Hybrid cloud refers to a computing environment that combines elements of both private and public cloud infrastructures. In a hybrid cloud setup, organizations can orchestrate workloads between on-premises infrastructure (private cloud) and cloud-based services provided by public cloud providers. This approach allows businesses to leverage the scalability and flexibility of public clouds for certain tasks while keeping sensitive data or critical applications on-premises for security or compliance reasons.
An example of a hybrid cloud setup could be a financial institution using a private cloud to store and process sensitive customer data due to regulatory requirements and security concerns. At the same time, the institution uses a public cloud provider like AWS or Azure for running customer-facing applications that require elastic scalability during peak usage periods. This hybrid model allows the institution to maintain control over sensitive data while benefiting from the agility and cost-efficiency of public cloud resources.
Organizations opt for hybrid cloud for several reasons. One key advantage is flexibility, as it enables businesses to choose the optimal environment for each workload based on factors such as performance, security, and compliance requirements. Hybrid cloud also supports gradual migration to the cloud, allowing organizations to transition workloads at their own pace while maintaining existing investments in on-premises infrastructure. Additionally, it provides redundancy and resilience by distributing workloads across multiple environments, ensuring continuity of operations in case of disruptions or outages.
Cloud-only and hybrid cloud represent two different approaches to IT infrastructure management. Cloud-only refers to organizations exclusively using public cloud services for all their computing needs, relying on the provider’s infrastructure and services for scalability, storage, and applications. In contrast, hybrid cloud combines private and public cloud environments, allowing businesses to integrate on-premises infrastructure with cloud services based on workload requirements. While cloud-only offers simplicity and scalability, hybrid cloud provides flexibility, control over sensitive data, and the ability to meet specific regulatory or operational needs that require on-premises infrastructure.
