A company deploys its infrastructure in self-operated data centers. The company recently migrated some of its applications to a public cloud. Which of the following most accurately describes the cloud model the company is following?

The scenario describes the use of two different cloud deployment models simultaneously. The self-operated data centers represent a private cloud, which is infrastructure dedicated to a single organization. The use of a public cloud involves services provided by a third party over the public internet. A hybrid cloud is an IT environment that integrates a company's private cloud services with public cloud services. This combination allows data and applications to be shared between them, which accurately reflects the company's model.

A. A public cloud model would mean the company uses only third-party cloud services, not its own data centers.
C. A community cloud involves infrastructure shared by several organizations with common goals, which is not described here.
D. A private cloud model would mean the company uses only its self-operated data centers for its infrastructure.

1. Mell, P., & Grance, T. (2011). The NIST Definition of Cloud Computing (Special Publication 800-145). National Institute of Standards and Technology. Page 3, Section "Deployment Models," defines Hybrid Cloud as "a composition of two or more distinct cloud infrastructures (private, community, or public) that remain unique entities but are bound together by standardized or proprietary technology that enables data and application portability."

2. Armbrust, M., et al. (2010). A View of Cloud Computing. Communications of the ACM, 53(4), 50-58. Section 2.1, "Classes of Utility Computing," discusses the composition of public and private resources, which forms the basis of a hybrid model. https://doi.org/10.1145/1721654.1721672