5 Top Cloud Computing Stories of 2015

Between Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) finally revealing how profitable its cloud services division is, and Jack Ma’s Alibaba (NYSE:BABA) entering the cloud space, there’s been plenty for investors interested in cloud computing to keep an eye on in 2015.
Here’s a look at some of our most popular cloud computing stories of 2015:

1. Andrew Skafel of Edgewater Wireless Systems Talks WiFi3 and the Internet of Things

In November, Edgewater Wireless Systems (TSXV:YFI) announced the launch of its new IOTair™ Platform, the first internet of things (IOT) platform to use Edgewater’s WiFi3™technology. Andrew Skafel, president and CEO of the company, spoke with the Investing News Network about how WiFi3 works and why it’s important for IOT. Click here for the full interview.

2. Top 10 Cloud Computing Companies Investors Need to Watch

It isn’t a secret that the market for cloud computing is growing quickly. However, with software as a service, platform as a service and infrastructure as a service market segments to keep track of – not to mention the variety of different industries using the cloud – it can get a little confusing to follow. We took a look at some of the largest publicly listed cloud companies, as per a list from Bessemer Venture Partners (BVP), for investors to start with.
At the time of writing, some of the top cloud computing companies included Salesforce (NYSE:CRM), LinkedIn (NYSE:LNKD) and Workday (NYSE:WDAY). See the full list here.

3. Will Microsoft Buy Mesosphere?

Around August, rumours started circulating that Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) was considering acquiring cloud computing startup Mesosphere. Mesosphere makes it easier for companies to use mesos, an open source technology, to automate tasks, manage data and deploy complicated applications more easily. Read the full story here.
According to an October report from The Information, Microsoft made the startup an offer of about $150 million, but Mesosphere turned it down.

4. Microsoft and Amazon Score Huge Cloud Services Deal with FAA

Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) and Microsoft, through their business partner Computer Sciences (NYSE:CSC), scored a huge cloud services deal with the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) this August. The deal included the use of CSC’s cloud agility platform for efficient cloud deployment, with Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure being used for data and services.
News of the deal made headlines, since, in the past, the FAA has typically teamed up with IBM (NYSE:IBM). Learn more about the deal here.

5. Alibaba Aiming to Beat Amazon as Top Cloud Company

China-based Alibaba announced this July that its cloud services arm, Aliyun, would follow in the footsteps of its parent company with plans to move beyond China’s borders, investing in data centers in the US, India and the Middle East. Far from just being one of the world’s top cloud companies, Alibaba had big plans to bump Amazon out of its top spot.
“It took Amazon 10 years to get where it is today. It took us six years, and we hope to match or even surpass Amazon in three to four years,” said Aliyun President Simon Hu in a statement. Read the article here.
 
Stay tuned for more cloud investing news in 2016!
Securities Disclosure: I, Teresa Matich, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.