From an architectural viewpoint, this will create hybrid cloud environments consisting of multiple internal clouds that, at least in theory, are seamlessly connected to external clouds and their providers. As the concept of cloud computing

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gets wider market acceptance, the way to bet is that more and more companies may build in-house computing utilities, their private clouds, to:

capitalize on onDemand software, ◾ attempt to simplify complex data centers, ◾ make a decent effort to cut costs, and ◾ develop a culture of pay-as-you-do inside the firm. ◾

Progression toward that state of business is not going to be easy or without hurdles. Key to hybrid cloud computing is the adoption of an open architecture, and as Chapter 8 brings to the reader’s attention, this has not yet been found, no matter what the providers may be saying.