A hybrid cloud is a computing environment that combines on-premises infrastructure, private cloud services, and public cloud services, allowing data and applications to be shared between them. This model provides greater flexibility and optimization of existing infrastructure, enabling organizations to scale workloads and manage them across different cloud environments according to their specific needs. By leveraging both private and public clouds, a hybrid cloud offers the benefits of enhanced security, cost efficiency, and improved resource management while maintaining the ability to meet regulatory and compliance requirements.