Glossary Definition: Hybrid Cloud

A hybrid cloud is a combination of two or more computing environments, such as one private cloud and one public cloud (usually more). Information is shared between these environments and applications are run in parallel for an organization.

This approach enables companies to get the best of both worlds — they can share data between sites and teams in real time, while still maintaining their in-house solutions. In this way, it acts as a workaround to migrating an entire system to the cloud.

A hybrid cloud is defined as “one in which applications are running in a combination of different environments.” Highly regulated industries such as pharma and manufacturing tend to leverage the hybrid cloud. Additionally, the hybrid cloud in healthcare is also gaining traction.

There are an abundance of hybrid cloud providers. Some examples include:

• Alibaba Cloud
• Amazon Web Services (AWS)
• Google Cloud
• IBM 
• Microsoft Azure
• Oracle Cloud
• VMware

The hybrid cloud is also known by several other terms. These include:

• Hybrid cloud architecture
• Hybrid cloud security
• Hybrid infrastructure
• Hybrid cloud infrastructure
• Hybrid cloud computing
• Hybrid cloud solution
• Hybrid cloud platform

It’s important to note that although there is overlap between the usage of hybrid infrastructure and cloud infrastructure, these terms are not synonymous.

The hybrid cloud combines privately stored data with the public cloud. This means the company uses both on-premise servers, and cloud computing.

Hybrid cloud storage works by taking the data collected across the various applications and environments, and delivering it to either an on-premise server or elsewhere, as determined by the IT department. In this scenario, the organization has full control over where data is stored, as well as who can access it, when it’s accessible, and so forth.

In contrast, a fully cloud-based environment means an organization stores and maintains all data related to business operations online, via the public and/or private cloud.

The public cloud provides users with access to software solutions and applications via the public internet.

In contrast, the private cloud creates a “single-tenant environment,” which means that the information or application is only made available to one specific customer or organization.

The hybrid cloud in pharma is an infrastructure that combines privately stored data, such as patient information, with the public cloud.

There are various hybrid cloud benefits for pharma companies because this setup allows them to maintain sensitive information on in-house servers, while also having a place to share data on demand between sites and teams.

The hybrid cloud is important for pharma because it provides pharma companies with full control over their data. The organizations can determine where to store data, who has access, and how it’s accessible.

This reduces the likelihood of security breaches and allows organizations to securely share and store sensitive information, while also enabling them to maximize workflow efficiencies, and swiftly adapt to and implement changes.

With this infrastructure in place, companies can easily migrate to an entirely cloud-based environment in the future, should they decide to go that route.