A hybrid environment combines both on-premises infrastructure and cloud-based resources, allowing virtual machines to operate seamlessly between the two. CompTIA A+ describes hybrid cloud as a deployment model where organizations maintain their own private servers or virtualization hosts while also leveraging public cloud platforms such as AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud. This model supports flexibility, scalability, and gradual migration, making it ideal for businesses not ready to fully abandon local infrastructure.
In this model, workloads can move between the local environment and the cloud depending on performance requirements, cost considerations, or redundancy needs. Additionally, hybrid clouds allow resource sharing, data synchronization, and load balancing across both environments.
A public cloud hosts resources entirely in the provider’s data center, offering no on-premises integration. A private cloud exists solely within the organization’s infrastructure with no external shared resources. SaaS delivers applications, not infrastructure, meaning it cannot host or manage virtual machines.
Therefore, an environment where VMs exist both on-site and in the cloud is best described as a Hybrid cloud.
