While it is taking longer than I'd like for the temperature to rise in New England, the Cloud Computing market is heating up quickly as organizations of all sizes across nearly every industry are adopting a widening array of Cloud-based alternatives to legacy on-premise software and systems.

This 'Cloud Rush' is creating a growing assortment of exciting new business opportunities for Cloud providers and users alike. It is also putting more power in the hands of the end-user and accelerating the "Consumerization of IT" which is changing the way purchase decisions are made and how tech solutions are designed.

But, it also poses important challenges for established vendors and enterprises attempting to determine where, when and how to capitalize on the rapidly evolving enabling technologies that are driving the Cloud Computing phenomenon.

I'm pleased to provide THINKstrategies' latest perspectives on the unprecedented opportunities and challenges created by today's Cloud Computing capabilities in this newsletter.

Our views are based on working with and talking to many of the leading players in the market, as well as a growing number of start-ups who have turned to THINKstrategies for our help and advice. Our perspectives are also shaped by the CIOs and IT professionals who have shared their experiences as they evaluate and implement various Cloud solutions to achieve their business objectives.

We also have the unique privilege of being able to chart the evolution of the market and promote its growth through THINKstrategies' Cloud Computing Showplace which continues to expand with over 1680 company listings divided into over 90 Application, Industry, Service and Enabling Technology categories.

You can find a list of the latest Cloud vendors to add their company information to the Showplace right on the homepage, along with a real-time tally of the total number of companies listed in the directory. We also have plenty of statistics regarding the number of companies listed by application, industry, region and other key demographics.

We continue to recognize Cloud Computing companies that are delivering measurable business benefits to their users through our ongoing Best of SaaS Showplace (BoSS) and Cloud Computing Business Value (CCBV) Award programs. Contact me if you'd like to determine if your Cloud company qualifies for these awards.

THINKstrategies is also continuing to be called on to advise and educate corporate decision-makers, solution providers, investors, press and others about the business implications of the unprecedented trends driving the Cloud Computing movement. You can find out where we are presenting our views and the industry events we are supporting below.

Over 13,500 people subscribe to this newsletter, and THINKstrategies' updates are followed by over 1345 people via Twitter, and even more folks are reading our blog. In addition to subscribing to our monthly Update, you can also stay abreast of the latest Cloud news and views generated via Twitter by subscribing to THINKstrategies' SaaS/Cloud Daily update, powered by Paper.li.

I want to thank Project Insight for becoming the newest sponsor of the Cloud Computing Showplace, along with our other Showplace sponsors listed in the left column of this newsletter for their financial support. Please visit their websites to learn more about their solutions.

I hope you find the new Cloud Showplace and this newsletter valuable. Please contact me if you have any suggestions, or would like to learn more about how your organization can take advantage of the Cloud Showplace sponsorship benefits or THINKstrategies' other services to capitalize on the Cloud market opportunities.

Thanks for your continued support.

Best regards,

Jeff Kaplan

Managing Director

THINKstrategies, Inc.

Cloud Computing Showplace 

Twitter:@thinkstrategies

There are few companies which have had a greater impact on the rapid evolution of the Cloud Computing marketplace than Google.

However, despite its numerous innovations and accomplishments, Google also possesses many cultural and operational traits which are not well-suited for successfully supporting enterprise customers or channel partners.

Click here to read THINKstrategies' views about the current and potential implications of these shortcomings on the Cloud Computing industry, and what Google and others must do to overcome these issues.

Contact us if you'd like to learn how your organization can leverage THINKstrategies perspectives and services to address your business challenges and capitalize on today's market opportunities.

THINKstrategies continues to recognize SaaS, PaaS and IaaS providers that are delivering measurable business benefits to their customers through our Best of SaaS Showplace (BoSS) and Cloud Computing Business Value (CCBV) Award programs.

The latest BoSS Award is FinancialForce.com which has helped numerous organizations improve their financial reporting processes to better manage their overall businesses. Click here to read about the company's award-winning business benefits.

Click here to read more about the Cloud Showplace Award programs, other winners and the rules for applying and winning a BoSS or CCBV Award. 

THINKstrategies is participating in and supporting a broad series of industry and corporate events focused on the business implications of the SaaS, Cloud Computing, and Managed Services markets.