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Azure more likely cloud provider for enterprise with Google for SMB, says Clutch

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Enterprises prefer Microsoft Azure as their primary cloud provider while smaller businesses are more likely to be Google houses, according to the latest research from B2B analysis firm Clutch.

The findings, which polled almost 250 users of AWS, Google and Microsoft, appear in the firm’s latest report, found almost 40% of Azure users polled identify as enterprises, compared to only 25% for SMBs and 22% as startups or sole proprietorships. In contrast, 41% of Google Cloud Platform users identified themselves as SMBs.

The reasons are varied, although the argument that smaller businesses are more conscious of price, as opposed to security or toolsets, again reared its head. “It goes back to the trust and familiarity issues,” said Nicholas Martin, principal applications development consultant at IT solutions provider Cardinal Solutions. “Windows Server and other Microsoft technologies are prevalent in the enterprise world. Azure providers the consistency required by developers and IT staff to tightly integrate with the tools that Microsoft-leaning organisations are familiar with.”

More than one in five (21%) of respondents argued that a better selection of tools and features were key to their choice of cloud provider, ahead of familiarity with a brand, and stronger security capabilities.

The findings resonate similarly to those reported by BetterCloud in 2015, who argued there was a “clear trend” for larger organisations to use Office 365, as opposed to Google Apps for cloud offices.

Clutch gave three recommendations for organisations looking to make the right decision over their cloud provider:

  • If your business is either an enterprise, requires Windows integration, or needs a strong platform as a service play, consider Microsoft
  • If longevity, expertise in infrastructure as a service, and a wide selection of tools are key, go with AWS
  • If you are an SMB with a limited budget or need to place heavy emphasis on analytics, consider Google Cloud Platform

This is all pretty sound advice from where CloudTech is standing. You can read the full report here.