How is a hybrid cloud defined?

A hybrid cloud is defined as a cloud environment that combines both public and private cloud infrastructures. This approach allows organizations to leverage the benefits of both types of clouds, providing greater flexibility and more deployment options. By utilizing a hybrid model, businesses can keep sensitive data and critical applications in a private cloud while taking advantage of the scalability and cost-effectiveness of public cloud resources for less sensitive operations or for overflow capacity.

This configuration facilitates a balanced workload management that enhances the overall efficiency of cloud resources. For instance, during peak demand, an organization can quickly scale out to the public cloud without compromising security and control over sensitive data typically managed in a private cloud. This duality creates a versatile solution that meets diverse business needs by effectively managing workloads based on their requirements.

The other options do not fit the definition of a hybrid cloud. A cloud strictly using public resources represents only a public cloud model, while a purely private cloud with no external access emphasizes complete isolation from public networks. The concept of using cloud solely for storage does not cover the broader operational flexibility and resource integration that characterizes a hybrid cloud configuration.