Logica and RightScale have announced that they will provide inclusive hybrid cloud implementations running across Microsoft’s Windows Azure public cloud and private cloud estates. This environment will include RightScale cloud management technologies.

According to Logica, many businesses are sensibly cautious about shifting business critical applications to the public cloud. In addition to the security, privacy and data sovereignty considerations CIOs are concerned about the reliability and manageability of public cloud solutions and about infrastructure platform lock-in. So it’s no surprise companies are examining how to trust and adopt the cloud.

This relationship will help to alleviate the above concerns by providing the ability to run appropriate enterprise-class solutions in the public or hybrid cloud with the necessary resilience, scalability, and management qualities built-in.

The initiative is also designed to make it easy to run applications in the best geography to address regulatory issues, and to help clients ensure the lowest cost of moving to the cloud by providing the highest levels of flexibility and choice.

This collaboration joins the forces of leading cloud players to provide clients with innovative services that allow them to locate and manage their internal applications and services on the best-suited cloud platforms for their needs.

RightScale provides a multi-cloud management solution for customers to manage their Windows Azure public cloud deployments alongside other private and public cloud deployments – using the same configuration and automation methodology for both cloud architectures. Microsoft’s Windows Azure offers an innovative and complete Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) and Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) public cloud fabric and provides clients with real platform choice. Logica will deliver the implementation of the hybrid cloud solution, backed by Logica expertise in building, deploying, managing and servicing clients' specific application needs across all types of cloud.

"By optimising the deployment of applications across multiple public, private and virtual-private clouds, clients can balance their application payloads across the cloud infrastructure best suited to their specific, but constantly changing needs," said Bengt-Åke Claesson, Business Development Director at Logica. "Clients will also be able to keep their own private cloud and scale out their front-end capacity or handle traffic peaks by using a public cloud provider, therefore providing choice and flexibility."

"We’re pleased to be working in conjunction with Microsoft and Logica to offer customers a more integrated solution and a smooth transition to the cloud backed by best practices and flexibility," said Bailey Caldwell, RightScale VP of Business Development. "Enterprises want cloud solutions that provide choice and customisation, this offering satisfies those requirements to create successful hybrid cloud deployments."

"Windows Azure gives customers a wide range of options for deploying cloud computing, from private, to public, to hybrid IT using familiar and trusted Microsoft technology," said Bill Hamilton, Director, Windows Azure Product Marketing, at Microsoft. "Working with Logica and RightScale, Windows Azure can give customers the flexibility, scalability, and management capabilities they need."