In a keynote speech at Microsoft’s Tech Ed Conference, Microsoft’s senior vice president of server and tools business, Bob Muglia praised cloud computing as the evolution of IT, rather than the end of it, as many people have stated throughout 2010.  It’s the cloud computing evolution.

“Our job, simply put, is to deliver what customers need to take advantage of cloud computing on their own terms,” Muglia said in his keynote address. Later stating “The availability of highly capable software and other services through the cloud has helped small- and medium-sized businesses use solutions that were previously unaffordable. The difficult decision for many companies is which items to outsource to the cloud and which to keep in-house. Developing hybrid IT systems that utilize both cloud computing elements and traditional on-premise aspects may be the best bet before fully outsourcing an entire IT infrastructure.”

May different CIOs discussed their plans to implement cloud computing into their organization’s IT. The hybrid cloud model is an especially useful tool for companies with decision makers skeptical about the cloud. A Gartner study found 95 percent of companies that use SaaS applications will expand or continue their investment in 2010.