What’s the cloud without the software and applications that ride on it? This is where the true value of cloud computing starts to emerge. From productivity apps and CRM suites to software that manages cloud apps and deployments and enables the creation of hybrid clouds, this category is extremely broad and runs the gamut.

Here we catalog the cloud software and apps vendors that are doing something different, something fresh or something unique. Or, they’re doing something so simple in the cloud that it creates a face-palm moment of "why didn’t I think of that?" From cloud pioneers like Salesforce.com to cloud testers like SOASTA, whatever it is they’re doing, they look cool doing it.

Also, keep an eye out for the top 20 cloud infrastructure, security, storage and platform vendors.

Calling itself the “Enterprise Cloud Management software company,” Abiquo’s software lets organizations use business policy to manage their entire computing infrastructure comprising unlimited physical and cloud resources through a single pane of glass, whether those clouds are private, public or hybrid.

AccelOps forges into integrated data center and cloud services monitoring with software delivered as a virtual appliance or SaaS. It cross-correlates and manages diverse operational on-premise, off-premise and cloud environments for alerting, analysis and reporting.

Akamai has big plans in the cloud, whether they be security, storage or a host of other capabilities. Its cloud optimization offerings improve performance, increase availability, and boost security of applications and data delivered over the cloud.

Managing application architectures becomes increasingly more important in cloud environments. AppDynamics offers app management for new application architectures including the cloud or in the data center, to monitor, troubleshoot, diagnose and scale production applications.

Apprenda has created a new category of cloud middleware with its SaaSGrid next-generation application server that was built specifically to solve the architecture, business and operational complexities of delivering SaaS in the cloud and delivering business-critical applications on the Web.

CloudOptix has made a name for itself with its cloud virtualization software called MeghaWare that lets users launch multivendor public and private clouds and connect and unify them into a custom hybrid cloud solution to get the most bang for the buck.

CloudSwitch wants to help move apps to the cloud. Its software appliance acts as a gateway to the cloud and lets companies run apps in the right environment securely and simply without changes while keeping applications integrated with data center tools and policies.

CloudTran makes transaction management software for the cloud and makes it possible to run mission-critical OLTP apps in public, private and hybrid clouds by adding ACID transactions to data grids and distributed persistent data stores.

Cumulux makes products and services that help enterprises strategize, develop and operationalize cloud computing applications and does so on platforms like Microsoft Windows Azure, Amazon EC2 and Force.com. With its breadth of SaaS offerings, Cumulux vows to deliver business value in the cloud.

Messaging player Gordano has stormed its way into the cloud to rival Microsoft Exchange and other messaging mainstays with its GMS Cloud play, which offers cloud-based e-mail and messaging at a fraction of the cost, and it is scalable and secure.

InMage give its service provider partners an edge with its cloud-optimized infrastructure software for disk-based business application recovery solutions. Leveraging “cloudbursting,” InMage lets providers enable application services to be brought up within the cloud on demand.

Intacct puts accounting and financial management tools in the cloud. The company gives its clients—finance and accounting firms—the ability to access its suite of accounting, contract management, revenue recognition, inventory, purchasing and others via the cloud as a full-fledged suite of financial tools.

To put it simply, MaxxCloud puts document management applications and data into the cloud. The hosted solution decentralizes access to data and documents to ease communications between locations and support fast and efficient work.

Microsoft made its productivity name with Office and now has put its power behind Office 365, will rebrand Microsoft’s Business Productivity Online Suite (BPOS) of cloud computing applications and includes Microsoft Office, SharePoint Online, Exchange Online and Lync Online.

NetSuite has made its name as a channel-friendly, full-featured cloud financial and accounting, CRM, inventory and e-commerce software player that offers visibility into business operations and offers anytime, anywhere access into data needed to run the business.

As a next-generation cloud computing service, Now2Office lets users keep any and all files, documents, folders, e-mails, contacts and calendars synced across any PC, Mac, Linux, Smartphone, iPod Touch or tablet platform. The service uses push technology to get data into the cloud.

Saleforce is the granddaddy of cloud computing with its cloud CRM offerings. And Salesforce has spread its wings to include social networking with Chatter, sales force automation with the Sales Cloud and a marketplace for cloud apps with AppExchange, among others.

Skytap offers cloud automation solutions for companies and software vendors to develop, test, migrate, evaluate, demo and train on new and existing cloud applications to get visibility and control over deployments, and create cloud-based virtual environments to run and test applications.

SOASTA recently launched the CloudTest Pro appliance that gives users performance-level testing for their cloud environment, whether the cloud is public, private or hybrid. The tool tests Web and mobile apps to ensure they can scale and perform.

While Wyse offers cloud software and services built around virtual desktops, its PocketCloud enables access to a PC, Remote Desktop Services, Terminal Server, VMware View or other virtual machine from an Apple iPhone or iPad or Android device—making the cloud portable.