The hybrid model of combining private and public clouds returned to the center of attention last week after EMC acquired Virtustream Inc. in $1.2 billion deal to bolster the off-premise component of its grand federation strategy for addressing the evolving operational requirements of the enterprise. The acquisition buys the storage giant not only the infrastructure needed to meet that objective but the software as well.

The five-year-old Virtustream offers a standalone implementation of the homegrown management platform powering its cloud that allows customers to create an on-premise replica complete with the same monitoring, security and provisioning capabilities. That makes it possible to unify a hybrid environment under a single set of controls, a prerequisite to implementing the model that EMC isn’t alone in trying to realize.

Rubrik Inc. promises to provide similar benefits through its newly introduced data protection appliance, which acts as a unified backup hub across both on- and off-premise infrastructure. The system enables administrators to quickly find all the files in their cloud deployments, remove duplicate data and store the copies either behind or beyond the firewall, depending on business needs.

That value proposition, which aims to help organizations take advantage of both worlds without the usual operational sacrifices, helped land Rurbik $41 million in fresh funding against the backdrop of the launch. But the startup isn’t the only one trying to help simplify cloud backup. ClearData Inc. raised $25 million in its own round of funding last week to help healthcare providers realize the same benefits.

The company operates a HIPPA-compliant cloud that provides a secure environment for hospitals and other institutions to safeguard sensitive information like patient details without the risk of violating the strict privacy regulations placed on that kind of data. The platform also provides value-added features such as desktop virtualization and dedicated service for storing medical images, which the new funding will help flesh out.

The round included contributions from some of the biggest names in the healthcare investment community, including Heritage Group, HLM Venture Partners and Flare Capital Partners along with ClearData’s existing backers. Added up, the $25 million investment brings the company’s total raised to over $40 million.

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