All the big tech companies have an angle on cloud computing these days. Microsoft recently revealed its take on the cloud at TechEd 2010 in New Orleans, including a chart that provides a great visual of where Microsoft’s specific products fit into the mix.

Cloud computing is an elusive term, but it has become a catch-all for technology services delivered on-demand over the Internet. Nearly all of the big vendors in IT are talking about the cloud, from IBM to HP to Cisco and after several years of scoffing, IT leaders have changed their tune in 2010 and listed virtualization (a cloud-enabler) and cloud computing as their top two priorities.

Google and Amazon want to help companies ditch their existing IT infrastructure, migrate to the cloud, and then pay for usage. In May, IT giant EMC, Inc. scoffed at the idea that most enterprises would move to “the public cloud” hosted by companies like Amazon and Google. Instead, they promoted the vision of a private cloud, which would allow enterprises to keep much of their current investment in software and applications while taking advantage of the cloud. Calling this “the private cloud” is a bit of a marketing ploy. It’s really just a move to virtualize existing enterprise servers and storage.

Since Microsoft has such as huge existing customer base, it’s natural to expect that they would take a similar approach to EMC. However, in addition to its role in virtualization and traditional data centers, Microsoft has also been on a massive data center building binge aimed at growing the company’s cloud capacity.

How does it all fit together? Here’s how Microsoft illustrates its vision of public vs. private cloud:

Essentially, Microsoft will play both sides:  serving existing customers that have huge investments in old infrastructure while winning new business from organizations looking to go all-cloud. While that lack of focus is the kind of thing that has hurt Microsoft in the past, it may actually be a sound strategy when it comes to the cloud because no one knows just yet how this will all shake out once cloud hype dies down.

Even when the cloud gets huge, there could likely be a 50/50 split between private and public cloud deployments for the next decade as enterprises transition old systems. Microsoft is one of the few companies with significant assets on both sides, which will put them in a great position to help companies that want to split IT systems between private and public clouds. That could become an increasing trend as both platforms mature, with commoditized data moving to the public cloud and more sensitive or mission-critical information being reserved for the private cloud. At Responza, we pride ourselves at keeping abreast of the emerging possibilities that cloud computing has to offer. Call us when you start considering those possibilities and we’ll guide you towards the options that offer both cutting edge opportunities and tested network safety.