What is a hybrid cloud?

A hybrid cloud is characterized by the integration of both public and private cloud environments, allowing for data and applications to be shared between them. This configuration enables organizations to leverage the benefits of both cloud types, such as the scalability and cost-effectiveness of public clouds and the enhanced control and security often associated with private clouds.

Using a hybrid model allows businesses to optimize their resources; they can keep sensitive information and critical workloads in the private cloud while utilizing the public cloud for less sensitive operations, seasonal workloads, or to accommodate variable demand. This flexibility supports better disaster recovery options, gives organizations the ability to customize their cloud strategy, and allows them to respond more effectively to changing business needs.

In contrast, the other options do not encapsulate the essence of a hybrid cloud. Multi-tenant and single-tenant services relate more to the type of hosting and resource allocation rather than the combination aspect crucial to hybrid clouds. Moreover, simply identifying a virtualized compute provider lacks the specificity of how hybrid cloud environments are structured.