It’s that time of year again, when the editors of SD Times emerge from their lab to reveal their latest discovery: The 2014 SD Times 100.

A number of elements need to react in precise ways for an organization to attain its place atop the charts, each carrying a certain weight. First is innovation. To earn a seat at the (periodic) table, companies must demonstrate that their work advances the state of the art of software development. Hand in hand with that is leadership. Did the company show it was an industry leader through a lion’s share of its market, or by contributing more to an open-source project than anyone else? Did it establish leadership through the open exchange of its ideas with others? And finally there is the buzz factor. Was the work widely discussed in the industry? Was the technology considered must-have by those in the know? In short, did the organization have the right chemistry?

Displaying each of these elements in just the right proportions can be the difference between a winning formula or a dud. To determine that, the editors carefully consider each nomination in a process that involves debate, research and, ultimately, selection.

In the periodic table, elements are divided by their properties: noble gases are with noble gases, metals are with metals, and so on. In the SD Times 100, those properties are ALM & Development Tools; APIs, Libraries and Frameworks; Big Data and Business Intelligence; the Cloud, Database and Database Management; DevOps & SCM; Mobile; Quality Assurance & Security; User Experience; and Influencers.

What do you think of the 2014 SD Times 100 solution? Did we overlook any organizations that you feel are worthy of inclusion? Did we miss a leader or innovator? Join and follow the conversation on Twitter at #sdtimes100.

– See more at: https://sdtimes.com/sd-times-100/2014-best-in-show/#sthash.PpYnX33E.dpuf