HP private cloud service leads the pack, followed by Cisco and Microsoft, Forrester says

Enterprises are expected to significantly ramp up their pursuit of internal private clouds within the next year and HP, Cisco and Microsoft have the strongest product offerings for those deployments, according to a new Wave report by research firm Forrester. According to a Forrester survey of more than 2,300 IT hardware buyers, about 55 percent of them said they plan to build an internal private cloud within the next 12 months; another 33 percent have already started. The momentum represents the "next step along (the) virtualization journey," says Lauren Nelson, author of the report. "Over the past two years private cloud has shifted from concept to reality," she says. As organizations realize the benefits of private clouds, the market for products serving these deployments has intensified. Forrester evaluated almost 30 providers offering private cloud platforms, but took a deep dive into 10 of them. HP came out on top because of its breadth and depth of services for private clouds, while Cisco and Microsoft were also named leaders.