How Construction Companies Can Leverage Cloud Bursting
Back in the 2010s, public cloud solutions became increasingly popular, offering businesses new cost-effective and scalable solutions. Capitalising on cloud computing, businesses adopted hybrid cloud deployments to effectively store otherwise vulnerable data and direct resources more efficiently. When it comes to IT downtime, continuity plans are a top priority for any company seeking to limit the damages of a crisis by offering a clear alternative path to keep operations running.
Construction firms operate in high-risk environments, both geographically – where they are exposed to natural disasters and power outages – and digitally, with cyber threats, and the risk of data outages always lurking. Unforeseeable disruptions can halt operations, delay projects, and incur major costs. For construction companies, a continuity plan is a must-have; it retains all information on how to handle crises, allows for swift access to protocols, and ensures collaboration between teams and stakeholders to reduce errors and costly mistakes.
Traditional disaster recovery models are often too slow, too rigid, or too expensive. This is where cloud-bursting comes into play, offering more dynamic ways to bridge gaps and streamline recovery. Cloud bursting is a hybrid cloud setup where on-premises resources run normally, but when they reach capacity or if there’s an outage, the excess workload “bursts” into the cloud. This allows construction companies to continue operations even during system failures or site-wide disasters.
Disaster recovery and business continuity: Cloud bursting in construction
Construction projects often rely on real-time access to designs, timelines, and logistics. In the case of a localised infrastructure failure due to natural disaster, power outage, or a cyberattack, cloud bursting enables seamless migration of critical applications and data to the cloud. This ensures that teams can continue working without disruption. In addition, construction firms that use cloud bursting do not need to invest heavily in redundant on-prem infrastructure. The public cloud provides on-demand scalability, allowing for rapid backup and recovery of large files (e.g., BIM models, drone footage, GIS data). As a result, data integrity is maintained, and recovery time objectives (RTOs) and recovery point objectives (RPOs) can be significantly reduced even in disaster scenarios.
It is also crucial to understand that modern construction projects often span multiple geographies. If a primary site is compromised, cloud bursting can help remote or unaffected teams to instantly access the necessary systems via the cloud. At the same time, in case of a disaster, decision-makers need immediate access to real-time data to assess damages, reallocate resources, and revise project timelines. Cloud bursting enables this by keeping collaboration tools and project data live and accessible – even under pressure. All this helps construction leaders to ensure a speedy recovery following a disaster, allowing them to maintain business continuity.
How can organisations leverage cloud bursting?
Implementing a cloud bursting strategy requires a carefully structured approach to ensure seamless integration and operational resilience. The first critical step involves identifying which workloads are suitable for bursting – usually those that experience variable demand, such as design simulations, data analytics, or collaborative Building Information Modelling (BIM) environments. These workloads must be able to transition between on-premises and cloud infrastructure with minimal disruption. It’s also essential to assess current resource allocation to determine when and how bursting should occur, ensuring optimal performance without over-provisioning.
Once suitable workloads are identified, the focus shifts to resource allocation and infrastructure readiness. Construction businesses must invest in a robust hybrid cloud environment that enables interoperability between their private systems and chosen cloud providers. This can include integrating networking, security, and monitoring tools that function seamlessly across both environments. Ultimately, establishing clear policies to govern cloud usage such as security protocols, data governance, and cost controls. This allows organisations to ensure that bursting is efficient, compliant, and aligned with overall business objectives.
The role of Zero Trust Architectures (ZTAs) in ensuring seamless and secure access
As workloads burst into the cloud, it’s crucial for users to have secure access to data and relevant software. ZTA-based security solutions play a pivotal role in ensuring that cloud bursting strategies are not only efficient but also secure. As construction firms increasingly rely on hybrid environments to manage workloads across on-premises systems and the public cloud, zero trust solutions can provide a modern security framework where no user or device is inherently trusted – regardless of whether they’re inside or outside the network perimeter. As a result, construction businesses can ensure that every access request is verified by assessing user identity, device status, location and behaviour.
This approach safeguards the privacy and integrity of project data and secures cloud environments from breaches, especially during crises. This approach is especially critical during cloud bursting, where workloads dynamically shift and access patterns become less predictable. Leveraging technologies such as multi-factor authentication (MFA), least privilege access, micro-segmentation, and real-time monitoring, ZTA solutions can facilitate secure connections between users and applications, as well as supporting seamless user access. Overall, zero trust architecture serves as the foundation for secure scalability, which is fundamental to any successful cloud bursting deployment.
The takeaway
As the construction industry becomes increasingly digital, resilience and flexibility are no longer optional. Cloud bursting is a strategic, future-ready move towards greater operational agility and disaster readiness. However, its success hinges on a well-executed hybrid cloud strategy underpinned by clear workload assessments, robust governance policies, and secure infrastructure. Construction companies leveraging cloud bursting in tandem with robust security measures and technologies, will be able to thrive in what is called a competitive environment.
