Financial institutions are among the most risk-averse, regulated and highly regulated industries in the world. These organizations are often the most complex, with a large number of legacy systems and processes. Aron Brand, CTERA's CTO, talks about why these companies are realizing the benefits of the cloud to help them be more responsive and agile to their customers.
The mainframe was the engine of financial institutions and banks up until the 1990s. This was the central point of all these institutions. These systems were responsible for processing and storing all client information as well as associated transactions. IBM and other companies are working hard to modernize mainframes and make them more cloud-friendly. We are at an important point.
Mainframe maintenance is becoming more expensive and time-consuming. The cloud is also becoming more attractive. You can now run mission-critical applications on the cloud, which was previously possible only on mainframes.
Cloud Transformation is Necessary
Financial institutions today are turning to the cloud for the agility and flexibility they need to succeed in the digital age. These organizations must transform their business to thrive and survive. This is due to a variety of reasons.
First, the cloud gives these companies the flexibility they need. Without the need to invest in expensive hardware, they can scale up and down as needed. This is especially important considering the uncertain and volatile economic environment we currently face.
The cloud also allows these companies to quickly and inexpensively experiment with new technologies such as machine learning and big data analytics. If they want to keep up with fintech startup's rapid pace of innovation, this is crucial.
The cloud allows organizations to provide personalized digital experiences for their customers that are convenient and personal. Customers have come to expect this.
The Hybrid Cloud: Overcoming Cloud Transformation Challenges
Cloud transformation has been a challenge for financial institutions for many reasons. Data security and compliance have been the biggest challenges. Data security and compliance are the biggest challenges. Financial data is extremely sensitive and is subject to strict regulations. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires financial companies to keep accurate records of all financial transactions, as well as electronic records and communications. Financial organizations have decided to modernize their storage systems by using hybrid cloud storage. This allows them to supplement on-premises storage with more storage in the public cloud.
Financial organizations will find hybrid cloud storage the best solution because it offers the same security and compliance as private storage systems but with the cost-effectiveness of the public cloud and the flexibility of the latter. Hybrid cloud storage combines public cloud and private storage, with a data management system that coordinates data between them. Hybrid cloud has the advantage of allowing organizations to add functionality to their existing storage while connecting to cloud computing to optimize data analysis. Hybrid architecture allows for lower storage costs by replacing legacy file servers and storing them in public storage such as Amazon S3 or Azure. Hybrid cloud storage allows organizations to optimize cloud data access from edge computing locations.
Hybrid cloud storage allows for data encryption and safe storage in the public cloud. This allows financial institutions to meet their compliance and security requirements while still taking advantage of the flexibility and cost-effectiveness of the public cloud.
The hybrid Cloud solution is viable for all business types. This solution is suitable for companies with legacy data and those that were born in the cloud. A hybrid cloud solution allows a company to use existing applications without having to code or plan a new one. These allowances allow for low latency, local access, older protocols like service message block, network file sharing, as well as security standards such as Windows NT or access control lists. It is easy to transfer both end users as well as applications onto hybrid cloud storage.
Hybrid cloud storage is a great option for industries that have strict security and compliance requirements. It allows these organizations to reap the benefits of public cloud computing while still avoiding security and compliance risks. Financial organizations also find Hybrid cloud storage attractive because they can dynamically scale their storage and computing power as required. This is crucial for businesses that are subject to spikes in demand such as tax season and end-of-quarter reports. Cloud bursting is a method that uses the public cloud to augment the private cloud's capacity during peak periods. This allows businesses to save money and time by not having to overprovision their private cloud capacities.
Assuring Security
Ransomware is a threat to security in the financial sector. It can cause the loss or inability to access sensitive data. Ransomware can encrypt financial data in some cases. This can cause financial loss. Hybrid cloud storage solutions have the unique ability to protect against ransomware. They provide an immutable off-site copy of data that can be used for file restoration if files are encrypted.
The cloud is changing and modernizing financial institutions. Large institutions like banks and insurance companies have new options to improve their financial processes, offer better services and increase efficiency. This segment now has hybrid cloud storage. It allows them to take advantage of the flexibility and cost-effectiveness of the public cloud, while still meeting all their compliance and security requirements.