This chapter covers the practical benefits and common use cases of hybrid cloud, building on the deployment models chapter with a sharper focus on why organizations specifically choose this approach. AZ-900 tests this under objective 1.3.
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A simple way to picture Hybrid Cloud Benefits and Use Cases
Some businesses keep a physical storefront while also selling online — not out of indecision, but because each channel serves a specific purpose the other doesn't fully cover. A hybrid cloud approach works similarly: an organization deliberately keeps some infrastructure on-premises while extending into the public cloud, because each environment serves specific needs the other doesn't fully address on its own.
Why organizations choose hybrid cloud
Organizations often adopt a hybrid cloud approach for reasons like regulatory or data-residency requirements affecting specific workloads, existing infrastructure investments they aren't ready to fully retire, or specific performance needs that are better served by keeping certain workloads on-premises.
Common hybrid cloud use cases
Gradual migration: extending into the cloud incrementally, rather than migrating everything at once.
Regulatory compliance: keeping specific regulated data on-premises while using the public cloud for other workloads.
Burst capacity: using the public cloud to handle temporary demand spikes beyond what on-premises infrastructure can support, while keeping steady-state workloads on-premises.
Disaster recovery: using the public cloud as a backup or recovery target for on-premises workloads.
The connectivity foundation
Hybrid cloud depends on reliable, secure connectivity between on-premises infrastructure and the public cloud — this is where services like VPN Gateway and ExpressRoute (covered in an earlier chapter) become directly relevant, providing that connection.
Hybrid cloud is a deliberate strategy, not a temporary state
While hybrid cloud is sometimes a step during a longer migration journey, for many organizations it's a deliberate, long-term strategy driven by specific, ongoing requirements — not just a temporary phase on the way to a fully public cloud environment.
Identify workloads with specific requirements
Determine which workloads have requirements (regulatory, performance, or otherwise) that specifically call for remaining on-premises.
Keep those workloads on-premises
Workloads with those specific requirements remain in a private, on-premises environment.
Extend other workloads into the public cloud
Workloads without those specific constraints can take advantage of the public cloud's scalability and other benefits.
Establish reliable connectivity between the two
A secure, reliable connection (via VPN Gateway or ExpressRoute) links the on-premises and cloud environments together.
A healthcare organization keeps patient records on-premises to meet strict regulatory requirements, while using the public cloud for less sensitive workloads like its public-facing website — a deliberate hybrid strategy driven by ongoing compliance needs, not a temporary phase toward eventually moving everything to the cloud.
Objective 1.3 expects candidates to understand common reasons organizations choose hybrid cloud and recognize it as a legitimate, often long-term strategy, not just a temporary migration phase.
A common wrong answer is assuming hybrid cloud is always just a stepping stone toward eventually moving everything to the public cloud — for many organizations, it's a deliberate, ongoing strategy driven by specific, lasting requirements.
Stable terms: hybrid cloud. Memory trick: hybrid cloud is often a deliberate choice, not just a temporary transition — driven by specific needs like regulation, existing investment, or particular performance requirements.
Organizations choose hybrid cloud for reasons like regulatory requirements, existing infrastructure investments, burst capacity needs, or disaster recovery.
Hybrid cloud depends on reliable, secure connectivity between on-premises infrastructure and the public cloud.
Hybrid cloud is often a deliberate, long-term strategy, not simply a temporary phase toward full public cloud adoption.
Mistake
Hybrid cloud is always just a temporary phase before fully moving to the public cloud.
Correct
For many organizations, hybrid cloud is a deliberate, long-term strategy driven by ongoing requirements like regulation or specific performance needs, not just a transitional step.
Common reasons include regulatory or data-residency requirements for specific workloads, existing on-premises infrastructure investments, needing extra capacity for demand spikes, and using the cloud for disaster recovery — while keeping other workloads on-premises for specific reasons.
Not necessarily — for many organizations, it's a deliberate, ongoing strategy driven by lasting requirements, rather than just a temporary phase on the way to eventually moving everything to the public cloud.
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