Cloud Providers – who is gaining market share?

The cloud computing market, once relatively unknown, is now a booming vertical influencing various aspects of business. It relies on the on-demand availability of computing system resources, data storage and next-generation services.

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is synonymous with cloud computing, and in 2023, it led the industry in market share. Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud Platform (GCP) are the next giants in Cloud offerings. Approximately 65% of the market share belongs to these three providers alone. 

This article (which will contain some statistics for the US and UK markets) examines these Cloud providers more closely and investigates where Amazon Web Services remains in a powerful position.

What is the UK and US Market Share of Cloud Providers?

You will not be surprised to hear that Amazon Web Services (AWS) remains the leader in market share. AWS commands around a third of the market in the United States and the United Kingdom.

• United Kingdom:
  • AWS: 32.2%
  • Azure: 22.2%
  • GCP: 9.8%
  • Other Providers: 35.8%
• United States:
  • AWS: 33.1%
  • Azure: 20.9%
  • GCP: 10.8%
  • Other Providers: 35.2%

AWS’s revenue growth has been consistently impressive, with a stair-step pattern indicating substantial year-over-year increases. However, we must also consider more recent data and how growth is tracking for the big three cloud providers.

What is the growth rate of Cloud Providers?

We found the data for the UK market difficult to find accurately, so we will look at the US market for growth rates. Despite Amazon’s market share dominance, Azure and GCP’s growth rate in 2023 outpaced AWS.

United States Cloud Providers Growth

• AWS: Growth rate of approximately 13%
• Azure: Growth rate of approximately 19%
• GCP: Growth rate of approximately 22%

Seeing Google Clouds accelerate over AWS was interesting and surprising. A whole nine percentage points in front is not a metric to be sniffed at. As a result, in the next section, we examine the driving force behind Google Cloud growth. 

What is the driving force behind Google Clouds’ growth?

The previous sections show that Amazon Web Services maintains an overall market share, but growth is occurring for Google Cloud.

Google Cloud’s higher growth compared to AWS in 2023 can be attributed to its focus on innovation (including Artificial Intelligence), strategic market initiatives and effective customer acquisition strategies. 

1. Product Offerings and Innovation: Google Cloud’s strong focus on innovation and developing cutting-edge technologies, especially in AI and machine learning, has contributed to its growth. The company’s emphasis on generative AI technology, which cloud providers and enterprises have embraced, has significantly boosted enterprise spending on cloud services.
2. Market Strategies: Google Cloud’s strategic initiatives, including expanding services and solutions, have played a pivotal role in its growth. The company’s consistent efforts to enhance its cloud offerings and cater to the evolving market needs have resonated well with enterprises, leading to increased adoption and, subsequently, higher growth rates.
3. Customer Acquisition: Google Cloud’s success in securing new customers and retaining existing ones has driven its growth. The company’s ability to attract diverse clients, including enterprise customers, through its cloud services and solutions has significantly contributed to its market share growth.
4. Partnerships and Collaborations: Collaborations and partnerships with other technology firms and enterprises have also been pivotal in Google Cloud’s growth. Strategic alliances, joint ventures, and partnerships with various organisations have expanded Google Cloud’s reach and provided access to new markets, contributing to its overall growth in the cloud computing industry.
5. Competitive Positioning: Google Cloud’s competitive positioning, particularly in its differentiated offerings and value proposition context, has helped drive its growth. The company’s ability to differentiate itself from competitors, including AWS, by leveraging its strengths and unique capabilities has been a critical factor in its accelerated growth trajectory.

Amazon Web Services and Google Cloud Value Propositions

Despite Google Clouds’ growth, it is worth examining the value propositions for these two providers—especially as Google is showing an overall win in growth rate.

• Performance: Google Cloud, as highlighted by Kinsta, offers top-tier performance within web hosting solutions, leveraging Google Cloud Platform’s premium tier network service to reduce latency and minimise downtime. This demonstrates Google Cloud’s commitment to enhancing its platform’s performance.
• Pricing: While AWS is noted to be cheaper than Google Cloud Platform for VM instances, the comparison becomes more complex when considering various products, services, and pricing models. The cost-effectiveness of each platform depends on individual business requirements, datacenter location, networking needs, and the specific types of workloads in use.
• Network Infrastructure: Amazon’s network, with multiple availability zones in twice as many regions as Google’s, appears larger, potentially offering an edge in terms of latency. AWS plans to launch additional data centres in various global locations, further expanding its network infrastructure.
• Security: Both AWS and Google Cloud are recognised for providing cutting-edge cloud security, offering protection by default, additional security products and services, and security beyond their cloud platforms. They also comply with a wide range of regulatory standards to meet the needs of heavily regulated sectors.
• Financial Metrics: In the Q4 2023 US market, AWS reported a total revenue of $24.2 billion, Microsoft’s Intelligent Cloud group generated $25.9 billion, and Google Cloud captured revenue of $9.2 billion. AWS also demonstrated a sales growth rate of approximately 13%, while Google Cloud’s sales grew by 26% year over year.

Conclusion

Based on the data, Google Cloud. Microsft Azure and Amazon Web Services are the prominent market leaders in the cloud computing industry. Each platform offers a wide range of advanced cloud products and services, providing significant benefits over on-premises deployments regarding scalability, performance, security, and cost.

Ultimately, the choice of cloud provider depends on the unique needs of a business. Each platform has strengths and advantages, and selecting the right cloud provider involves thorough research and consideration of specific business requirements. 

Google Cloud, Azure and AWS continue to demonstrate strong financial performance, innovative advancements, and a commitment to providing secure, high-performance cloud solutions to meet the evolving needs of businesses across various industries. However, Google Cloud is sure to make a noise with its impressive growth and focus on artificial intelligence.