Service Definition Overview
A hybrid cloud incorporates a combination of cloud instances and can include private, external, or public resources.
A business of any size with an existing private cloud can choose or be required to provide and manage public or external cloud resources in a secure and scalable way. The connectivity between different cloud instances that enables data and application portability is defined as the hybrid cloud solution.
A hybrid cloud is not made up of only two separate environments that are isolated from one another. The two environments must also have reliable high-speed connectivity with each other through the use of a data center interconnect.
Another way of conceptualizing a hybrid cloud is by considering a mechanism, such as VMware vRealize® Automation™, that sits above all the different technologies, managing and deploying to these different cloud endpoints. This service broker model allows a cloud consumer to request the deployment of a workload that is then deployed on the platform or technology to which it is best suited.
Figure 1. vRealize Automation
Key business drivers and other reasons that customers consider deploying hybrid clouds include the following:
• Reduced total cost of ownership (TCO)
• Lower capital expenditures (CAPEX) when trying new markets
• Business agility
• Provides a clear use case for public cloud computing
• A hybrid cloud model is a valuable approach to architecture
• Ability to mix and match resources between available infrastructure
• Solves resource constraint issues by scaling out to the cloud
• Innovation and new product development
• Accelerating release cycles and speed to market
o Faster application deployment
o Prolong legacy applications
• Operational efficiency
The remainder of this document provides an architectural overview of a hybrid cloud model comprised of an on-premises data center and a VMware Cloud Provider data center providing dedicated hosted resources for their business customer, Rainpole.com.
