hybrid IT

Hybrid IT is an approach to enterprise computing in which an organization provides and manages some information technology (IT) resources in-house but uses cloud-based services for others. A hybrid approach allows an enterprise to maintain a centralized approach to IT governance, while experimenting with cloud computing.

There are three forces driving the adoption of hybrid IT: an enterprise’s need to maintain control of data, the cost effectiveness of cloud components such as software-as-a-service and storage-as-a-service and the desire for an IT department to respond as quickly as possible to rapidly changing business needs.

The term hybrid IT  is often used interchangeably with the term hybrid cloud.  Hybrid cloud, however, can also refer to a cloud architecture in which a vendor who has a private cloud forms a partnership with a public cloud provider -- or a public cloud provider who forms a partnership with a vendor that provides private cloud platforms.