Cloud bursting is a hybrid cloud computing model that enables businesses to seamlessly scale computing resources to meet peak demand. This hybrid cloud computing method ensures that systems operate efficiently and cost-effectively by allocating workloads between an on-premises data centre and a public cloud, dynamically.
Now, let’s continue reading to learn more about cloud bursting, including its definition and how it work.
What Is Cloud Bursting?
The technique known as “cloud bursting” involves a process of dynamically scaling public cloud resources to handle workloads during periods when on-premises data centre resources are at maximum capacity. It is known as cloud bursting because the overflow traffic “bursts” from the private cloud to the public cloud when necessary.
Cloud bursting is a strategy for organisations to efficiently manage resources and handle peak demand without over-provisioning their on-premises infrastructure. Companies can achieve optimal performance and scalability while reducing costs by quickly shifting workloads to the public cloud during peak traffic periods.
In a cloud bursting model, the private cloud is the primary deployment method, with public cloud resources used during peak traffic periods. When a private cloud reaches its resource limit, overflow traffic is routed to a public cloud with no service interruption. Once traffic levels have returned to normal, the data is transferred back to the private cloud.
Cloud bursts can be triggered automatically in response to high usage demands or manually via a request. Retailers during peak season may be an example of cloud bursting usage. When there are in-demand peaks during the holiday shopping season, the cloud-bursting method is used to serve the sudden spike in traffic.
Cloud bursting can present a number of challenges, including security concerns. Cloud access control can help you keep your cloud environment secure. Setting policies, procedures, and technologies can be an effective tool for protecting your cloud environment from unauthorised access.
Learn more about that in our post, “Cloud Access Control: What It Is and How It Works”.
The Importance of Cloud Bursting
Cloud bursting is important because it can handle sudden increases in traffic without affecting service quality or causing downtime. This flexibility enables businesses to scale their resources efficiently as needed, ensuring peak performance.
Because of its flexibility in resource allocation, businesses can use extra computing resources from public clouds only when necessary. This flexibility is critical for dealing with unexpected spikes in traffic or workload while also ensuring service continuity.
The flexibility of cloud bursting makes it an important method for cost-effective IT operations. Organisations can reduce their private cloud infrastructure costs by keeping only the resources required for critical and confidential applications.
Cloud bursting also gives you the flexibility to quickly adjust and adapt to changing cloud capacity requirements. If teams experience an unexpected increase in traffic to a private cloud, they can seamlessly transition to the public cloud.
Despite the challenges associated with cloud bursting, such as security and compliance, latency and performance, compatibility and integration, and bandwidth limitations, it remains a flexible and cost-effective solution for managing workload spikes.
How Does Cloud Bursting Work?
Cloud bursting works using 3 different approaches. Cloud bursting can be implemented using distributed load balancing, automated bursting, or a manual bursting method.
So how do the 3 different methods of cloud bursting operate? Here are the explanations for each method:
- Distributed load balancing: When traffic reaches a predetermined threshold, an identical environment redirects workload traffic to a public cloud. This method requires an application to be deployed both locally and in the public cloud, as well as load balancing operations to distribute traffic.
- Automated bursting: In this method, an organisation must first establish policies that define how bursting is handled. When configured, an application hosted in a private cloud will automatically burst to a public cloud. Automatic bursting is using software to switch the applications over. This enables an organisation to provision cloud resources as needed without delay.
- Manual bursting: An organisation can manually provision and deprovision cloud services and resources by using manual bursting. Manual cloud bursting can be used for large-scale temporary cloud deployments. During that time, more traffic is usually expected to free up local resources for applications that are essential to business operations.
Techtarget explains how it works in detail. IT administrators perform cloud bursting by establishing capacity thresholds for applications in the private cloud. Traffic is directed towards the public cloud automatically or manually when workload capacity approaches its threshold. When the surge in resource requirements decreases, the application is redirected to on-premises or private cloud infrastructure.
Challenges of Using Cloud Bursting
While cloud bursting offers several benefits, such as cost savings, scalability, flexibility, and resilience, it also poses some challenges. Security, latency, compatibility, and bandwidth limitations are some of the challenges in using cloud bursting. Here are the explanation of each challenge
- Security and Compliance: Cloud bursting involves moving data and applications between different environments that might have different security and compliance standards and policies.
- Latency and Performance: Transferring data and applications to a remote location can create additional network latency.
- Compatibility and Integration: It requires systems that are more complex than a standard cloud deployment.
- Bandwidth Limitations: Bandwidth issues can limit the movement of data/applications and delay the start.
Despite these challenges, cloud bursting remains a versatile and cost-effective solution for handling workload spikes. It enables organisations to scale resources up or down in response to demand without paying significant upfront infrastructure costs. It also improves overall system reliability and redundancy by using multiple cloud providers.
Cloud orchestration is another approach to managing cloud services. This method includes automation processes such as provisioning, deployment, and resource management. Learn more in our previous post, “Cloud Orchestration: Definition and Differentiation from Cloud Automation”.
Conclusion
Finally, cloud bursting is an effective strategy for organisations looking to optimise their computing resources to meet changing demand.
Businesses can achieve dynamic scalability, cost optimisation, and increased resilience by seamlessly extending their on-premises resources to the public cloud. While challenges exist, the benefits of cloud bursting make it an appealing solution for modern businesses dealing with the complexities of fluctuating IT demand workloads.
Want to improve the efficiency of your company’s cloud environment management?
Axle Networks IT Managed Services offers robust cloud management solutions tailored to your specific needs. With our team of experienced professionals, you can rest assured that your cloud-based resources and data will be protected from unauthorised access and potential security threats.
