Cloud computing made great strides in 2008, but will that continue in 2009? SAAS integrator and consulting services firm Appirio predicts that open clouds from Salesforce.com and Google will duke it out with Microsoft's Windows Azure and Microsoft Online Services for dominance in a rapidly growing market.

Opinion: This time of year brings the usual glut of high-tech prognostications from research firms all over the world.

Invariably, there is one category that stands out during the waning year that is expected to continue to bloom in the next year. With all apologies to Oracle CEO Larry Ellison, this year's prize goes to cloud computing, comprising infrastructure software hosted on the Internet and applications delivered as SAAS (software as a service).

Research firms tend to render their educated guesswork in generalities, staying away from naming specific vendors, acquisitions or other moves.

Fortunately, SAAS service firm Appirio, which does useful things such as synchronize cloud platforms from Salesforce.com and Google, gets a little more candid in its top 10 predictions for the evolution of cloud computing in 2009. These conclusions are "loosely based on what Appirio is hearing and seeing first hand from industry insiders around the globe—from a base of over 2,000 customers, partnerships with leaders in this space, and conversations with industry influencers."

Disclaimer: Appirio is biased toward partners Google and Salesforce.com, so take the criticisms of Microsoft's forthcoming Windows Azure platform as lightly as you like in the absence of Microsoft's finished product yet. Here is the list, supported by my own feeling about each talking point.
 

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