Google's strengths are just being realized, while Microsoft's weaknesses are being exposed. Click to view a price quote on GOOG . Click to research the Internet industry.

By Stacey Higginbotham, GigaOM Surely but slowly, Intel is coming to the realization that cloud, not PC, is where computing's future lies. And perhaps there is no better testament to this move than the most recent acquisition of an Ethernet silicon company. As data centers become increasingly important hubs of computing, companies from an earlier era -- from Verizon to Intel -- are making bold ...

After an emotional breakup with the timber industry, Prineville, Ore., was thrilled to get friended by Facebook. The social networking site chose the high-desert timber town of 10,000 to take advantage of its cool nights and dry air in hopes of making its first-ever data center an energy efficiency landmark. But the concept failed to impress Greenpeace. In a report posted on the Internet last month, the environmental group praised Google and Yahoo for tapping hydro power — but challenged Facebook for building in coal country.

From secure cloud computing to tablets and green IT, 2010 will be a busy year for the tech sector. Here are the trends investors need to look out for: Cloud Computing Changes Shape Cloud computing has been one of the tech sector's biggest catchphrases of the last couple of years, with companies like IBM(IBM Quote), Cisco(CSCO Quote), EMC(EMC Quote) and VMware(VMW Quote) scrambling to boost their cloud initiatives. Cloud services offer computer power or data storage via the Internet. IBM claims to be breaking new ground in this space with the launch of its Smart Analytics Cloud, a set of technologies for firms that want to compile information across their organization. And the sector has been gaining momentum with companies like Microsoft(MSFT Quote) and Savvis(SVVS Quote), which are all pushing the technology as a way for firms to avoid the upfront costs of ...

he New York Stock Exchange(NYX Quote) is in the throes of a tech revolution that will shave tens of millions of dollars a year off its operating expenses, according to Larry Leibowitz, the organization's head of global technology. Speaking at a green-technology meeting at the Exchange on Friday, Leibowitz announced that the financial powerhouse is in the midst of a massive IT overhaul. "The New York Stock Exchange is undergoing a transformation, one that puts technology more and more at the core of what we do," he told an audience of tech companies, government officials and journalists. "Who would have thought that data centers would be sexy?"