Here is a list of top 10 cloud computing vendors in 2018 who are changing the game with their excellent cloud computing platforms and services.

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1.     Microsoft

Microsoft’s top goals is to ensure high customer success rate by deploying technical expertise throughout the early cloud adoption cycle. Microsoft Corporate VP Gavriella Schuster highlights that over the next 5 years the company will create a $20-trillion cloud opportunity by framing new ways to engage with partners and customers and gain potential partners[3]. In 2018, Microsoft’s cloud business will reach more customers with tailored-fit solutions involving AI and IoT.

2.     Amazon

Amazon’s AWS has become a fast-growing cloud business beating IBM’s  $17 billion by revenue[4]. It is important to note that Amazon’s Web Services is undeniably successful, and AWS holds a major share of the company’s profits. Amazon ensures that customers can run their applications without worrying on server maintenance. AWS operates on thin e-commerce margins, and their operational model focuses on high-growth business.

3.     IBM

Under the excellent leadership of Ginni Rometty, IBM has transformed itself into a cloud giant with the state-of-the-art cloud and AI technology. The organization is boosting the 2018 Cloud growth with 1,900 Cloud patents and ultra-fast AI-optimized chip technology[5]. IBM Cloud helps clients apply data and AI to build smart enterprises. With cloud revenue now sharing 21% of IBM’s total revenue of $79.1 billion, the modern technology and market focus have enabled the company to excel in cloud, security and analytics[6].

4.     Salesforce

Customer obsession and customer success is Salesforce’s principle in the Enterprise Cloud business. The company’s CEO Marc Benioff has set a bold vision for the organization centered on digital transformation and customer commitment. The vastness of data about businesses and its customers provide Salesforce the key to extend its strategic relationships in the cloud industry.

5.     SAP

SAP’s cloud management has set customer success as the most important priority within the organization. The company ensures that the customer gets the requested product, and the cloud system would benefit even the customer’s customers.

6.     Oracle

Customer choice is at the forefront for Oracle when it comes to Enterprise Cloud business, and the company offers a wide range of software deployment—on-premises, cloud, and hybrid. Oracle Cloud Machine provides the flexibility for the regulated industries in terms of deployment time and maintenance[7]. Even Amazon runs on the Oracle Database, rather than its own RedShift database, which is a perfect example to why even the competitors run their business on Oracle.

7.     Google

Google has a lot of firepower, but not just clear enough to play in the Enterprise Cloud business level. As per the Q4 2017 earnings report, Google has gone behind by $15B in terms of cloud revenue. Now that Google Cloud Platform has set plans for 2018, it will be most interesting to see how it competes with the other Cloud Computing vendors.

8.     ServiceNow

The cloud computing company has shown incredible performance in terms of revenue over Q2 2017 – an increase of 40.2% to $478.5 million[8]. John Donahoe, CEO of ServiceNow, believes that focusing on the full customer lifecycle, right from post-sale till renewal holds the key to business value. The organization has started to actively leverage the wide and rapidly expanding network of partners.

9.     Workday

Workday has grown at a fast pace—subscription-revenue growth of more than 40% over the last 4 quarters, and is now all set to top $2 billion in cloud revenue[9]. The company offers HCM and Financials cloud services where it remains unexceptionally focused on growth, expansion, and customer success. The enterprise is also eagerly waiting to launch Workday Prism Analytics and Workday Cloud Platform which would set the stage to expand in the cloud market and become a more strategic supplier to businesses.

10. VMware

VMware, a leader in private cloud, has become a smart dealmaker with public-cloud giants like Microsoft, Amazon, IBM and Google. These partnerships have helped VMware to streamline and accelerate its customer’s journey to the cloud. The enterprise has always ensured that customers can easily operate a seamless and customized hybrid cloud.

As we can see, there is a good competition among the top players in the cloud computing space and what distinguishes them from each other is the way they focus on addressing varying customer needs.

The cloud computing vendors have realized that customer success is the key to excellence in enterprise cloud. Operating on the latest cloud technologies to revolutionize the data center and streamline the digital workspace has become necessary to achieve customer satisfaction. Focusing on the complete customer lifecycle is the success mantra for these cloud computing vendors, right from sales to subscription renewal.

[1] http://business.financialpost.com/technology/cio/a-1-trillon-opportunity-why-the-computing-cloud-business-will-keep-growing-and-growing

[2] https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/microsoft-sap-oracle-make-new-major-pledges-customer-success-evans/

[3] https://www.forbes.com/sites/bobevans1/2018/01/22/microsoft-unleashes-new-cloud-growth-via-go-to-market-program-including-customers-as-partners/#6d5cbe1215c4

[4] https://www.forbes.com/sites/bobevans1/2018/01/26/amazon-to-become-1-in-cloud-computing-revenue-by-beating-ibms-17-billion/#4466795a6b3e

[5] https://www.forbes.com/sites/bobevans1/2018/01/16/ibm-fueling-2018-cloud-growth-with-1900-cloud-patents-plus-blazingly-fast-ai-optimized-chip/#38a8d75c84ac

[6] https://www.forbes.com/sites/bobevans1/2018/01/19/ibm-joins-microsoft-amazon-atop-cloud-world-booming-cloud-business-ends-long-revenue-decline/#48f9bb5349c4

[7] https://www.forbes.com/sites/bobevans1/2017/12/18/the-top-10-reasons-why-oracle-and-its-cloud-business-are-in-great-shape/#2eaab0f3664d

[8] https://www.forbes.com/sites/bobevans1/2017/08/15/inside-servicenows-surge-how-its-become-the-most-innovative-saas-vendor-on-the-planet/#35566fa95b72

[9]

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/can-workday-take-sap-oracle-its-clients-seem-think-so-bob-evans/