In my business models the integration of a hybrid cloud is the new elevation of understanding cloud based services. For business processes that are highly sensitive, then on-premise or a private cloud is required because of the service levels needed like Health & Public Safety. The cost of these cirro-stratus or cirrus clouds can be a steep climb.
Whereas a DRaaS is a middle class of business process or service needed to maintain COOP. The cost of this alto-stratus or strato-cumulus cloud would be less of a cost because of lower SLA’s.
And then there are lower business processes that a cloud base services such as nimbo-stratus or cumulus clouds. These business processes are not of a high urgency. These would have the lowest cost based on the elevation of service demands.
It’s with this business model, that needs the ability to migrate all of these business processes from one cloud level to another or (cloud provider to another) based on service demands of the business process. Having the tool set needed to know when to lift off or parachute down is the missing link in managing this holistic cloud model. Without the tools to migrate from one service provider to another keeps cloud computing
in the fog. The lowest level of cloud.
Some vendors will indeed lock you in their cloud and make life very difficult for your to move from one service provider to another. Some won't - They use OpenStack and although interoperability between vendors can still be an issue, migrating is definitely pain free compared to other cloud offerings using proprietary platforms. The Hybrid approach is indeed the right one and some companies will offer you everything: Public (for dev for example), private and virtual private. Those companies have a competitive edge as they can definitely remove the pain off some (if not all) CIO shoulders by stopping the business to sign up with AWS in an uncontrolled manner. If you adopt the DYI approach and want to manage the different providers yourself, this will be a difficult and painful journey. Check the vendors (it do work for one so cannot really be advising openly on this) and go with the one that will offer you an open and secure environment, that will meet your needs in an on demand model.