The introduction of cloud computing in the 2000s has allowed companies to maximize the use of the available computing power on a cloud server. This in turn reduces the environmental impact of running a number of separate servers. A hybrid cloud utilizes both the private and public cloud to perform separate functions within the same company, allowing a business to utilize the public cloud for non-sensitive operations and the private cloud when dealing with proprietary or other sensitive information.

Cloud and virtualization software and services company VMware offers many application for the hybrid cloud platform, including vCloud, vCloud Director, vCloud Datacenter Services, and other useful applications. Customers who purchase the vCloud virtualization software have the option of installing it themselves or having technicians at VMware help them with the process.

In a recent interview with theCUBE’s Dave Vellante and Stu Miniman at the EMC World 2014 conference, Mathew Lodge, VP of Hybrid Cloud Services at VMware, spoke about VMware’s new vCloud hybrid service, how it works, and what it offer’s VMware’s customers. Lodge explained that VMware channel partners can help a customer install and run their software, organize it, and do things like patching and upgrading so that the company IT people can focus on other areas.

When talking about the competition, Lodge said, while he has a lot of respect for what Microsoft has done with their cloud applications, he feels that VMware’s DR services are real game changer.

“It can support any application you can run today, and that’s just not true with our competitors,” he pointed out. “That makes a big difference. We think that is one of the key differences between ourselves and others.”

Lodge also talked about the future of the cloud. While the field is split on which direction the cloud might take, more toward a public cloud versus more toward the hybrid and private cloud, he feels, “It’s unrealistic to say that everything is going to end up in the public cloud in the future, and this is coming from the public cloud guy. When you take a look at what customers want to do, it’s very pragmatic for them. I’ve got workloads; I’ve got applications; I’ve got things that it doesn’t make any sense to move … . Fundamentally, it isn’t going to drive value for my business if I take all of those to the public cloud?”

See Lodge’s entire segment below: