When searching for the best cloud service provider, it can be overwhelming. There are a lot of options on the market, and finding the one that's right for you can be a challenge. This list has been curated based on the following considerations:
• Size
• Scalability
• Cost
• Reliability
• Market share
• Global presence
• Ease of integration
This top 10 list is based on a global market. There are some vendors not discussed in this report that are still great options, so be sure to do your own due diligence. Even so, this list will enable you to better sift through the options and find the best fit for your organization.
This is a cloud services provider that focuses on Internet of Things, specifically automation of shop floor and other manufacturing functionalities. They're a big player in industry 4.0 since they specialize in pulling together disparate sets of data, allowing for a more efficient and streamlined process flow. If you have robotics on the shop floor or an MES system that you're trying to tie back to your data center, this could be a great option.
VMWare is a technology agnostic hosting provider. Leveraging VMWare can be beneficial for organizations that have various best-of-breed solutions. In addition, this solution can handle multi-tenancy very well. On the other hand, it can be a bit more complex to set up, but once it's live and ready to go, it's relatively easier to use.
Rackspace Cloud has been a pioneer when it comes to providing cloud solutions, and as a result, they have a more mature foundation in the cloud than some competitors. Rackspace can support a broad and diverse set of software solutions and can host a variety of different technologies. Additionally, customers have been generally pleased with their service and particularly their general reliability. On the other hand, the costs for add-ons can add up, leading to a more expensive solution.
Salesforce is known for its CRM software, but they are also a cloud solutions provider to other software companies as well. Salesforce is flexible, enabling unique functionalities depending on your needs. It's also able to integrate with countless other solutions. In addition, it is also a cloud-native product, meaning they are a bit more mature than other on-premise solutions that are migrating to the cloud. The downside? Technical support. Their support team isn't as great as it can be, so as long as you are aware of that, this could be a great solution.
Oracle is a provider of enterprise applications and databases, but they also provide cloud solutions for companies that want to move their softwares to the cloud. This is a very scalable option due to a heavy investment in their cloud infrastructure. With a focus in research and development, they are able to offer high-quality solutions with a strong uptime.
Another unique advantage of Oracle is that they are focused on analytics and providing business intelligence. The Oracle cloud infrastructure can accommodate various analytical data points, allowing for businesses to make better, data-driven decisions. On the downside, the pricing model is fairly complex with hidden costs that escalate over time, and the integration is not entirely seamless.
IBM cloud's enterprise tools and business analysis tools are very strong, arguably a leader in the industry. Since they were historically a hardware company, it has a very well-built infrastructure that can support efficient storage and capability. One of the most important elements of IBM cloud is that you are getting secure up-time. Their cybersecurity protocols are strong, and that is incredibly important in today's digital landscape.
Alibaba is a large cloud service provider that provides a high-value free trial. This allows businesses to test out the solution to get a feel of the user interface and different capabilities before making the commitment.
They also have a multi-national support team with representatives that speak various languages, so it's an international solution that can enable growth on a global scale. This is also beneficial for multinational organizations with global locations. Beyond that, Alibaba Cloud is infamous for its resources, with an extensive library of tutorials and training that can walk users through how to optimize their solutions. That is likely because there is a steep learning curve in understanding how to manage the solution. Note that management of this console requires knowledge and experience in coding.
Google provides robust, open cloud hosting solutions. It's open and flexible use of technology allows for integration with various types of software solution. Their data analytics and business intelligence functionalities are also very strong, in addition to the user-friendly attributes that come with it.
On the other side of the coin, it's important to recognize that they have a less extensive portfolio and a smaller market share. They're known to have a lower level of support when compared to other solutions in the market. Similar to Alibaba Cloud, they offer a free trial as well.
Microsoft has become a dominant player in the cloud-managed service space. Third-party systems use Microsoft Azure as a cloud hosting solution, just as they can do with Oracle and SalesForce. As with all Microsoft products, one of the biggest benefits is the ease of use due to the familiar Microsoft user interface. In addition, they have an impressive uptime of 99.95%.
This is also a helpful solution when expecting to scale because its offerings can support and scale your growth plans. Beyond that, it provides strong cybersecurity and the ability to pay as you use rather than paying for solutions you don't necessarily need.
On the flip side, Microsoft doesn't enable diversification of where you host your applications. Rather, they push to be the exclusive cloud managing service.
Amazon's scale is the allure. AWS is the largest cloud provider in the world, and as a result, it's a global company that supports other global organizations. They also uses cutting-edge and innovative technologies, along with ample training materials to help users learn the system with ease.
The biggest disadvantages are the add-on solutions that can add up and increase the cost over time. In addition, they do not provide a wide variety of SaaS support. They tend to focus on a smaller number of potential solutions.
