Q: How does the hybrid cloud work?
A: The hybrid cloud combines public and private clouds via orchestration. The private cloud refers to computing resources used exclusively by one organization. The deployment can be on-premises, or a third-party vendor can host it. A public cloud refers to an environment where a third party owns and operates cloud resources. Organizations normally access these resources over the Internet. A good example of a public cloud is Amazon Web Services (AWS).
Essentially, the hybrid cloud is the best of both worlds. It allows data to move seamlessly between these environments. The distribution of workloads between public and private clouds gives enterprises a lot of flexibility and data deployment options.
What Does a Hybrid Cloud Look Like?
The hybrid cloud infrastructure can vary from one organization to the other. It can be:
- A combination of one public cloud with a private cloud.
- A combination of on-premises infrastructure with a public cloud.
- A combination of multiple public clouds, private clouds, and on-premises infrastructures.
Common Traits of Hybrid Cloud Deployments
All hybrid deployments have some traits in common.
- Data Integration
The hybrid cloud synchronizes data across the organization’s nonpublic and public cloud deployments. The synchronization of data can be problematic. Often, organizations have to implement additional technical solutions to automatically keep data consistent.
- Network Connections
Legacy deployments, private clouds, and public clouds connect via a private network or over the Internet. Network connectivity is a key ingredient in the workings of the hybrid cloud.
- Unified Management
Every cloud has its APIs, SLAs, features, and capabilities. This makes management challenging. This is why organizations need a tool to centralize the management of the hybrid cloud. This tool eliminates the need for managing each cloud separately.
Related Links:
What is private and public cloud computing?