The Structure 50: The Top 50 Cloud Innovators

Table of Contents

  1. Summary
  2. Introduction
  3. 10gen
  4. Akamai
  5. Amazon Web Services
  6. Apigee
  7. Apple
  8. ARM
  9. Aryaka
  10. Aspera
  11. Boundary Networks
  12. Calxeda
  13. China Telecom
  14. Cisco Systems
  15. Citrix Systems
  16. Cloudera
  17. CloudSwitch
  18. Cloud Passage
  19. Cloud.com
  20. Couchbase
  21. Dell
  22. DotCloud
  23. Embrane
  24. Enomaly
  25. Eucalyptus Systems
  26. Facebook
  27. GoGrid
  28. FluidInfo
  29. Google
  30. Fusion IO
  31. Green Revolution Cooling
  32. IBM
  33. Intel
  34. IO Turbine
  35. Joyent
  36. Juniper
  37. Microsoft
  38. New Relic
  39. Nicira
  40. Nimbula
  41. Nutanix
  42. Power Assure
  43. Rackspace
  44. Red Hat
  45. RightScale
  46. Salesforce.com
  47. SeaMicro
  48. Sentilla
  49. SynapSense
  50. Verizon
  51. VMware
  52. Zeus Technology
  53. About Derrick Harris
  54. About Stacey Higginbotham

1. Summary

In five short years, cloud computing has gone from being a quaint technology to a major catchphrase. It all started in 2006 when Amazon began offering its really Simple Storage Service and soon following up with its Elastic Compute service. Just like that, the concept of on-demand, programmable infrastructure that could be accessed over the Internet became a reality.

Infrastructure as a service has been talked about, alternatively in hushed and gushing tones. Grid computing, utility computing, on-demand computing — they were all ways to describe what Amazon Web Services had delivered. Fast forward to today, when Amazon and others are moving at Internet speed, trying to offer better security, faster networking, more compliance and a host of other products that are attempting to meet the demands of startups, consumers and enterprises alike. It’s not perfect, as Amazon’s two-day outage earlier this year attests to, but it’s certainly good enough – and getting better.

We launched our Structure conference in 2008 because we saw the cloud-based infrastructure revolution was going to create new opportunities. As observers, we’ve talked to hundreds of people about cloud computing and its ecosystem. On our Structure channel, we cover the gear and software that comprises the cloud, the services and the people who are changing the industry. Now for the first time, we’ve decided to condense that knowledge into the Structure 50, a list of the 50 companies that are influencing how the cloud and infrastructure evolves. These are the ones to watch — at least in 2011. You’ve heard of some – such as Amazon or Dell. Others – such as Nicira or Boundary – are probably not yet on your radar. But they should be. All of these companies, big or small, have people, technology or strategies that will help shape the way the cloud market is developing and where it will eventually end up.

To the companies who made it on the list, congratulations. For others who missed out, in the future anything is possible. And for those who are still drawing their plans on a piece of paper, we are patiently waiting for you to change the world.

Full content available to GigaOm Subscribers.

Sign Up For Free