What is Hybrid Cloud?
Hybrid cloud is a computing environment that combines a public cloud with a private or on-premises data center, connected by secure networking to enable workload portability and unified management.
A hybrid cloud is an integrated computing environment that uses a mix of public cloud services (such as AWS, Microsoft Azure, or Google Cloud) and private cloud or on-premises infrastructure. The two environments are connected through a secure network link, typically a VPN or a dedicated direct connection like AWS Direct Connect or Azure ExpressRoute. This setup allows data and applications to be shared between them, giving organizations greater flexibility, deployment options, and cost savings.
How it works: Organizations run sensitive workloads or legacy applications on their private infrastructure, while using the public cloud for burst capacity, development and testing, or statistically ephemeral tasks. Management and orchestration tools span both environments, often using a unified control plane, container orchestration (like Kubernetes), or infrastructure as code. The network link must provide low latency, encryption, and reliable throughput so that the two environments appear as a single coherent infrastructure.
Place in the wider stack: Hybrid cloud sits between fully on-premises private clouds and fully public cloud architectures. It is a common stepping stone for enterprises undergoing digital transformation, as it allows gradual migration, regulatory compliance (keeping sensitive data on-premises), and cost optimization. It introduces additional complexity in networking, security policies, and tooling compared to single-cloud setups, but is widely adopted because it avoids vendor lock-in and capital expenditure spikes.
Key facts
- Hybrid cloud connects at least one public cloud to a private or on-premises environment.
- The connection is typically a VPN (IPsec) or a dedicated private link like AWS Direct Connect.
- Workload portability is often achieved through containers (Kubernetes) or VM migration tools.
- Common use cases include cloud bursting, disaster recovery, and running legacy systems on-premises.
- Management across environments requires unified tools such as Azure Arc, AWS Outposts, or Google Anthos.
How it works in practice
Related terms
References
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