Cloud migration has become a recurring topic for MSPs and internal IT departments. Most conversations begin with a simple request from a business leader who is trying to balance modernization with operational stability. The task is usually straightforward.

“We want to modernize our infrastructure, but we cannot move everything to the cloud.”

Technical teams know exactly what this means. They begin reviewing the current environment, the constraints, the security requirements, and the workloads that are most important to keep running smoothly. They evaluate what can move without disruption and what needs to remain on premises for performance or compliance reasons.

For MSPs and internal IT leaders, cloud migration and hybrid adoption are not theoretical concepts. They are daily responsibilities that require careful planning, realistic expectations, and a detailed understanding of how the organization operates.

This blog follows the perspective of those teams. It explains how they approach cloud migration, why hybrid cloud has become the dominant strategy, and how tools like Level help them manage complex environments with clarity.

Cloud Migration: What It Means in Real Operations

Cloud migration refers to moving applications, data, or services from on premises environments into cloud platforms such as AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud. For MSPs and IT teams, the term is broad. What truly matters is the impact on performance, security, scalability, and budget.

Organizations usually explore cloud migration for practical reasons that are familiar across industries. These include rising hardware maintenance burdens, the need for more predictable spending, pressure to deploy services faster, and challenges scaling existing systems during periods of growth.

Even when business leaders present cloud migration as a single initiative, technical teams understand that each workload requires its own evaluation. Some applications move easily. Others require redesign or cannot migrate at all. Some organizations pursue full cloud adoption. Others move a subset of workloads, keeping the rest local.

This variability is why cloud migration is always a gradual process. MSPs and internal teams are responsible for ensuring that each step is safe, strategic, and aligned with business requirements.

Hybrid Cloud: Why It Has Become the Dominant Strategy

Although cloud platforms are powerful, most organizations cannot move everything into the cloud at once, and many never will. This is why hybrid cloud has become the prevailing model across industries.

A hybrid cloud environment combines on premises infrastructure with public cloud resources. For MSPs and internal IT teams, this approach provides several advantages that are difficult to achieve through full cloud adoption alone.

Hybrid models allow sensitive workloads to remain local, support legacy systems that do not migrate easily, help organizations comply with industry regulations, and maintain predictable performance for latency sensitive applications. At the same time, they give teams access to cloud scalability whenever workloads increase beyond the capacity of local infrastructure.

Hybrid cloud is not a compromise. Instead, it is a strategic model that pairs the strengths of existing environments with the agility of cloud services.

Hybrid Cloud Adoption: How IT Teams Navigate the Transition

Hybrid cloud adoption typically unfolds in a series of phases. MSPs and internal IT departments guide organizations through each step, making sure the process remains stable and manageable.

1. Assessment and Planning

Teams begin by evaluating the entire environment. They review configurations, performance indicators, security posture, and workload dependencies. This assessment determines which workloads can move into the cloud and which should remain on premises.

2. Workload Placement Decisions

The focus then shifts to selecting the right environment for each workload. The priority is not cloud first or data center first. The goal is to place each workload where it will perform best and remain secure and cost effective.

3. Operating Across Multiple Environments

Once workloads split across infrastructures, daily operations become more complex. Teams must monitor devices, apply patches, enforce policies, and support users across cloud based and on premises systems.

4. Optimization and Governance

After workloads stabilize in a hybrid arrangement, teams concentrate on cost control, performance tuning, and consistent governance across all systems.

Hybrid adoption works best when MSPs and internal IT treat it as an ongoing practice rather than a one time project.

Why MSPs and Internal IT Teams Choose Hybrid Strategies

Hybrid cloud continues to gain traction because it aligns with the realities that technical teams face every day.

Scalability Without Overinvestment

Organizations can scale into the cloud when demand increases and reduce consumption when demand falls. This creates flexibility without additional hardware.

More Predictable Financial Planning

Hybrid adoption balances capital and operational expenses. Organizations avoid large hardware purchases while gaining the advantage of cloud based pay as you go consumption.

Security and Compliance Flexibility

Some workloads require strict control and data residency. Hybrid cloud allows these workloads to remain local while enabling cloud efficiency for others.

Improved Reliability and Continuity

Hybrid architectures distribute risk across environments. If one component fails, the entire business does not go offline.

Reduced Operational Burden

Cloud resources handle part of the maintenance workload. Internal teams can dedicate more time to strategic initiatives.

These benefits explain why hybrid cloud often becomes the long term operating model for organizations of all sizes.

Challenges MSPs and IT Teams Must Solve in Cloud and Hybrid Environments

Behind every successful hybrid adoption effort is a technical team working through a series of challenges that require expertise and patience.

Key challenges include the following:

Legacy System Constraints

Some critical applications were developed years ago and were never designed for cloud environments. These systems often require re engineering or must remain local.

Skill Gaps and Staffing Limitations

Cloud technologies evolve quickly, and many teams struggle to hire or retain specialists with cloud architecture expertise.

Security and Compliance Management

Hybrid environments increase the number of systems and access points that must be monitored and protected.

Cost Overruns in Cloud Platforms

Untracked usage, poor tagging, and unexpected data transfer fees can cause billing surprises.

Multiple Platforms and Toolsets

Teams often work across several cloud vendors, in addition to on premises infrastructure. Each platform introduces its own management tools and processes.

Data Migration Complexity

Moving large data sets involves bandwidth constraints and careful coordination to maintain data integrity.

Limited Visibility Across the Environment

Hybrid environments expand the number of devices and workloads. Teams must maintain clear visibility to avoid configuration drift or security gaps.

Performance Variability

Cloud outages and latency challenges require strong redundancy planning.

Technical teams must address these challenges to create stable and predictable hybrid environments.

How Level Supports MSPs and IT Teams During Hybrid Adoption

Hybrid cloud creates distributed environments that require unified visibility, consistent management, and reliable automation. Level helps MSPs and internal IT teams deliver these capabilities across all devices and systems.

Unified Device Inventory and Visibility

Level provides a complete view of every device across cloud based and on premises environments. This clarity is important during migration planning and ongoing governance.

Device Groups, Tags, and Custom Fields

Teams can categorize devices by workload type, migration status, compliance profile, or any other relevant attribute. This improves organization and policy enforcement.

Secure Remote Control and Background Management

Level offers fast remote access through any browser. Technical teams can troubleshoot devices without disrupting users.

Monitoring, Alerting, and Reporting

Level delivers real time insights into system health and performance across the entire environment. Teams can detect issues early and generate meaningful reports for stakeholders.

Automation and Scripting Across Platforms

Level supports PowerShell, Bash, Python, and more. Teams can automate routine maintenance, configuration management, and patching at scale.

Cross Platform Patch Management

Hybrid environments contain a mix of operating systems. Level keeps everything updated through a single platform.

Custom Branding and Maintenance Mode

Teams can personalize the user experience and perform maintenance without interrupting workflows.

Level provides the visibility and operational consistency that hybrid environments require.

In Summary: The Future Is Hybrid, and IT Teams Are Leading the Shift

Cloud migration offers new possibilities, and hybrid cloud provides a stable balance between innovation and control. MSPs and internal IT teams are the ones guiding organizations through this transition. They understand the risks, the complexities, and the operational realities far better than anyone else.

The objective is simple. Place every workload in the environment where it performs best, remains secure, and supports future growth.

As hybrid adoption accelerates, organizations need strong visibility, automation, and monitoring across their environments. Level gives teams the platform they need to support modern hybrid architectures with confidence and efficiency.‍