GlobalData research has found the companies that trended the most in Twitter discussions related to cloud computing based on their performance and engagement online.

Using research from GlobalData’s Influencer platform, Verdict has named five of the top companies trending on cloud computing in Q3 2021.

Trending companies in cloud computing: The top five

1. Amazon – 1,381 mentions

Amazon Web Services (AWS) being named a leader in the 2021 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Cloud Infrastructure and Platform Services (CIPS) report, Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) monitoring enabled using Amazon CloudWatch monitoring service, and software company Elastic’s Logstash data processing pipeline were some of the major discussions around Amazon in Q3 2021.

Jeff Barr, vice president at AWS, shared an article on AWS being named a leader for the 11th consecutive time in the 2021 Magic Quadrant for CIPS report released by research and consulting company Gartner. The report ranked AWS at the top for execution abilities and completeness of vision. Gartner introduced a new Magic Quadrant for CIPS in 2020 to enhance the scope of their Magic Quadrant to incorporate platform as a service (PaaS) proficiencies and expand coverage across areas such as developer tools and serverless computing, the article noted.

Amazon is an online retailer and web service provider specialising in services such as digital streaming, cloud computing, and e-commerce. Headquartered in Seattle, Washington, US, the company also manufactures electronic devices such as Kindle e-readers, fire TVs, fire tablets, and echo.

2. Microsoft – 952 mentions

Microsoft stating that the National Security Agency (NSA) should cancel its cloud computing contract with Amazon, preview of Microsoft Cloud for Sustainability launched by the company, and Microsoft’s collaboration with telecommunications company AT&T to run a core 5G network on its cloud platform were some of the popular discussions that took place around Microsoft in Q3.

Bill Mew, founder and CEO of crisis management firm The Crisis Team, shared an article on Microsoft stating that the NSA should cancel its $10bn cloud computing deal called the Wild and Stormy with Amazon. The technology company filed a formal bid protest with the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) stating that it would have won the contract if the bid was assessed correctly. The US GAO is likely to determine the outcome of the protest by the end of October.

The NSA issued the bid as part of its efforts to overhaul its computing and storage resources. The NSA’s Wild and Stormy deal is part of its Hybrid Compute Initiative and is expected to integrate conventional cloud services with a leading company’s hardware as a service (HaaS) offering, the article detailed.

Headquartered in Redmond, Washington, US, Microsoft is a technology company that develops, licenses and supports software products, services, and devices. The company offers operating systems, server applications, cloud-based solutions, software development tools, business solution applications, video games, and training and certification services.

3. Alphabet Inc – 590 mentions

Google Cloud strengthening its security due to an increase in ransomware attacks, Google’s plan to expand its data centre in central Ohio, and the roll out of the Google Cloud retail search functionality were some of the discussions that made Alphabet trend in Q3.

Bob Carver, a threat hunter and manager of network security at telecommunications company Verizon, shared an article on Google Cloud bolstering its cloud security measures following a surge in ransomware attacks. The company announced two new capabilities including the Cloud IDS, which helps in detecting spyware, malware and network threats. The second capability launched by the company is Autonomic Security Operations, which includes a set of products, tools, and integrations to automate threat management.

Alphabet, the holding company of Google, is a technology company offering a wide range of services including search, ads, maps, YouTube, cloud, e-mail, as well as hardware products. It is headquartered in Mountain View, California, US.

4. International Business Machines (IBM) – 495 mentions

An IBM report on the high cost of data breaches during the pandemic, the company’s collaboration with digital infrastructure company Equinix to integrate cloud solutions in hybrid environments were some of the popularly discussed topics in Q3. Discussions about the company also included a report highlighting the growth of the Storage-as-a-service market due to disruptive services offered by cloud providers such as IBM and Red Hat.

Kurt Marko, an independent tech analyst, shared an IBM report that analysed data breaches encountered by more than 500 organisations. The report revealed that data breaches cost the surveyed companies $4.24m per incident during the pandemic, which is the highest recorded in 17 years. The report stated that security breaches became complex and expensive to curb owing to the changes in operational shifts carried out during the pandemic. The costs of security breaches increased by 10% from the previous year, the report highlighted.

IBM is a cloud solutions and technology company offering information technology and software consultation services. Headquartered in Armonk, New York, US, the company offers software,  computer hardware and hosting services across areas such as nanotechnology and mainframe computers.

5. Oracle Corp – 376 mentions

Oracle’s strategic role in banking, Oracle Fusion offering a full suite of cloud applications for customers, and Oracle’s appeal to a court in Jerusalem to cancel the selection of AWS and Google as part of the Nimbus cloud tender were some of the popular discussions around Oracle in the third quarter.

Doug Henschen, a technology analyst at technology research and advisory firm Constellation Research, shared an analysis on Oracle’s strategic role in banking. Oracle has partnered with Germany’s largest bank Deutsche Bank to modernise its database technology. The company is modernising the bank’s current database management systems in addition to moving its Oracle database systems to Oracle Exadata Cloud@Customer.

The move is expected to help the bank create a single platform for all its systems and services, such as payments processing, regulatory reporting, trading, and capital planning, thereby significantly reducing costs and complexity, the article noted.

Headquartered in Austin, Texas, US, Oracle Corp is a technology company that sells services such as enterprise software, database software, technology, and cloud engineered systems. The company also offers database management tools and middle-tier software systems, human capital management (HCM) software, customer relationship management software (CRM), and supply chain management (SCM) software.