1.4.3. Hybrid Cloud

💡 First Principle: Hybrid cloud combines public and private cloud environments, enabling data and applications to move between them, offering flexibility, optimized costs, and compliance benefits.

Hybrid cloud is a cloud computing model that combines a public cloud with a private cloud (on-premises data center or private cloud hosted by a third party). This allows data and applications to be shared or moved between the two environments, leveraging the strengths of both.

Key Characteristics of Hybrid Cloud:

• Combination: Integrates public cloud (e.g., AWS) and private cloud (e.g., your own data center).
• Interoperability: Services and applications can seamlessly run across both environments.
• Flexibility: Allows businesses to choose the optimal environment for different workloads based on security, compliance, cost, and scalability needs.
• Bursting: Use public cloud for temporary capacity spikes while maintaining core workloads on-premises. This is often called "cloud bursting".
• Data Control: Keep sensitive data on-premises (private cloud) while leveraging public cloud for less sensitive data or flexible computing.
• Examples: Storing application data on-premises but using public cloud for development/testing; "cloud bursting" to public cloud during peak demand. AWS Direct Connect and AWS VPN are common services used to connect these environments.

Scenario: A company has an existing on-premises data center with some legacy applications containing sensitive data. They want to start using the public cloud for new, scalable applications and for development/testing, but they need to keep the sensitive data on-premises for compliance. They also want to be able to "burst" applications to the public cloud during peak times.

Reflection Question: How does the hybrid cloud model, by combining public and private cloud environments, fundamentally offer businesses greater flexibility, optimized costs, and compliance benefits by allowing data and applications to move between different environments?