Due to covid-19, almost everything is shifting online. It’s the major reason why cloud computing has gained immense popularity in the last 1 year.
Now, in 2022, most companies are flocking to get cloud providers, as businesses are increasingly transitioning to cloud computing to accommodate the new normal of work following the aftermath of the pandemic.
As we speak, companies all over the world are investing billions of dollars in cloud computing. However, before you opt for the best cloud providers, you need to be aware of the various features that different cloud companies offer.
Considering that, we have provided a detailed review of the 10 best cloud providers. Thus, it will be much easier for you to choose the one that best suits your company’s (or personal) needs.
Benefits of Cloud Computing
Before we get into detailing the best cloud providers, you should know the various advantages of cloud computing, which are:
- Through cloud computing, companies can significantly cut their operational cost and fix their monthly expenses of hardware, servers, databases, and software licenses.
It will also allow you to save on IT as well as human resources in the long run. A cloud hosts all hardware, web servers, database servers, services, and products. - With cloud computing, you also get 99.9% uptime on your cloud server. Alongside that, the best thing about cloud servers is that the providers themselves manage them. Thus, your company does not need any additional employees to manage them.
- Allows you to have an unlimited number of users or resources, making it scalable and reliable. Increases processing and resources according to match the levels of demand.
- Offers automatic updates for your software, operating systems, third-party software, and databases. Thus, it provides maintainability and also reduces IT labor cost for a company.
- The data centers of cloud providers are available at different geographic locations, making cloud computing faster and more reliable. Microsoft, AWS, and other big providers have data centers spread across the world.
Types of Cloud Computing
We can divide cloud computing into 3 main categories:
- SaaS: This stands for Software-as-a-Service, and it is Software that is developed and hosted by another person or company.
- PaaS: Platform-as-a-Service is a component of cloud computing that provides a complete environment in the cloud for development and deployment along with QA, dev, test, deployment tools and services, and debugging.
- IaaS: Infrastructure-as-a-Service provides whole IT computing infrastructure and provisions and manages it over the internet.
The main components of IaaS help replace existing development and test environments, website hosting, backup, virtual machines, storage, networking, operating systems, servers, applications, data, high-performance computing, and middleware.
10 Best Cloud Providers
Now it is time to talk about the 10 best cloud service providers in the market in detail. Here’s a quick look into our picks:
- Microsoft Azure
- Amazon Web Services (AWS)
- Google Cloud
- Alibaba Cloud
- IBM Cloud
- Oracle
- Salesforce
- Kamatera
- Rackspace Cloud
- VMWare
1. Microsoft Azure
Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services are constantly competing to become the best cloud provider. Since both are extremely proficient at what they do, it is hard to choose one over the other. There is no reason why we have kept Azure at number 1 in this list except that it has become one of the market leaders in a short duration.
One of the fastest-growing cloud providers, Microsoft Azure, was released several years after AWS and Google Cloud were launched. It won a $10 billion US government contract recently, and its revenue is expected to grow between $33 million and $35 million, which makes it one of the most profitable cloud providers right now.
Services
There are a large number of services available on Azure such as AI+ Machine Learning, Blockchain, Analytics, Containers, Developer Tools, Databases, Compute, Identity, DevOps, Management, Media, Integration, Migration, Networking, Internet of Things, Mixed Reality, Security, Mobile, Web, Windows Virtual Desktop, Microsoft Azure Stack, and Storage.
Features
- Flexible, scalable, and cost-effective.
- Consistent across different clouds with effective tools and resources.
- Offers a 12-month free trial.
- Compatible with systems running Windows and Linux.
Click here for more information
2. Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Amazon’s AWS was launched in the year 2002, and it is definitely the most popular cloud service in the world. It is also the most comprehensive cloud provider with more than 165 features and services provided through data centers globally and serves millions of customers.
AWS is extremely popular because of its wide catalog of amazing features as well as because it was the first to enter the cloud computing space.
Services
AWS provides users with hundreds of services which include Virtual Private Cloud, AWS Data Transfer, Elastic Compute Cloud, EC2, DynamoDB, Simple Storage Service, AmazonCloudWatch, AWS Key Management Service, Simple Notification Service, Route 53, Relational Database Service, Simple Queue Service, Simple Email Service, and CloudTrail.
Features
- 12-month free trial.
- User-friendly interface.
- A vast range of services.
- Offers centralized (per hour) billing and management.
- Supports hybrid capabilities.
Click here for more information
3. Google Cloud
Google Cloud is a cloud service provider developed by Google and given a run for money to AWS and Azure in terms of the features and the services provided. It allows users to employ Google-provided, modular web services for the creation of business solutions.
It comes with a multi-layered secure infrastructure, due to which, it provides maximum security to anything you create, build, code, or store.
Services
The services available on Google Cloud are plenty, and some of them are API Management, AI and Machine Learning, Compute, Databases, Data Analytics, Internet of Things, Media, Gaming, and Management Tools.
Other services include Healthcare and Life Sciences, Developer Tools, Networking, Hybrid Cloud and Multi-cloud, Serverless Computing, Security and Identity, Storage, and Migration.
It also provides access to Google products such as G Suite, Google Hardware, Google Identity, Chrome Enterprise, Google Maps Platform, Apigee, Firebase, Orbitera, and Android Enterprise.
Features
- User-friendly.
- Offers a 12-month free trial.
- Comes with scalable and flexible technology.
- Access available to AI and data analytics for solving problems.
- Doesn’t require installing expensive servers.
- Availability of an entire suite of cloud-based services.
Click here for more information
4. IBM Cloud
IBM Cloud is a cloud services provider developed by IBM, and it offers SaaS, IaaS, as well as PaaS through all of the cloud models i.e. public, private, and hybrid.
IBM Cloud provides users with complete infrastructure control. You can manage your IBM Cloud through a web portal, Application Programming Interface (API), or mobile applications.
The cloud provider boasts a wide array of cloud SaaS management tools and also provides its clients with full server customization.
Services
The services provided by IBM Cloud include Cloud Packs, Database, Security, Management, Compute, Storage, Network, Analytics, Artificial Intelligence, Dev Tools, Mobile, Migration, Private Cloud, VMware, Mobile, IoT, Integration, and Blockchain.
Features
- Provides high-functioning services and cloud communications to your IT environment.
- Availability of management tools.
- Facilitates full server customization.
- Tools provided are pre-configured.
Click here for more information
5. Oracle Cloud
Oracle Cloud platform is developed by Oracle Corporation and it offers DaaS (Data-as-a-Service) in addition to IaaS, SaaS, and PaaS. As Oracle is such a big name in the computing world, you can expect a fully-functional cloud service with great power and a multitude of features from Oracle Cloud.
Oracle Cloud is essentially designed for big companies or enterprises instead of small businesses and individuals. It offers a 30-day free trial to its users along with a free service tier that includes providing infinite access to 2 databases; Oracle Application (APEX) and Oracle SQL.
Services
The various services offered by Oracle IaaS are Storage, Governance, Networking, Load Balancing, Database, DNS Monitoring, FastConnect, Compute, and Ravello.
Oracle PaaS is stocked with services such as Application Development, Data Management, Integration, Application Development, Security, Management, Enterprise, Content, and Business Analytics.
Features
- Ideal cloud service for enterprises.
- Free tier available.
- Availability of advanced technology functions, like AI, chatbots, and machine learning.
- Highly secured against skilled cyber-attacks and easily detects unsanctioned apps.
- Allows management of next-gen mission-critical data.
Click here for more information
6. Alibaba Cloud
Alibaba Cloud is a cloud service developed by Alibaba in 2009, and its headquarters are located in Singapore. It was originally designed to serve the e-commerce ecosystem of Alibaba, but later on, it was made available for the rest of the world.
The largest cloud provider in China, Alibaba Cloud, is available in 19 regions and 56 availability zones across the world.
Services
Just like the other cloud providers, Alibaba Cloud also offers a variety of services in a range of categories such as Elastic Computing, Networking, Security, Monitoring and Management, Storage and CDN, and Database Services.
Additionally, the Chinese cloud provider offers Analytics and Data Technology, Media Services, Apsara Stack, IoT, Cloud Communication, Middleware, Domains and Websites, and Application Services.
Features
- Provides extensive web security.
- Boasts hybrid capabilities through Apsara, the super computational engine developed by Alibaba Cloud.
- Reasonable pricing plans.
- A large number of VM processors available.
- Covers all essential Content Delivery Network (CDN) services.
Click here for more information
7. Salesforce
Salesforce is a cloud computing provider developed in 1999, and its headquarters are located in San Francisco, California.
It provides its clients with multiple cloud services such as Service Cloud, Marketing Cloud, and Sales Cloud. In addition to this, Salesforce also provides all-time customer support to its clients.
Services
Salesforce offers many essential services for businesses, including CRM, customer service, marketing, sales, mobile apps, and ERP.
Features
- 24*7 customer support available.
- Enables its users to make informed and correct decisions about their businesses.
- Useful for managing user contact, business processes, and more.
Click here for more information
8. Kamatera
Kamatera has also come up with its own cloud computing service, and it is a lot like a physical server. An extremely economical and highly flexible cloud provider, Kamatera’s pricing is based on the pay-as-you-go model.
It is operated in a virtual infrastructure cloud and provides all-time customer support to its users. Kamatera is widely available across the world and has 13 data centers across 4 continents.
Services
The services provided by Kamatera cloud computing include Storage, Customer support, API, Management Console, Unlimited Scaling, and VPS Hosting.
Features
- Availability of all year round, at all hours customer support.
- Highly scalable in less time.
- Boasts SSD storage with unlimited traffic and 99.95% uptime assured.
- Offers a 30-day free trial.
- Pay-as-you-go pricing plan options – monthly or daily.
- Enabled VPS Hosting that is customizable according to your business needs.
Click here for more information
9. Rackspace
Rackspace is a cloud computing service provider that employs both SSD and HDD to make sure that it delivers high performance.
Released in 1998, Rackspace is a multi-cloud solution that enables you to increase your business’s efficiency and provides you with business solutions using the best technologies.
Services
Rackspace provides various services to its users, such as hosting web applications, Cloud Backup, Cloud Server, Cloud Files, Database, and Migration.
Features
- Fast migration to the cloud.
- The pricing plan is based on the pay-as-you-go model, making it cost-effective.
- Employs compression and encryption techniques to make file-level backups.
- Uses a combination of solid-state drives and hard drives so that the performance delivered is constantly high.
Click here for more information
10. VMware
VMware is a cloud computing provider and offers you a platform so that you can manage a hybrid environment, enabling you to run traditional or container workloads.
A leader in virtualization and cloud infrastructure, VMware’s headquarters are situated in Palo Alto, California. It enables its clients to substantially escalate the profits earned from their business.
Services
The various services provided by VMware include Digital Workspace, Multi-Cloud, Security, Virtual Cloud Networking, App Modernization, Storage, Disaster Recovery, Networking, and Computing.
Features
- Reduces IT complexities.
- Cost-effective.
- Flexibility in services and features.
- Highly secured cloud platform.
- Maximizes the profits of your business using advanced technologies and guidance.
- Availability of private and public clouds.
- Hybrid Cloud Management Platform.
- Boasts comprehensive reporting and analytics.
- Availability of integrations with third-party software applications and tools.
Click here for more information
Frequently Asked Questions
Question: What is a cloud provider?
Answer: Cloud providers are organizations that offer their customers Information Technology (IT) as a service on the web and it can have one or more of these:
- Software as a Service (SaaS)
- Platform as a Service (PaaS)
- Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
Question: How to choose the best cloud service provider?
Answer: The following factors are necessary to consider when you are looking for a cloud service provider:
- Your location.
- The pricing plans and your budget.
- Quality of the customer support.
- Customer reviews of the company and its services.
- Track record of the company regarding its stability, uptime, reliability, etc.
- The expenses of training employees in using the cloud computing platform.
- The preference of customer/client.
Question: Does a cloud computing service keep user data secure?
Answer: With a cloud computing service, your data is stored on a cloud rather than on-premises. So, it is natural that you will be worried about your data’s safety and security.
However, you need not worry too much because most cloud computing providers encrypt data before storing them on their server. Additionally, most of these firms have advanced technology to ensure that your data is kept confidential, secure, and private, at all times.
You also have the option to choose a hybrid cloud, which allows for some data to be stored at your premises and some with the cloud.
Conclusion
Therefore, we have presented a detailed list of the 10 best cloud providers for you. Out of these, in our opinion, Azure and AWS are the top contenders. If you are looking to get associated with the best of the best cloud computing providers, then these 2 are the perfect options.
However, Google and IBM are getting better day by day and can also be invaluable assets to your business if you choose either of them.
Through these cloud service providers, you get the assurance of great services, including automated backup, file sharing, file locking, and numerous additional features that will help you achieve your daily business/personal goals.