MICROSOFT PRODUCT CAPABILITIES
Connect local requirements to cloud capability.
A hybrid environment can combine on-premises infrastructure with Azure services. Azure Arc extends management to supported resources, while Azure Local provides Azure-connected infrastructure on supported hardware for workloads that need to run locally.
Azure Arc management
Bring supported servers and Kubernetes clusters into Azure inventory and governance while they continue to run in their existing location.
Azure Local
Use Microsoft’s distributed infrastructure platform on supported hardware for local virtual machine and container workloads, connected through Azure Arc.
Connectivity and identity
Design network paths, name resolution, access, and identity across local and Azure environments around application requirements.
Monitoring and recovery
Define how both environments are monitored, updated, protected, and recovered, with responsibility clear across the complete service.
Keep placement tied to the workload
Latency, connectivity, hardware support, data requirements, and operational dependencies help determine where a workload belongs. Azure Local has hardware, subscription, and connectivity requirements that need to be designed in.
Put it to work with Braintree.
Braintree reviews the workloads you retain, designs the connections and management model, and establishes the controls and support needed to operate both environments together.
Microsoft product guidance
A deliberate mix of local and cloud services
Braintree’s hybrid engagement covers architecture, implementation and ongoing management. The design should reflect the useful life of existing infrastructure and the needs of each workload, with the costs of both environments visible.
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Identify workloads that depend on local connectivity or latency.
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Map data handling and access requirements by system.
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Agree the role of hybrid in the longer-term infrastructure plan.
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Confirm how monitoring, incidents and changes are managed across locations.
01
Choose the location around the workload
Hybrid cloud is a deliberate mix of local and cloud infrastructure. It can be a transition during migration or the continuing architecture for a business with location-dependent operations. The decision should be made per workload: latency, connectivity, access, useful hardware life and data-handling requirements may point to different answers.
Consider a manufacturer that needs local production control while finance and reporting use cloud services. The architecture must explain how the two exchange information and what happens if the connection fails. Keeping one component local does not automatically keep the entire business process independent of the network.
02
Connectivity is an operating dependency
Microsoft documents hybrid networking patterns using site-to-site VPN and ExpressRoute. The design includes routing, addressing and failure behaviour as well as the connection itself. A dedicated connection is not a substitute for assessing resilience, and a backup connection must be tested against the traffic it is expected to carry.
The buyer should understand which applications depend on cross-site communication, how name resolution works and who operates the network edge. A branch outage may affect authentication, file access or reporting even when the local application remains powered on. The design must distinguish the business function that can continue locally from the functions that need restored connectivity.
03
Shared management with clear local responsibility
Arc can extend management to supported resources outside Azure, while monitoring and security services can provide a more consistent view. That management layer does not remove the underlying responsibilities for local hardware, operating systems, backups or application support. Each remains part of the operating model.
Identity deserves particular attention. A hybrid user journey can cross local directories, cloud identities and application-specific access. The team should know which identity system is authoritative and what access remains possible during an outage. The same discipline applies to data placement: location is one design factor, not an automatic compliance outcome.
04
Compare a permanent mix with a migration stage
Braintree’s published scope covers architecture, implementation and ongoing operations. The assessment should show whether hybrid is the target or a step toward another arrangement. That distinction affects how much investment should go into the local side and how long interfaces need to be maintained.
Map workloads, locations, dependencies and business requirements for local operation.
Design network paths, identity integration and tested failure behaviour.
Define supported Arc, monitoring and security capabilities for each part of the estate.
Compare the cost and responsibilities of both local and cloud operations.
Agree who owns patching, incidents, recovery and changes across the combined environment.
BEFORE YOU DECIDE
