Microsoft is probably the only cloud provider that has the option for true hybrid cloud. Most cloud providers include some sort of hybrid cloud, allowing you to combine on-premises and cloud services. In most cases, with IaaS, we have the option of running everything we have on-premises in the cloud with little to no effort. Migrating local resources to the cloud is an option everyone in the cloud business is offering.

Azure Stack is the only option which allows you to have things the other way around and to run cloud services in your local data center. With Azure Stack, you can run IaaS and even PaaS in your own environment. Basically, Azure Stack is an extension of Azure in a local environment, and it uses the same fabric that the public version of Azure is using, but on a much smaller scale. It comes in a pre-configured box that must be bought from one of the authorized...