  The hybrid cloud idea is increasingly gaining momentum because it brings
distinct advantages as a hosting platform for complex software systems.
However, there are several challenges that need to be surmounted before hybrid
hosting can become pervasive and penetrative. One main problem is to
architecturally partition workloads across permutations of feasible cloud and
non-cloud deployment choices to yield the best-fit hosting combination. Another
is to predict the effort estimate to deliver such an advantageous hybrid
deployment. In this paper, we describe a heuristic solution to address the said
obstacles and converge on the ideal hybrid cloud deployment architecture, based
on properties and characteristics of workloads that are sought to be hosted. We
next propose a model to represent such a hybrid cloud deployment, and
demonstrate a method to estimate the effort required to implement and sustain
that deployment. We also validate our model through dozens of case studies
spanning several industry verticals and record results pertaining to how the
industrial grouping of a software system can impact the aforementioned hybrid
deployment model.
