Cloud computing creates strange bedfellows.

• Position: CLOUD - Brief article

Demands from large higher-end enterprises and other customers for complete, end-to-end services are prompting cloud service providers to form new partnerships. For example, as of this writing, AT&T had aligned with IBM and CSC with Sprint to offer a more comprehensive range of services.

"Alliances between vendors, such as AT&T/IBM and Sprint/CSC, will change the game in the coming year," said Ashok Kumar, associate director of custom research at Current Analysis. Kumar's prediction was based on the results of Current Analysis's recent Enterprise Cloud Adoption study.

In general, the research indicated that "enterprises are now moving beyond cloud experimentation to broader-based implementations," commented Bruce Page, vice president of custom research at Current...