In-Depth

Cloud Developers Prefer Google, IBM

Google seems to be the platform of choice for public cloud adopters; IBM gets high marks from private cloud users.

• By Stephen Swoyer
• 08/31/2010

When it comes to providing an application development foundation for computing in the clouds, Google Inc. and IBM Corp. appear to have the advantage where software developers are concerned.

This is according to a recent survey from development consultancy Evans Data Corp., which canvassed more than 400 cloud developers as part of its Cloud Development Survey 2010.

Google gets high marks for providing an app-dev stack that focuses on configuration, infrastructure, and application management in cloud topologies.

Google'is perceived as stronger in the public cloud segment, where two in five (40 percent) developers cite it as a "Public cloud leader," according to Evans Data. IBM's cloud-oriented app dev offerings tend to be preferred for private cloud efforts, with almost one-third (30 percent) of developers identifying Big Blue as tops among private cloud players.

"Most developers expect to be in a hybrid situation going forward with respect to application deployment in the Cloud," said Janel Garvin, CEO of Evans Data, in a statement. "[T]hese two vendors are perceived of as best filling the two main requirements for either Public or Private clouds; i.e., security and reliability. With no other vendors even close in perceived leadership, it's likely that we'll see IBM and Google dominating the cloudscape for the foreseeable future."

Regardless of their app-dev focus, developers don't want to be hamstrung by topology, pointing out that they want the option of moving applications between private and public cloud environments.

Not surprisingly, an overwhelming majority (80 percent) of developers "feel that it is important for cloud providers to give 100 percent backward compatibility as the cloud infrastructure matures."

Elsewhere, a majority (60 percent) of developers are concerned about possible government intervention (chiefly in the form of restrictions) in the cloud space.