More and more, here at QuoteColo, we are getting questions about the Hybrid Cloud. Due to this, we are going to use this space to define the Hybrid Cloud, talk a little bit about why it’s becoming a popular Cloud service and chat a bit about the advantages of using a Hybrid Cloud deployment.
Hybrid Cloud Computing Explained
The Cloud is made of layers and two major architectures. The layers are IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service), PaaS (Platform as a Service) and SaaS (Software as a Service). The “as a service” layers of the Cloud enable the Cloud to provide framework, construction tools and programs to consumers through a cost per month model. You can think of the “as a service” layers as a pyramid structure with IaaS as the foundation, PaaS as the middle layer and SaaS as the point.
This stated the two major architectures of the Cloud, which the “as a service” layers inform, are the Public Cloud and the Private Cloud. The Public Cloud is made up of publically accessible Cloud applications like Gmail, Hotmail, Facebook (all of social media), and Spotify etc. As the name suggests, the Public Cloud is comprised of publically accessible programs and applications stored and pulled from a Cloud architecture. Within the Public Cloud, there are no dedicated firewalls to keep public consumers out, nothing major in the way of security and nothing in the way of major costs.
The Private Cloud on the other hand, sometimes called the Corporate Cloud, is a Cloud architecture deployed, maintained and accessed behind the security of a managed corporate firewall. Where the Public and Private Cloud share the same premise of accessible from anywhere, redundant/scalable properties and instant data access, the Private Cloud is deployed behind stringent corporate firewalls to keep the public out.
In most cases, a Private Cloud deployment is established for corporate use and is only accessible to those employees who are safely sitting behind the company firewall on the company network or who have the right encrypted access keys through the use of a VPN (Virtual Private Network).
The difference is simple: the Public Cloud is accessible by anyone and the Private Cloud is closed to everyone but those with the right access credentials.
So, what is Hybrid Cloud Computing? It is the mix between public and private architectures.
Why Hybrid Cloud Computing?
Now that we have Hybrid Cloud Computing explained, let’s chat about why a company would choose to use Hybrid Cloud architecture. As noted, Hybrid Cloud infrastructures allow companies to use both the public and private Cloud as one solution. The reason why a company might want to do this is mixed up in testing, security and flexibility. Although we can’t provide you with a definite reason as to why one company might choose to use a Hybrid Cloud deployment over a singular public or private Cloud, we can say it provides users with the flexibility of moving from one Cloud architecture to the next. For the company who needs web hosting solutions for their corporate website, hosting their site on the public Cloud is a great idea however for the same company who needs to keep their data safe, hosting that data on the company Corporate Cloud is the way to go.
Again, it comes down to flexibility. Companies use a Hybrid Cloud deployment because it allows them the flexibility to moving between secure and unsecure hosting environments to test, host and store data as they see fit.
The other main reason why a company would choose the Hybrid Cloud is due to price. With the flexibility of moving from public to private, companies can host solutions where they want, scale the Cloud they need and dedicate money where it needs to be. Simply put, the Hybrid Cloud allows companies to better control the use of their Cloud solutions and thus better control the allocation of their funds in terms of IT architectures.