constantly evolving and developing, this is a significantly beneficial setup for organizations who wish to remain on-premises.

Unleash the Hybrid Search Experience

There are also a number of new features available that improve user experience in hybrid deployments. For example, take hybrid search. Given the nature of a hybrid deployment, it is more than likely that organizations will have content available both on-premises and in the Cloud. While it was previously necessary to have a separate search experience for each type of deployment, hybrid search enables a unified search index. This means that regardless of whether a user is on-premises or in the Cloud, they will get a consistent set of search results.

Single Hybrid SharePoint Taxonomy

Last, consider the hybrid taxonomy feature. Previously, organizations would need two instances of the managed metadata services and would need to maintain these separately. With a hybrid taxonomy, organizations can define and maintain a consistent taxonomy of term sets and groups between on-premises and Cloud installations of SharePoint through a single managed metadata service.

These are just some of the scenarios and features associated with a hybrid deployment of SharePoint. Given the great amount of flexibility provided by a hybrid development, the possibilities are practically limitless.

Hybrid SharePoint Deployments: Leverage the Cloud ‘Your Way’

There are a number of misconceptions surrounding Cloud environments. Specifically, regarding security, control and business justification. However, each of the these elements is actually a positive aspect of the Cloud or hybrid development, rather than a negative one.

Security
On its own, a cloud environment is no more or less secure than an on-premises environment. Instead, the Cloud’s level of security depends on how it is used. There are a number of additional security features available in the Cloud that when utilized, make it significantly more secure than an on-premises deployment. These are features that would be very complex, difficult and expensive for most organizations to implement and utilize on-premises.It’s also important to remember that security threats are often internal or malicious. When you move your data to an outside organization, to a larger, more secure 3rd party (e.g. Microsoft), a majority of these threats disappear. We’ve been to a Microsoft data center and seen the level security and degree of control and isolation. These are best practices that would be nearly impossible for most organizations to replicate.
Control
It is common for organizations to think that a move to the Cloud will result in a lack of control over data, processes and workflows hosted in the Cloud. While changes do occur with respect to tasks such as backups, caching and security, we believe that the knowledge gained by a move to the Cloud offsets these changes. Outsourcing hosting to Cloud organizations can give you access to new expertise and extend beyond the knowledge of your internal IT teams.
Business Justification
Organizations will often cite a lack of business justification as a reason not to migrate to a hybrid or Cloud environment. However, there is are significant arguments and data available to refute this claim. Conservative estimates state that a Cloud deployment can cost at least 30% less. This estimate doesn’t factor in cost savings related to growth and storage, as well as server hardware, power consumption, physical space, and operational costs.

Building a Case for a SharePoint Hybrid [On-Demand Webinar]

Watch the On-Demand Webinar now to discover how a hybrid deployment of SharePoint can provide your organization with the security, control and cost benefits you need to make the move now.

Click HERE to watch on-demand now! >>

Need a detailed Hybrid Deployment example? Look no further!

Our accompanying on-demand webinar on Building a Case for a SharePoint Hybrid takes a deep dive into the technical side of the hybrid environment with a detailed customer case study. During this presentation, the case study outlines how the migration was mapped and managed for a global organization with over 13,000 staff in 65 countries and details the steps involved in setting up the deployment. Further, it is explained how features, such as hybrid search, were implemented. If you are interested in learning more, check out the webinar recording here.

Best laid plans are the best Hybrid scenarios

Still considering a hybrid deployment of SharePoint? Given that these deployments have so many moving parts, our advice at Steeves and Associates is always: “Plan, Plan, Plan”. Moreover, it’s important that individuals and organizations working on such a move are familiar with SharePoint architecture and understand the necessary configurations.

Just as the global organization achieved in our featured Hybrid environment customer case study, you too can plan and execute a successful SharePoint Hybrid environment working with our SharePoint and architecture consultants at Steeves and Associates. As Canada’s first Microsoft Cloud Partner we have the knowledge and experience necessary to help you build the hybrid deployment right for your organization. Contact us at + 1 888 952 8800 or at sales@steeves.net to learn more.

Steeves and Associates

Steeves and Associates is the first Microsoft Cloud Partner in Canada and the premier Partner of choice for medium-to-large size organizations. As the Hybrid Data Center, Cloud Productivity and Identity Specialists we are a leader, early adopter and implementer of Microsoft technologies with a reputation for innovation, quality, and in-depth expertise.

Known as the “Trusted Go-to-Partner” by both clients and vendors, Steeves and Associates delivers a senior team of enterprise consultants who average 25 years’ of experience integrating, implementing and migrating Microsoft solutions into a myriad of complex enterprise environments. Considered to be amongst the best in the industry, you are in working with the right resources to get your questions answered when you need it most with Steeves and Associates.

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