What is a cloud gateway?

A cloud gateway is a service that facilitates communication between cloud services and on-premises systems. It acts as an intermediary that enables data transfer and interaction between different environments, allowing businesses to leverage cloud computing resources while maintaining their existing infrastructure. By doing so, a cloud gateway helps integrate applications, data, and workflows across both cloud and on-premises solutions, ensuring seamless operational continuity and enhancing flexibility.

This functionality is critical for organizations looking to adopt a hybrid cloud model, as it provides the necessary connectivity and interoperability between local systems and cloud-based environments. This capability allows for real-time data access, synchronization, and analytics, which improve overall efficiency and agility.

Other options do not accurately describe the primary function of a cloud gateway. Managing cloud costs refers to tools that track and optimize cloud spending, not a gateway's role in system connectivity. A cloud storage service specifically offers storage solutions in the cloud, rather than facilitating connections. Lastly, while cloud security is important, a firewall is a network security device, not a service designed for linking different environments like a cloud gateway.