Top 3 most popular Cloud Computing providers in 2020
Cloud computing services are no longer a novelty in the business world of 2020. Nowadays, we include them in our business models and day-to-day activities and in the workplace to drive business agility and remain competitive in the market. Research shows that 83% of enterprise workloads will be in the cloud by the end of 2020, the top reasons include the need for speed improvements and greater flexibility.
How to choose the right cloud provider?
With so many options on the market, how do you know which cloud platform to choose? I suggest opting for the one that best suits your business needs, whether you go for a public cloud, a private cloud or a hybrid one. When it comes to choosing the right cloud provider, there are several criteria to check before making a final decision.
- Track record – you should evaluate the cloud provider’s true reputation and the level of customer satisfaction;
- Data protection system – we live in an era where hackers are a constant threat to our personal information so you should definitely not compromise on security;
- Monitoring and management services – you need full visibility into your cloud computing services which means a good overview of the system’s security, performance, workloads, and health;
- Level of support and Service Level Agreement – you should make sure that in critical situations, you will receive all the needed support to resolve any issues efficiently at a moment’s notice.
One last detail to check is costs most cloud service providers offer companies free tier trials for a limited period of time to test their full-service capabilities before choosing a subscription.
AWS, Microsoft Azure or Google Cloud?
Taking all of the above criteria into account, I prepared a shortlist with the top three cloud computing service providers on the market. Let’s have a look at the main benefits and pain points for each platform so you can have a better overview of the factors to consider when choosing your cloud service provider.
- Amazon Web Services (AWS)
If you want the most experienced cloud player on the market, then you should definitely choose AWS. It is often described as the most mature and enterprise-ready cloud services provider, with the most comprehensive network of worldwide data centers.
Its biggest strengths are the dominant position in the public cloud market and the great portfolio of services. However, one of the biggest issues that companies often struggle with when collaborating with AWS is their complex cost structure. You should make sure you understand the costs.
Are you already deploying Windows and other Microsoft software in your company? As Azure is tightly integrated with these other applications, you might find it more convenient to choose it as your cloud service provider. You will greatly benefit from all the hassle-free compatibility and also the discounts off service contracts for being an existing Microsoft customer.
As a provider of a wide range of integrated cloud services and functionalities, though not as large as AWS, Azure’s strength focuses on its offering of the hybrid cloud model. Despite its reputation as an enterprise long-time vendor, the service experience with Microsoft Azure reports issues with poor documentation, lack of consistency and less secure configuration.
3. Google Cloud
Although Google Cloud is the youngest cloud service provider on the market, it greatly compensates with scale-up options and fast response times to all of its solutions. With industry-leading tools in machine learning, artificial intelligence and data analytics, Google Cloud has the highest growth rate among these three cloud services providers.
Often seen as an innovator pioneer in the technology market, Google’s main strength focuses on its offering in application container deployments. In fact, Google is the one that developed the Kubernetes app management standard that both AWS and Azure now offer. However, as the service has not reached yet its maturity stage and without offering such a wide array of services like AWS and Azure, you might find that they do not offer the services you would find in the providers above.
This is just a high-level overview of the top three cloud computing providers on the market. When choosing the right cloud service provider for your company in 2020, you should have a clear understanding of your current business needs and then choose the platform that will seamlessly integrate with your other enterprise operations.
Are you using any of these cloud computing providers for your company? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!
