Rackspace recently rebranded and is focusing on providing unbiased managed cloud services. CEO Joe Eazor stated the rebranding of the company is intended to emphasize that “the primary goal is to accelerate the allure of the cloud for customers.” Rackspace is meeting customers where they are currently at with their cloud systems and assisting with the roadmap. The timing of this is very good as the adaptation of hybrid cloud and multi-cloud becomes the norm across the enterprise landscape. According to a Forrester research report, 74 percent of enterprises have added the hybrid cloud to their organizational roadmap.

Developments in cloud computing have spurred many businesses and organizations to leverage the power available in this 21st Century technological paradigm. Cloud providers are constantly honing their offerings and introducing new methods to attract and serve their customers. They are also jockeying for position as they strive to increase their share of this very lucrative market. Amazon currently leads providers with 33% of the cloud infrastructure services market. Google, Microsoft, IBM, and AliBaba are the other large players in the field. They all are following accepted business practices and searching for ways to bolster their customer base.

Cloud computing holds the promise of many technological advances that will impact society in a myriad of ways. There are definite economic advantages to leveraging the power of the cloud. Sometimes overlooked are the environmental benefits that may accrue from taking advantage of the cloud computing paradigm. 

At the IBM Think Conference 2019, CEO Ginni Rometty discussed IBM's vision for digital transformation in 2019. "When I say chapter two, I think digital and AI becomes about scale and embedding it everywhere in your business,” said Rometty, as she presented IBM’s decision to make the Watson platform available in Google Cloud, AWS, Microsoft Azure and other cloud providers. “This will be the most open, scalable AI for business in the world.” The overall feeling of the Think Conference was a defined openness towards other cloud providers and maximizing customization toward the specific requirements of an organization. With that in mind, the IBM Cloud Garage is focused on assisting companies in identifying their business needs and tailoring a solution to work towards.