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Cloud computing’s importance has grown significantly in recent years. It has enabled the use of shared IT infrastructure and services to create a flexible, scalable, and on-demand IT environment. The cloud is now the dominant model for delivering and maintaining enterprise IT resources, including hardware, software, and platforms and tools for application developers.  

Cloud computing provides users with an approach to consuming IT that is significantly more flexible, resource-efficient, and cost-effective compared to traditional IT. Cloud-based IT resources can be delivered privately, for use by one or a specific group of enterprises, or publicly, where IT resources are accessed according to multi-tenancy principles. 

Multi-cloud involves the use of two or more cloud platforms and is increasingly common as enterprises make decisions about which platforms to use on a case-by-case basis, according to considerations such as cost, performance, availability, and compliance. With hybrid and multi-cloud environments becoming more common, the tools to manage workloads across these environments are progressing. 

However, not all companies are equal when it comes to their capabilities and investments in the key themes that matter most to their industry. Understanding how companies are positioned and ranked in the most important themes can be a key leading indicator of their future earnings potential and relative competitive position.  

According to GlobalData’s thematic research report, Cloud Computing, leading adopters include: Aviatrix, Hashicorp, Microsoft, Amazon, Alphabet, VMware, IBM and Cisco. 

Insights from top ranked companies  

Alphabet 

Google is a leading provider of search and internet advertising services and more recently, a viable platform services rival to AWS and Microsoft Azure. Google Cloud Platform’s revamped multi-cloud management capabilities for managing rival clouds and new microservices service mesh functions are triggering interest from key infrastructure partners, including Cisco, that view the company as an alternative to AWS and Azure. Under the leadership of CEO Thomas Kurian, who joined in January 2019, Google Cloud has experienced a resurgence, driven by a tighter focus on key developer technologies and important supporting acquisitions, such as Looker. 

VMware 

As one of the largest providers of server virtualisation technology and a major provider of software-defined networking and storage, VMware commands a leading position in the market for on-premises data centre infrastructure, private cloud solutions and increasingly platforms services based on its upstream Kubernetes containerisation and microservices service mesh technologies. This also gives the company a strategic advantage as a provider of hybrid and multi-cloud solutions based on offerings such as VMware Cloud on AWS and Azure VMware Solutions. However, VMware is vulnerable to competition from vendors that offer hybrid cloud solutions specifically targeting customer preferences for non-VMware technology environments. 

Cisco 

Cisco targets opportunities for multi-cloud and hybrid enablement with several solutions that include its Microsoft Azure Stack distribution and a strategic partnership with Google. The latter is designed to provide enterprises with a single platform for deploying, developing and managing traditional and cloud-native applications across on-premises environments and Google Cloud Platform. Also, Cisco is investing in solutions that support multi-cloud enablement, including Cisco CloudCenter and its Data Center Anywhere solutions, which aim to help customers deploy data centre resources wherever applications require them, including public clouds. Nevertheless, multi-cloud orchestration is a relatively new market for Cisco, which must continue to build its reputation alongside specialist cloud software vendors and solutions from the hyperscale cloud providers. 

To further understand the key themes and technologies disrupting the technology industry, access GlobalData’s latest thematic research report on Cloud Computing.