This has been a consistent direction from Microsoft for some time. When Microsoft talks about private cloud or hybrid cloud, they refer to a design approach in

This has been a consistent direction from Microsoft for some time. When Microsoft talks about private cloud or hybrid cloud, they refer to a design approach in which infrastructure and applications are separated. Even today, using the latest versions of Windows Server and System Center, you can manage physical hardware, storage and networking as a "fabric" and even offer self-service server provisioning. In large shops, this allows for a real separation of roles between infrastructure and applications. I think this is a useful separation. Even in small shops where the same people are doing everything, this mental separation enables better management. Many small and medium sized businesses still operate in the mode that deploying an application or a major upgrade involves starting with deploying a new server.