Top 9 Cloud Computing Stories of 2009 – (#9) Cloud Computing Itself - December 16, 2009 at 9:00 am

Each business morning until the end of the year we’ll be highlighting what we think are the top 9 cloud computing stories that either took place or became more significant in 2009. Be sure to either check back here on the blog or follow us on Twitter @ModelMetricsInc for each update.

At number 9 on our list, cloud computing itself makes it as a top story of 2009. The year that has seen businesses and consumers alike continually stifled by the credit crunch has also seen the dramatic rise and growing acceptance of cloud computing as a legitimate enterprise alternative to more costly on-premise applications.

What was once viewed as pure marketing hype (and famously lampooned by Oracle’s Larry Ellison) is now the fastest growing sector in enterprise technology. In 2009 cloud computing pioneer salesforce.com became a billion dollar company, with no signs of slowing down despite significant economic headwinds.

Independent research firm IDC projects that from 2009 – 2012 the market for cloud computing will triple in size, exploding to US$42B. Their research supports the notion that companies are continually looking to lower their technology costs, and finding those cost reductions with cloud computing technology from salesforce.com, Google, and Amazon Web Services.