The cloud is a virtual location on the internet to store files, applications, databases, servers, etc. The cloud is no longer a luxury reserved for modern and big enterprises. In today's world, it has become an absolute necessity. Companies across all fields can now choose the cloud to get an ever-new dimension of their business. However, deciding between different cloud types can be a little confusing., e.g., hybrid cloud and multi-cloud. In this blog, let us see what exactly hybrid cloud and multi-cloud are and the difference between them and try to clear out the confusion surrounding them.
The dispersion of cloud-based assets, apps, and software over many cloud environments is known as multi-cloud. It refers to the integration and combination of multiple public clouds. Organizations can use one public cloud as a database, one as a platform as a service (PaaS), and one for user authentication. In simple terms, businesses use multiple cloud services like SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS, which are public cloud services and are often from different cloud service providers. Using two or more cloud services instead of relying on one is the main advantage of multi-cloud for many businesses. Here an organization might perform some tasks using AWS, another using the Google cloud platform, and yet another task using Microsoft Azure. However, a multi-cloud approach can sometimes be extensive and complex depending on the business consumption of each cloud service. For example, a company might use a public cloud provider's IaaS to host its workloads and use specialized SaaS and PaaS providers per their business requirements. Thus, multi-cloud often needs to operate in combination with other cloud environments to meet the organization's needs fully. Multi-cloud is best in achieving results for different requirements and departments. It helps decrease overall costs, increases flexibility, and avoids vendor lock-in. It also minimizes dependency on a particular cloud provider.
A combination of a public cloud with a private cloud or on-premises infrastructure solely dedicated to the end user is called a hybrid cloud. A hybrid cloud is made of my cloud combinations like two private or public clouds or one public and one private cloud. The key to the hybrid cloud is uniformity, as it gives consistent access and delivery of resources that smoothly integrate public and private clouds. There are two main approaches to building a uniform hybrid cloud infrastructure. A traditional approach is to build a private cloud stack using common platforms to integrate with a public cloud. These are often called Heterogeneous hybrid clouds as the resulting hybrid cloud includes technologies and platforms from various providers. The other approach is to use specialized appliances containing software stack and services designed to integrate with the public cloud. As the resulting hybrid cloud infrastructure includes technologies from a single provider, they are often referred to as Homogeneous. In a hybrid cloud, data and processes typically complement each other instead of staying in their place. Businesses choose a hybrid cloud because they can maintain a private infrastructure with easy accessibility and security. A hybrid cloud is best for scaling cost-effectively, embracing agile working ways, and streamlining daily workflows and functionality. The hybrid cloud gives easy compliance and faster disaster recovery.
One of the main questions businesses adopting multi and hybrid clouds have is, can a hybrid cloud be a multi-cloud? The answer to this is Yes. When multiple public cloud service is combined with a private cloud, it becomes a hybrid cloud. It leads to a single IT solution between both clouds. For instance, an organization can build a private cloud for internal use and then create a hybrid cloud by merging this private cloud with a public cloud and then adding multiple other clouds depending on the various resources and services of the business. Similarly, a hybrid cloud can be created with one public cloud and consume the resources of other public clouds outside of the hybrid cloud environment. Thus, we can say that hybrid clouds and multi-clouds can coexist with their purpose.
The main difference between hybrid and multi-cloud architecture is where non-cloud resources are located. The hybrid cloud uses existing on-premises servers, storage, and networking to support authentication, security, database, and monitoring services. In a multi-cloud environment, these resources are also in the cloud at the same or different providers providing computing services.
Following are some of the factors organizations must consider before choosing hybrid cloud or multi-cloud:
Cost: Costs are typically low in multi-cloud as they come with less overhead and direct management. The provider handles most responsibilities in multi-cloud, like provisioning servers, applying security updates, etc. Hence these expenses are taken off of the end user.
Security: A hybrid cloud allows businesses to use the scaling benefits of the public cloud with the privacy and security of the on-premises infrastructure. Thus the organizations can keep the data in a more tightly secured environment. Hence organizations with high confidential data choose the hybrid cloud more often.
Reliability and performance: Deploying multiple clouds can keep websites and apps running during peak user demands. A backup cloud can take some of the workloads if one cloud is overwhelmed. Moving to the cloud can boost performance if the public cloud hosts servers at the network edge by cutting down latency.
Tool support: In a multi-cloud, support for third-party operational tools is prioritized, whereas, in a hybrid cloud, support for native operational tools is prioritized.
In today's business world, having a digital approach by moving to the cloud is vital. This blog throws light on what is multi-cloud and hybrid cloud, the difference between them, and their advantages. Organizations must choose among them depending on their business and resource requirements.
