Amazon, IBM Tops In Cloud Computing: Report

According to the quarterly report from BTC Logic, Amazon and IBM beat out the others in seven categories - cloud foundations, cloud infrastructure, cloud network services, cloud platforms, cloud applications, cloud security and cloud management - to be deemed "cloud champions." BTC Logic found that Amazon and IBM each ranked within the top five in four separate categories. Amazon received high marksin cloud infrastcuture, network services, platform and management while IBM ranked well for cloud infrasturcture, platform, security and management.

Meanwhile, BTC Logic ranked a host of other companies "cloud heavyweights" based on their rankings. While they ranked high, the heavyweights didn't capture top spots in as many categories as Amazon and IBM. The heavyweights include Cisco Systems, Citrix, EMC, Google, Level 3, Microsoft, Oracle, Red Hat, Salesforce.com, Symantec and VMware, BTC Logic's report indicated.

But despite their ranking has heavyweights, cloud computing mainstays Google and Microsoft, which are also among the most vocal vendors when it comes to cloud computing, failed to take the top spot in any of the seven categories presented in the report. Microsoft's highest ranking came in the cloud foundation category where it placed second for Hyper-V. Google's highest was also a No. 2 spot, which for Google was in the cloud applications category where Google Apps to second place to Salesforce.com and its AppExchange.

BTC Logic also listed a number of up-and-comers that it considers "cloud contenders." The contenders are ATI Network Services, Aylus Networks, Rackspace, SAP/business Objects, Sonoa Systems, Taleo and Terremark.

The purpose of the report and the ranking of cloud computing companies, BTC Logic said, was to serve as a gauge of the cloud computing market and to alleviate confusion.

"The cloud computing marketplace still has a confusing array of vendors, each promoting their own solutions, and a steady increase in the number of new products and services," the company said in the report.

BTC Logic also cautioned that enterprises are not yet ready to trust applications and data in cloud computing environments due to issues around security, privacy and data location.

"Enterprises have only slowly been embracing cloud because of the need to evaluate multiple vendors; valid fears about security, privacy, data integrity and governance; and a widely held belief that cloud computing is an IT opportunity more than a key business lever," the report noted.