Here's what Amazon's, Microsoft's, and Google's clouds are each best at, according to a survey of 452 IT professionals
AP Photo/J. Scott ApplewhiteAmazon CEO and founder Jeff Bezos
- The IT marketplace Spiceworks surveyed 452 businesses on how they use cloud from providers like Amazon, Microsoft, and Google.
- These businesses rated Amazon Web Services as the best cloud for maximum uptime, Microsoft Azure as the best for compatibility, and Google Cloud the best for simplicity of management.
- Over a third of businesses also told Spiceworks that they're open to using smaller, local cloud providers.
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When IT professionals representing 452 businesses were asked to rate the clouds from Amazon, Microsoft, and Google, they said each of those vendors have different strengths.
In this survey, conducted by IT marketplace Spiceworks, the three clouds - Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud - all ranked similarly for most of their core technological features. Still, each stands out for a different reason.
Amazon Web Services earned the top marks for maximum uptime, data security, and value for money -- all of which customers see as some of the most critical things they will think about when picking a cloud. AWS also had the highest scores for "hyper-scalable offerings," "optimal data center locations," and "exceptional customer support."
As for Microsoft, Azure was ranked the highest out of the three clouds for compatibility with existing services, likely because Windows is so commonly used by businesses. It also tied with AWS for being the most trusted partner. Customers also see these as critical attributes.
Google Cloud took the top scores for being simple to manage and being the most innovative, which customers see as attributes that are "nice to have," but not as important.
That being said, these three clouds aren't the only ones on the marketplace. Of those surveyed, 36% said their organization was open to using smaller, local cloud computing providers, like the Texas-based Rackspace as one example.
Generally, smaller businesses are more willing to consider more niche clouds. Of those surveyed, 42% of small businesses were open to using them, compared to 34% of mid-sized businesses and 30% of enterprises.