Cloud computing continues to dominate technology conversations. Consider that, just this year alone, Gartner expects organizations to shell out $495 billion for public cloud services. That figure should reach $600 billion in 2023.

Neither number is chump change. And the demand proves that cloud computing is not a passing phase. Rather, cloud (and, mostly public cloud) serves as the new foundation of organizations’ ongoing digital transformation efforts. Those can come in the form of across-the-board public cloud or as a mix of public and private cloud (for example, multicloud, hybrid cloud).

Given the popularity – and complexity – of cloud, Channel Futures once again invited vendors and partners to join its Cloud Roundtable at the 2022 Channel Partners Conference & Expo. The inaugural roundtable took place last November and featured Google Cloud, SADA, AllCloud and Ensono.

This second time around, we focused on the smaller, more independent providers, and those who have different takes on public cloud. To that end, this spring’s Cloud Roundtable participants were:

In part one of this two-part series, see our slideshow above to find out what participants had to say about some of public cloud’s most pressing issues, from the challenges cloud vendors need to address to the best opportunities for partners.