The growing case for IT flexibility

Thanks to developments in technology like the all-pervasive cloud, our IT systems are able to adapt to our organisations’ needs to an extent that they never could before. And with the rise of various as-a-service providers, this valuable flexibility is increasingly available to institutions of all sizes.

The ability to scale up and scale down and add to your infrastructure is of great value at the best of times – and in this period of unprecedented disruption caused by the coronavirus lockdown, it will be invaluable to many organisations.

The case for flexibility

The rise of the cloud has already transformed the IT infrastructure landscape, making it more flexible and affordable than ever before. This has enabled organisations to quickly and easily scale up and scale down, paying for more virtual machines, physical cores, containers, storage capacity or network ports as required, and not spending unnecessarily for extra capacity that ends up unused.

But flexibility is more than simply transferring your infrastructure to the cloud. Increasingly popular hybrid solutions combine public and private cloud solutions with on-premises infrastructure that may offer the added control, security or compatibility that your organisation requires. This is where the next step in IT flexibility comes in. HPE GreenLake is already offering a consumption-based service that includes not only your cloud usage but on-premises infrastructure too. This way, your organisation can avoid IT expenses stemming from overprovisioning, and HPE will maintain a buffer in your systems that can mitigate spikes in demand, as well as quickly and efficiently increasing your capacity if it is looking necessary.

The ability to scale up and down or to pay for only what you use means that a company’s growth and transformation no longer needs to be constrained by its immediate IT resources. And with GreenLake leading the way on services that cover the whole hybrid model, this flexibility is making success a possibility for organisations that would once not have been able to afford to deploy such an IT infrastructure in the first place.

Flexibility and uncertainty

If we’ve learned anything from the events of recent years – both domestically and globally – it’s that nothing can be taken for granted. From political upheaval to coronavirus lockdown, these unforeseen events have left no organisation unaffected. Against this backdrop of uncertainty, the value of IT flexibility is clearer than ever.

There’s no doubt that many organisations will see a negative impact from this kind of disruption, calling for a scale-down that flexible IT services can accommodate and thus help avoid incurring the extra costs of running unnecessary infrastructure.

But there are also opportunities to be found in these situations – often ones that no one could have predicted ahead of time. These services are just as valuable in allowing organisations to scale up to meet new – perhaps almost overwhelming – demands quickly and smoothly without faltering or missing out because of slow-moving, inflexible infrastructure. At moments like these, the inbuilt resource buffers will give your organisation breathing space while it adjusts to the new demands being placed on it.

Services like GreenLake come with sophisticated portals that allow for simple and easy metering and monitoring of your IT usage. With all your data in one place, you can better understand exactly what you’re using across your entire IT estate, along with accurate estimations of what it’s costing you. At times of increased uncertainty, this added level of oversight is invaluable when it comes to analysing your organisation and keeping a tighter rein on expenditure – as well as identifying areas of particular strength or weakness, and planning for the future.

That transparency, that understanding of what’s going on across your entire IT estate, regardless of whether it’s public cloud, private cloud or on-premise, is paramount for organisations who have considered the benefits of a hybrid approach, but have been put off by the complexities of managing it.

Organisations working in regulated industries, for instance, will require a proportion of both storage and compute to remain on-premise, but will also be attracted to the potential benefits of moving some, if not the majority of IT infrastructure to the cloud. GreenLake can deliver the solution these organisations need, ensuring that whatever hybrid or multi-cloud mix is employed, it’s simple to manage and cost effective.

And with the infinitely flexible model that an as-a-service solution like GreenLake provides, there’s the added peace of mind that comes from knowing that security will be baked into everything from the ground up, and that patches and upgrades will be taken care of without any drain on your organisation’s IT resources. Plus there’s the added benefit of expert support and advice for your entire IT infrastructure, ensuring that the solution you have in place is always the solution you need. And of course, helping your organisation adapt and rise to any challenges – unforeseen or otherwise – that may arise.

Investing in IT flexibility through services like HPE GreenLake gives your organisation room to change and grow, whatever the world throws at you. When it comes to times of major disruption, it may be the essential tool you need to survive and thrive

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