Poll: Microsoft 365, Google Apps and AWS Strong, but What About IBM?

Written by CJ Arlotta
March 10, 2014

Poll results: While Google Apps, Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Office 365 are among the top cloud platforms being leveraged by channel partners, Talkin' Cloud's readers are also focusing elsewhere.

While Google (GOOG) Apps, Amazon (AMZN) Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft (MSFT) Office 365 are among the top cloud platforms being leveraged by channel partners (each platform received 18 percent of the vote), Talkin’ Cloud’s readers aren’t stopping at those top three platforms.

Of participants in last week’s (unscientific) poll, which asked readers about their planned use of particular cloud platforms this year, 24 percent said they use cloud platforms other than the three choices provided. So who are the cloud vendors that make up that 24 percent?

One company to think about in 2014 might be the technology giant known as IBM. Big Blue has made its focus on cloud computing clear, and this week released a strategy report to investors that stated that it will be “remaking enterprise IT for the era of the cloud.”

POLL: Have you participated in the Top 100 Cloud Services Provider Survey for 2014?

According to IBM’s report, leaders in cloud computing must recognize the importance of integrating public and private clouds, seeking cloud management and using cloud to innovate.

IBM also recently unveiled new services and tools to help organizations deploy hybrid and private clouds, while also integrating IBM Power Systems with SoftLayer to support the next shift in Big Data.

Last month the company invested another $1 billion in its cloud business to deliver new platform-as-a-service (PaaS) capabilities to connect data and applications to the cloud. The resulting PaaS combines IBM software, third-party and open technologies; brings its middleware portfolio to SoftLayer; and expands services on Softlayer.

Also last month, IBM unveiled plans to acquire privately held database-as-a-service (DBaaS) provider Cloudant as part of its effort to extend its big data and analytics, cloud computing and mobile services. IBM said the acquisition will accelerate the development of mobile and web applications.

And IBM also expanded its cloud offerings through a recent partnership Actifio. The partnership created a virtualization service called SmartCloud Data Virtualization (SCDV).

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