Niche Player: CenturyLink

CenturyLink initially built its cloud through the acquisitions of Tier 3 and Savvis, and the telecom continues expanding its capabilities through acquisitions.

Last year, CenturyLink bought netAura to bulk up internal security services expertise, and ElasticBox to gain hybrid cloud management technology. Later in the year, CenturyLink announced its intention to acquire Level 3 Communications, which, while not directly impacting the cloud portfolio, will greatly expand its network.