How Hybrid Cloud Storage Improves Costs and Security for K–12 Districts

The Cost and Security Challenges of Cloud-Only Storage

Cloud environments are seen as vital to innovation in K–12 districts. According to the CoSN 2025 State of EdTech District Leadership report, 40% of respondents see cloud infrastructure as tech enablers for the year ahead. Data storage systems in the cloud are easily scalable, typically include lower upfront costs compared with on-premises solutions, and increase data usability because information can be accessed from anywhere via an internet connection. Hybrid cloud solutions, which involve leveraging public and private cloud resources, can offer even more agility.

However, a cloud-only storage strategy carries cybersecurity risks. “A major benefit of on-prem storage is stronger control over the data,” says Andy Stone, Americas CTO at Pure Storage. “The minute you put your data somewhere else, your level of control diminishes to some extent.”

In terms of cost, think of public cloud storage like renting an apartment. You can expect the landlord to raise prices over time. And while pay-as-you-go pricing models provide flexibility, Tsugranes warns that costs can jump exponentially as data volume rises. “I’ve seen cloud costs balloon when organizations weren’t thoughtful about how much they were storing.”

Hybrid Cloud Storage Creates a Smarter, Resilient Infrastructure

Both on-premises and cloud-based data storage systems have valuable security benefits. On-premises systems give IT teams total control over how the data is secured and handled. Cloud vendors also utilize security protocols such as encryption and firewalls, and store data backups in case of a server failure. A hybrid of both solutions can help school districts boost security and improve access to mission-critical data. 

“A sweet spot has been to keep operational systems and data on-premises,” says Tsugranes, explaining that this strategy allows organizations to maintain sensitive data onsite. “But longer-term data warehousing, data analysis, storage backups and disaster recovery fit extremely well in the cloud.”

A hybrid data storage system adds resiliency in case of unplanned outages.

“In an on-prem or colocation facility, if a server goes down, you’re generally disconnected from those records for some time,” Stone says. “But the public cloud usually recovers very quickly because it can switch the data to another region or another part of the cloud.”

On the flip side, on-premises storage solutions allow for offline accessibility. In the case of a widespread or prolonged internet failure, districts can still access student data and learning isn’t disrupted. 

EXPLORE: These AI-powered security solutions have the biggest impact for K–12 environments.

Hybrid Cloud Storage as the Foundation for Innovation

Hybrid cloud storage is essential for innovation in K–12 schools for a couple of reasons, Stone emphasizes. “A lot of companies start their AI journey in the cloud because it’s hard to get graphics processing units, which are expensive.”

GPUs are considered the best chips for high-performance computing, and they’re the go-to technology to power large language models and other AI-backed applications. They also require substantial storage capacity.

“An on-premises data center has defined space and a limited amount of power available to support it,” Stone explains. That’s why many organizations choose to rent access to GPUs through partnerships with public cloud vendors, he says: They can build and train applications in the cloud without worrying about having enough space.

Such a strategy enables districts to utilize on-premises storage for daily data needs, often with central processing units. CPUs have long been used to power vital operations, and they require less computing power than GPUs.

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Launching and Managing a Hybrid Cloud Storage System

A hybrid solution gives districts the flexibility to scale storage capacity up or down as needed, by using on-premises resources or adjusting their space in the cloud. But leaders should be intentional about planning for their long-term data storage needs, Stone says, and decide whether their spending will lean more toward a capital or operational expense model. “There isn’t necessarily a right or wrong answer, but you need to think about it up front.” 

Schools should ensure that a hybrid storage strategy isn’t so complex that it’s overly challenging to manage. “Almost every organization has data in multiple clouds. There needs to be some amount of centralized control and configuration to ensure your organization’s policies are being followed,” Tsugranes says. 

And no matter how their organization’s data storage system evolves, Tsugranes encourages IT professionals to focus on the basics of data security. “We always need robust access controls, strong encryption, audit trails and regular security assessments,” he says. “Business leaders want to report about all the exciting innovative projects, but the basics are what really matter on a daily basis.”