By James Bourne
Feb. 17, 2021
2020 was a fascinating year for cloud technologies. The Covid-19 pandemic forced remote working initiatives which accelerated demand for cloud software and infrastructure. 2021 is going to be about taking advantage of the opportunities which have arisen, with multi-cloud and hybrid cloud to the fore.
As Andrew Brown, general manager EMEA for IBM Cloud and Cognitive Software wrote for this publication last month, while 2021’s exact playout is unknown, the company “expects hybrid cloud technologies to continue to play a large role in breaking down barriers for the enterprise.” Brown added he believed regulated industries would go hybrid, while open source tools would ‘unify’ clouds.
With this in mind, CloudTech has selected seven companies in the wider cloud economy to feature for 2021, from managed hyperscaler service providers, to security firms.
Pax8

Pax8, a Colorado-based provider of cloud management technologies, has had a hot start to the year. The company secured $96 million (£69m) in funding at the beginning of January, looking to expand its geographic reach as well as improve its cloud automation and orchestration capabilities.
Nick Heddy, chief revenue officer, explains the company’s rationale for providing cloud services to the IT channel – and its appeal to investors. “There is no company on the market today quite like Pax8,” he tells CloudTech. “The leadership team built Pax8 into a true innovator. Pax8 is accelerating cloud transformation, enabling our partners to easily buy, sell and manage cloud technology to SMBs worldwide.”
The geographic expansion includes a UK launch, also announced last month. One UK customer, seen by CloudTech, noted the need for a ‘simple way to bring the best of breed products available to us as an MSP or MSSP and make it easier to buy, install, implement… but only pick what we need for that specific client’.
Bolstering the product line is the recent launch of Pax8 Pro, which offers partners ‘an introduction to cloud automation and simplified software as a service lifecycle management’, as Heddy puts it.
Ultimately, the company focuses on automation and simplicity for partners – but a rigorous process to approve vendors. Vendors go through a more than 150-step process before launching with Pax8. “We have a unique approach that tightly couples our technology platform with an unparalleled customer experience that simplifies cloud adoption,” says Heddy.
“We are excited about the future, and how we are helping IT professionals bring best-in-class cloud technology to businesses across the world.”