What is Acronis Hybrid Cloud Architecture? How Does it Work?

When it comes to backing up all data in your hybrid IT environment, you need an up-to-date solution that reliably protects all your data wherever it resides. If you’re looking for a single solution that integrates data protection, including backup and disaster recovery, with cybersecurity and endpoint management, continue reading to learn more about Acronis Cyber Protect. In this article, we’ll discuss the hybrid cloud and how Acronis Hybrid Cloud Architecture works in addition to its advantages and disadvantages.

Definition of Acronis Hybrid Cloud Architecture

Acronis Hybrid Cloud Architecture is a data protection solution to manage your data in a unified, centralized web console, either in the cloud or on-premises. Acronis protects your entire business from on-premises to remote, mobile devices, public cloud, and private cloud. Since the Acronis solution can support any workload, it is capable of handling both your cloud and on-premises physical, or virtual applications and mobile resources. Any storage is supported including your cloud and on-premises disks, tape, network-attached storage (NAS), and storage area network (SAN).

What is a Hybrid Cloud?

A hybrid cloud consists of a mix of on-premises and third-party services. On-premises is considered a private cloud, while third-party is considered a public cloud. In the hybrid cloud computing environment, there is typically a connection between an on-premises data center and a public cloud. Other private assets may also be connected, such as edge devices or other clouds.

The hybrid cloud model gives an organization more flexibility and data deployment options. Organizations can deploy workloads in private and public clouds and move between them based on computing needs and changing costs. A workload consists of the network, hosting, and web service features of an application.

Multi-cloud is different from a hybrid-cloud model. While a hybrid cloud utilizes a single environment to operate private and public resources, a multi-cloud environment includes two or more public resources and no private resources.

How Acronis Hybrid Cloud Architecture Works

Acronis recommends a hybrid backup strategy, utilizing both local and cloud backup, to prevent data loss. Hybrid clouds allow data to move seamlessly between public cloud and private cloud environments. This interconnectivity is achieved through data virtualization, connective tools, and protocols such as application programming interfaces (APIs), virtual private networks (VPNs), and/or wide area networks (WANs).

Each of the environments that make up your hybrid cloud has its own benefits and uses, so when you combine them all into a single hybrid cloud, it’s a powerful solution. You obtain increased control in managing the protection, availability, confidentiality, and safeguarding of your IT framework and your clients' information, software, and networks.

Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud enables service providers to deliver cyber protection easily, efficiently, and securely. With one solution, managed from a single console, users can access cloud backup, cloud disaster recovery, ransomware protection, file sync, and share, and blockchain-based file notarization and e-signature services.

Using full-stack, next-generation AI/ML-based protection, automated patch management, vulnerability assessments, and URL filtering, Acronis Cloud Protect protects your systems and data against malware, such as ransomware and crypto miners.

Advantages of Using Acronis Hybrid Cloud Architecture

We’ve compiled a list of advantages when using Acronis Hybrid Cloud Architecture, as shown below:

Unified Web Console

Protect and manage your data easily via a single, touch-friendly, web-based management console. The management console provides the user interface for Acronis products and can be deployed on-premises or in the cloud. You can manage your entire IT environment from one unified, centralized web console, allowing flexible interaction with data protection and cybersecurity applications.

Extensive Data Protection

Extensive hybrid cloud data protection through archiving, backup, disaster recovery, e-Discovery, secure file sync and share, and monitoring solutions.

Protects a Wide Array of Systems

Acronis Backup protects your entire IT environment, including backup of physical Microsoft Windows and Linux servers; virtual VMware and Microsoft Hyper-V; cloud Microsoft Azure VMs and Amazon EC2 instances; Microsoft Exchange, SQL Server, SharePoint, and Active Directory applications; local and remote Microsoft Windows and Mac workstations and laptops; and iPhone, iPad, and Android devices.

Many Recovery Options

Choose from many forms of recovery, including:

• File Recovery
• System Recovery
• Bare-Metal Recovery
• Granular Recovery
• Dissimilar Hardware Recovery
• Active Restore
• vmFlashBack
• P2V, V2V, V2P, P2P
• P2C, V2C, C2C, C2V, C2P
• Large Scale Recovery
• Cloud Disaster Recovery
• Replication
• High Availability
• Instant Recovery
• Virtual

Flexible Deployment Options

The Acronis solution is capable of flexible deployment options. You can deploy the solution anywhere in a private or public cloud, on-premises, Acronis cloud, or another partner’s cloud.

Ease-of-Use

The Acronis tool can be set up and used relatively quickly. In addition to providing an external backup system, Acronis protects against unauthorized access. With Acronis Backups, you can enable the Acronis encryption feature on any file, drive, or full system backup plan in just a few clicks.

Improves Productivity and Reduces Costs

Improves IT productivity and reduces costs. The hybrid cloud allows you to provide resources when and where they’re needed, allowing you to meet customer demands and control costs. With cloud bursting, you can configure your environment to deal with peaks and valleys in IT demands more efficiently, thereby reducing or eliminating service interruptions. For example, a single cluster can manage different workloads.

As you can see, there are many advantages to using the Acronis Hybrid Cloud Architecture. Continue reading to learn more about the disadvantages, as they are not quite as lengthy as the advantages and can be summed up in a couple of paragraphs.

Disadvantages of Using Acronis Hybrid Cloud Architecture

Since the Acronis solution comes with so many capabilities, it will take some time to learn how to utilize the advanced features. The disadvantages of using Acronis Hybrid Cloud Architecture lie more in cloud backup than the solution itself. If you have a large amount of data, it can take hours or even days to download a full backup from the cloud.

Switching to another cloud provider can be time-consuming because, in addition to your current systems, you’ll need to migrate your older backups to the new cloud provider’s infrastructure. Cloud-to-cloud migration tools are available but usually work best with small amounts of data.

When to Use Acronis Hybrid Cloud Architecture

Cyber threats are vast and constantly evolving. Standalone cybersecurity and data protection solutions can leave gaps in your defenses. For reliable protection for modern workloads across multiple domains, organizations need a multilayered approach, including utilizing the latest cybersecurity technology with data security and authentication.

When MSP organizations need enhanced control over both their own data and clients’ data, a hybrid cloud can be an impactful solution. A hybrid cloud can help you meet customer demand while controlling costs. Solutions like Acronis Hybrid Cloud Architecture can help protect your data more securely and faster than ever before. If you’re looking for a cost-effective solution to help you avoid downtime, eliminate data loss, and mitigate security breaches, Acronis Cyber Protect may be a good fit for your organization.

Many of Liquid Web’s servers come standard with local backups, but for maximum security, you’ll want to consider an off-server backup solution like Acronis Cyber Backups. You can store your external server backups in the Liquid Web Cloud or the Acronis Backup Cloud.

Contact Us

If you have additional questions regarding Acronis Hybrid Cloud Architecture, Liquid Web experts are ready to help. Contact the 24-hour sales team to discuss adding Acronis to your infrastructure or setting up an account and having this important feature from the start.