In increasing numbers, enterprises are adding public clouds to their technology portfolios. In fact, Forrester finds that adoption will cross over the 36% mark this year, driven by the need for flexibility, developer productivity, and economic advantages of cloud computing. 

However, CIOs will find that one cloud platform won’t suit the needs of all developers. Some platforms empower “coders” that want to program without configuring infrastructure. Others give “DevOps pros” infrastructure configurability, while a third set offers coding as well as configuration for “rapid developers.”

In a new Forrester Wave evaluation, Forrester finds that Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft, and Salesforce are leaders in meeting overall CIO requirements based on current offering, strategy, and market presence. Specifically, AWS is the best fit for the DevOps segment, Microsoft for coders, and Salesforce for rapid developers.

The evaluation looks at 13 additional public players: Acquia, CenturyLink, Cordys, Dimension Data, Engine Yard, GoGrid, Google, IBM, Mendix, MIOsoft, OutSystems, Rackspace, and Verizon. Learn more about the research here.