Final answer:
A company does not have to first have a private cloud to implement a hybrid cloud model. The hybrid cloud is about combining public and either private cloud or on-premises infrastructure for flexibility.
Step-by-step explanation:
To answer the student's question: b) False. It is not a strict requirement for a company to first have a private cloud in order to implement a hybrid cloud model. A hybrid cloud is a computing environment that combines a public cloud and a private cloud by allowing data and applications to be shared between them. The key aspect of a hybrid cloud is the ability to seamlessly scale and migrate data and applications across private and public infrastructures, providing greater flexibility and optimization for the business's computing needs. While having a private cloud can be a part of a hybrid cloud model, companies can also form hybrid clouds by combining their existing on-premises infrastructure with public cloud resources.