{"id":103034,"date":"2021-09-21T08:51:07","date_gmt":"2021-09-21T15:51:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.backblaze.com\/blog\/?p=103034"},"modified":"2024-07-31T10:21:48","modified_gmt":"2024-07-31T17:21:48","slug":"whats-the-diff-hybrid-cloud-vs-multi-cloud","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.backblaze.com\/blog\/whats-the-diff-hybrid-cloud-vs-multi-cloud\/","title":{"rendered":"What’s the Diff: Hybrid Cloud vs. Multi-cloud"},"content":{"rendered":"
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For as often as the terms multi-cloud and hybrid cloud get misused, it\u2019s no wonder the concepts put a lot of very smart heads in a spin. The differences between a hybrid cloud and a multi-cloud strategy are simple, but choosing between the two models can have big implications for your business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this post, we\u2019ll explain the difference between hybrid cloud and multi-cloud, describe some common use cases, and walk through some ways to get the most out of your cloud deployment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s the Diff: Hybrid Cloud vs. Multi-cloud<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Both hybrid cloud and multi-cloud strategies spread data over, you guessed it, multiple clouds. The difference lies in the type of cloud environments\u2014public or private\u2014used to do so. To understand the difference between hybrid cloud and multi-cloud, you first need to understand the differences between the two types of cloud environments<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A public cloud<\/strong> is operated by a third party vendor that sells data center resources to multiple customers over the internet. Much like renting an apartment in a high rise, tenants rent computing space and benefit from not having to worry about upkeep and maintenance of computing infrastructure. In a public cloud, your data may be on the same server as another customer, but it\u2019s virtually separated from other customers\u2019 data by the public cloud\u2019s software layer. Companies like Amazon, Microsoft, Google, and us here at Backblaze are considered public cloud providers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A private cloud<\/strong>, on the other hand, is akin to buying a house. In a private cloud environment, a business or organization typically owns and maintains all the infrastructure, hardware, and software to run a cloud on a private network.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Private clouds are usually built on-premises, but can be maintained off-site at a shared data center. You may be thinking, \u201cWait a second, that sounds a lot like a public cloud.\u201d You\u2019re not wrong. The key difference is that, even if your private cloud infrastructure is physically located off-site in a data center, the infrastructure is dedicated solely to you and typically protected behind your company\u2019s firewall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Is Hybrid Cloud Storage?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A hybrid cloud strategy uses a private cloud and public cloud in combination. Most organizations that want to move to the cloud get started with a hybrid cloud deployment. They can move some data to the cloud without abandoning on-premises infrastructure right away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A hybrid cloud deployment also works well for companies in industries where data security is governed by industry regulations. For example, the banking and financial industry has specific requirements for network controls, audits, retention, and oversight. A bank may keep sensitive, regulated data on a private cloud and low-risk data on a public cloud environment in a hybrid cloud strategy<\/a>. Like financial services, health care providers also handle significant amounts of sensitive data and are subject to regulations like the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), which requires various security safeguards where a hybrid cloud is ideal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A hybrid cloud model also suits companies or departments with data-heavy workloads like media and entertainment. They can take advantage of high-speed, on-premises infrastructure to get fast access to large media files and store data that doesn\u2019t need to be accessed as frequently\u2014archives and backups, for example\u2014with a scalable, low-cost public cloud provider.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Hybrid Cloud<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

What Is Multi-cloud Storage?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A multi-cloud strategy uses two or more public clouds in combination. A multi-cloud strategy works well for companies that want to avoid vendor lock-in or achieve data redundancy in a failover scenario. If one cloud provider experiences an outage, they can fall back on a second cloud provider.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Companies with operations in countries that have data residency laws also use multi-cloud strategies to meet regulatory requirements. They can run applications and store data in clouds that are located in specific geographic regions.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Multi-cloud<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

For more information on multi-cloud strategies, check out our Multi-cloud Architecture Guide<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ways to Make Your Cloud Storage More Efficient<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Whether you use hybrid cloud storage or multi-cloud storage, it\u2019s vital to manage your cloud deployment efficiently and manage costs. To get the most out of your cloud strategy, we recommend the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n