As cloud computing continues to mature, the practice of using a network of remote servers hosted on the Internet to store, manage, and process data, has become a popular software option for firms of all sizes and across all industries. A newer entrant to the cloud family - known simply as the "community cloud" - is now catching the eye of companies interested in connecting with business partners, vendors, customers, and even competitors via the Internet.
This idea of forming close ties and alliances across industries isn't new. Companies have been connecting with one another in the offline world - and via network-based, industry-focused buying and selling communities that formed during the dot-com era (and some of which eventually faded) - for decades....