When it comes to cloud computing, it's the tech giants Amazon.com, Google and Microsoft that tend to grab the headlines.

But there are young startups out there establishing their own niche cloud services.

The latest is Twilio, founded by Amazon Web Services alum Jeff Lawson. The startup is building a web service that allows developers to create and support phone system software applications.

A retailer might use Twilio to create automated order status updates for a customer service line, or a dentist's office might use it to set up automated call reminders to patients.

Lawson said customers can build applications on Twilio in a matter of hours, rather than spending weeks or months grappling with complex and expensive telephony software.

Much like Amazon Web Services, Twilio will have no upfront costs or contractual obligations; customers pay per use.

"This opens the doors to developers who can write all kinds of voice applications but not have to learn all the underlying complexity," Lawson said. "We lower the bar."

Lawson and two partners founded Twilio in January and launched the website in private beta five months ago. They'll launch the public beta version sometime in the next two weeks.

Lawson is based in Seattle and his two co-founders are in the Bay area. They don't have an office yet. They've primarily bootstrapped the company and have some funding from friends and family.

Lawson was a product manager at Amazon Web Services. His resume also includes a stint as CTO of online ticket seller StubHub (which was acquired by eBay last year).