The latest hype cycle report by Gartner suggested that cloud computing is currently in the "trough of disillusionment."

As computing technologies continue to evolve, completely revolutionizing how organizations fundamentally operate, the application development process also changes.

A new international study of more than 300 IT decision-makers by IDG Research Services revealed that the cloud continues to be a major initiative for enterprises, as more than 60 percent of respondents said they are either implementing or testing the cloud within their organization.

As organizations continue to struggle through today's ongoing economic crisis, the business world is becoming an increasingly aggressive place with companies doing everything in their power to survive and remain competitive with rival firms.

As the market for the cloud continues to grow in the private sector, the differentiation between the private and public cloud will continue to blur, leading more decision-makers to opt for hybrid models that combine the two.

The hype surrounding cloud services has been steadily increasing as organizations around the world become more aware of the technology and how leveraging it can boost operational performance.

While there has been significant hype surrounding the cloud, overall adoption has been somewhat slow during the past several years.

A new report by research firm Ovum revealed that companies using cloud hosting services have the unique ability to be faster, more efficient and use fewer resources than organizations using traditional IT.

Adoption of cloud computing in the healthcare sector is on the rise, as more hospitals and other facilities begin to leverage the technology in an attempt to reduce IT costs, improve mobility and enhance collaboration between patients and physicians.

A new report by IDC noted that cost savings and efficiency improvements are the primary driving factors behind deploying the private cloud in Western Europe.