The IT reality is a hybrid reality, here is how to keep it simple

In the cloud, there is no black and white. "If you want a lot of flexibility, then a public cloud may be the appropriate option," says Ayoub Bulaich, Product Manager Hybrid Cloud at Proximus NXT. "But it simply is not possible to move many legacy applications to the public cloud. If you have specific requirements around data security and data location, among others, then private cloud offers the solutions you need.”

This is how companies in recent years have been building out hybrid environments. "Confidential data - such as financial or personal data - still often remains on-premise," Ayoub explains. "For business-critical applications, the choice falls on private cloud, while the public cloud is used for backups, for example."

Virtual data center

The private cloud component remains very important for many companies. A public cloud is too often a black box, with absolutely no visibility into what is happening behind the scenes. "With our private cloud, that visibility is there," says Peter Hoffmann, Products & Solutions Manager at Proximus NXT. Under the name Cloud Fusion, Proximus NXT offers companies the possibility of working with a virtual data center, where they are no longer responsible for infrastructure management themselves, but everything is done in full transparency.

Our Cloud Management Platform brings everything together: on-prem, private and public cloud. You can manage everything through a single interface.

Ayoub Bulaich, Product Manager Hybrid Cloud at Proximus NXT

The physical machines are located in Proximus NXT's data centers in Evere and Machelen. As a company, you have a choice between two types of private cloud. You can either share infrastructure with other customers (shared platform), or you can opt for exclusive hardware, that holds only your applications and data (dedicated platform).

Flexibility thanks to the private cloud

Broadcom's acquisition of VMware increases interest in private cloud through partners like Proximus NXT. Broadcom scraps the existing partner model. In Belgium, the company retains Proximus NXT as one of two direct support partners for VMware. "That poses a challenge to a lot of companies with VMware environments," says Peter. "The move to private cloud - which includes ourselves working with VMware - is then the logical conclusion."

Choosing private cloud via Proximus NXT not only avoids the traditional investment cycle in proprietary hardware, but also offers more flexibility. "You are no longer stuck with the hardware you procured yourself," says Ayoub. "At the same time, you have more control than in the public cloud. Our private cloud offers a local solution, customized and protected." In other words, private cloud stands in sharp contrast to the fixed, non-adaptable offerings in the public cloud.

Cloud Management Platform means one interface for everything

As mentioned, companies today mostly use a hybrid environment, combining on-prem infrastructure, private cloud and public cloud - possibly from different providers. "Our Cloud Management Platform (CMP) brings all those elements together," Ayoub explains. "That means that you don't need separate expertise for each of those elements - often three or more - but can manage everything through a single interface."

CMP allows you to connect 35 different public clouds in addition to your on-prem infrastructure and private cloud. CMP thus simplifies complete management: network, data security, access management, compliance, monitoring, and more. The platform also includes a marketplace. "This offers the business more independence," says Ayoub, "as it can order and launch cloud services itself. This is very useful, for example in the context of developing or improving applications."

Gateway to hybrid cloud

Ultimately, CMP provides simplified, centralized and automated management of an organization’s entire IT infrastructure. "CMP covers much more than just the private cloud part," says Peter. "It forms the gateway to the hybrid cloud." At the same time, you have a good overview of the costs. Analysis of cloud service usage - and reporting on it - enables cost optimization. "Typical of the cloud is that you only pay for what you use. CMP consistently draws that line to the use of private cloud through Proximus NXT."