Cloud Wars: Amazon (AWS) vs. Google (GCP) vs. Microsoft (Azure)

During this 30-minute webinar from January 13, 2016, Jeremy Cioara, Garth Schulte, and Ben Finkel compare and contrast Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud Platform, and Microsoft Azure — three of the leading cloud platforms on the market. You'll learn what features the three share, what features help them stand out, and how they can benefit you and your organization.

The Epic Story of Dropbox’s Exodus From the Amazon Cloud Empire

Excerpt from:

 The Epic Story of Dropbox’s Exodus From the Amazon Cloud Empire

For the first eight years of its life, you see, Dropbox stored billions and billions of files on behalf of those 500 million computer users. But, well, the San Francisco startup didn’t really store them on its own. Like so many other tech startups in recent years, Dropbox ran its online operation atop what is commonly called “the Amazon cloud,” a hugely popular service run by, yes, that Amazon—the world’s largest online retailer. Amazon’s cloud computing service lets anyone build and operate software without setting up their own hardware. In other words, those billions of files were stored on Amazon’s machines, rather than machines owned and operated by Dropbox.

But not anymore. Over the last two-and-a-half years, Dropbox built its own vast computer network and shifted its service onto a new breed of machines designed by its own engineers, all orchestrated by a software system built by its own programmers with a brand new programming language. Drawing on the experience of Silicon Valley veterans who erected similar technology inside Internet giants like Google and Facebook and Twitter, it has successfully moved about 90 percent of those files onto this new online empire.

CIO.com Article: Microsoft, Google earnings shed light on cloud war

According to this article on CIO.com, while Microsoft currently has a significant lead over Google in the workplace productivity market, the companies' cloud-based offerings are just a small fraction of their businesses. However, both plan to invest heavily in Office 365 and Google for Work in 2016.

The article explains that only 13 percent of businesses currently use either Office 365 or Google for Work, according to new research from Gartner, which means massive opportunities for growth exist for both Microsoft and Google as more businesses switch to cloud services. 

"Among public companies using cloud-based email, Microsoft is more popular with larger organizations and has more than an 80 percent share of companies using cloud email with revenue above $10 billion," says Jeffrey Mann, research vice president at Gartner. "Google's popularity is better among smaller companies, approaching a 50 percent share of companies with revenue less than $50 million."

Fortune Article: Google's Secret Plan to Catch Up to Amazon and Microsoft in Cloud

Fortune Magazine recently published an article explaining Google's plan to compete with Amazon and others in the cloud.  They say they've got their work cut out for them since last year Gartner estimates showed that Amazon Web Services is running with 10 times the capacity of it's next 14 cloud competitors combined.

They showcase how Google is building an infrastructure comparable to Akamai and is partnering with the Content Delivery Network leader to enhance both company's capabilities.  They also have put former VMWare CEO in charge of their cloud unit which should help them be more competitive.

But Google has struggled to cloud services to business users mainly because they haven't had the history of selling through a channel to these kinds of accounts in the same way that Microsoft or IBM has had and without those relationships, it's an uphill battle to win the their trust.  They've had to play the price game to attract new customers and that's never a winning strategy when dealing with competitors with a larger footprint or better relationship with clients.

Obviously, Google has a tremendous amount of technical know how and a very lucrative cash flow from their search and advertising businesses to fund a tremendous amount of R&D and make strategic investments to help them catch up with Amazon and Microsoft. so this battle is just beginning.

Microsoft Will Win The Cloud Wars?

According to the Motley Fool, Microsoft will win the Cloud Wars.

Their premise is as follows:

Because Microsoft's figured out the real opportunity to generate cloud revenues isn't hosting, that's already a commoditized business. Delivering its suite of software products via the cloud, and continuing to add solutions and delivery channels via strategic partnerships is where Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella is focusing his efforts, just as he should.

It's a good point.  Amazon and Google have been so quick to slash prices, you wonder how much they truly think their customers value their service.  You can make the argument that Microsoft is a dinosaur and all the momentum has been with Google and Amazon, but Microsoft has played this game for a lot longer than either one of these companies.

Office 365 is a winner.  Microsoft still owns the enterprise back-end infrastructure and a huge percentage of the end point clients.  If they can continue to provide value to their clients as well as security, manageability, and productivity, their clients will remain loyal.  And these clients are used to paying big bucks for their licensing fees.  They're not going to be quick to completely jump to away from them and if anything, they'll probably start to swing back towards them if Windows 10 is more Windows 7 than Windows Vista.

I wouldn't bet against Microsoft.  

Cloud Computing: Google Versus Microsoft

It's no secret that Google has been making a play for SMB market share, a territory long under Microsoft's control. It's a logical goal to pursue as business computing continues to evolve from the local machine to cloud computing—Google's wheelhouse. But can Google succeed at taking customers from business software incumbent Microsoft, even while fending off newer cloud-based competitors?

Cloud computing has made the SMB market a goldmine for service providers. Vendors can offer and tailor services (such as databases, programming platforms, unified communications, and more) that would have been out of reach for small businesses due to cost or technical expertise requirements. Still, Google hasn't made significant gains in the enterprise space. I addressed the reasons why businesses have been slow to embrace cloud computing in a recent analysis of Google Apps.

Read Full Article Here:
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2368310,00.asp

Microsoft Needs To Buy Research in Motion

Microsoft is in a very unique position that they haven't experienced in my 17 years in the technology business.  They're at risk of losing control of the client.

For the past 10 years or so, clients have been transitioning from a stationary box connecting them to their network and the internet to mobile devices like notebooks and more recently smartphones.

Clients are rapidly becoming more dependent on their iPhone or Droid than they are on their PC or notebook.  This has Microsoft executives losing sleep at night. 

Microsoft partners have been selling tablet PC's for years, but Apple releases the iPad and society treats it like a technological breakthrough!  They sell millions of them within months of it's release.  Without the foundation laid by the iPhone, this wouldn't have happened.  Now Google is following suit with new Android based tablets being built by Motorola and distributed by Verizon.  This will lead to millions of more clients switching their loyalties from a Microsoft operating system to those controlled by Apple and Google.   

What the heck is happening here?  Microsoft is used to controlling 95+ percent of the client marketshare and suddenly they're getting schooled and seem to not even be a player any more.

Sure, they're coming out with a new Windows 7 Mobile operating systems and telling partners that this game has hardly begun.  But this isn't very comforting to me given their spotty history in the smartphone space so far.

They need to stop the bleeding and stop it quickly!  They need to buy Research in Motion.

This idea isn't new.  Reuters wrote an argument for this back in October of 2008.     

If Microsoft aquires Blackerry, it would instantly bring them to the big boy table and make them a major player in the smartphone game. 

Blackberry is still the strongest player in the smartphone enterprise space with Microsoft still controlling the majority of that backbone infrastructure.  The combination of the two would be a huge blow to Google and Apple since neither one of them has been a major player in the enterprise space so far.

Will it happen?  I don't know.  Microsoft certainly has the financial muscle to pull it off, but there could be some antitrust concerns.  I'm sure that's the first line of defense that Apple and Google would take. 

There's also concerns that Microsoft would alienate many of their hardware partners who are going to be introducing the new Windows 7 phones.  Microsoft has traditionally avoided the hardware game by depending on their partners to utilize their operating systems and letting them each battle it out over features, pricing, and distribution models.  This works when you have 95% market share because no matter who wins the hardware battle, Microsoft would still get it's royalties.  This doesn't work so well when your operating system is a 4th or 5th place player.

Microsoft does have a precedent to look at.  It's called the XBOX.  Microsoft realized they needed complete control over the hardware, software, and distribution model to go after entrenched competitors like Sony and Nintendo.  This strategy is seeming to work pretty well for them in this space.

So make a splash Microsoft.  Buy Research in Motion.  Quickly consolidate their OS with Windows 7.  Introduce a KILLER APP store that will help designers get rich by creating Killer Apps for Windows 7 Mobile and Blackberry.   Then let the games begin!

Todd Swank

Google Introduces Google Apps for Government

At a press event at its headquarters this morning, Google announced Google Apps for Government-a new version of its Google Apps productivity suite that's been certified by the US government as meeting its security requirements.

The new version is a variant of Google Apps Premier edition, and includes the same core apps: Gmail, Calendar, Docs, Sites, Groups, Video, and Postini. Pricing is the same as for Google Apps Premier: $50 per user per year.

The certification says that Google Apps qualifies for is called a FISMA-Moderate rating, which means that it's authorized for use with data that's sensitive but unclassified. In addition, Google says that it's storing government Gmail and Google Calendar on servers that are isolated from those used for non-government customers, and which are located in the continental US.

Read Full Article Here:
http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/201979/google_introduces_google_apps_for_government.html?tk=hp_new

Google Apps Gets Education Certification Partner Program

Google has launched a program to certify resellers on Google Apps Education Edition. In return, Google is offering their partners better marketing support, more training opportunities, and business visibility in the Google Apps marketplace, the search giant says. It’s all part of Google’s continued push into the education space. Here’s the skinny.

Part of the announcement involves new customer deployments. Two examples: The states of Colorado and Iowa are now offering Google Apps to their public schools, a key set of wins in the education space after Microsoft BPOS claimed the University of Arizona. And for schools wanting a self-service approach to learning the ropes, Google is promoting the Google Apps Education Training Center, which they say is designed to walk the novice through their offering.

But for Google Apps resellers, the main event, so to speak, is the Google Apps for Education Certified Partner program. To qualify as a certified partner, you need to employ at least three people who have achieved “Qualified Trainer” status by passing the online examinations and demonstrating a history of providing training and support to large clients.

Read Full Article Here:
http://www.mspmentor.net/2010/06/29/google-apps-gets-education-certification-partner-program/comment-page-1/

Google Apps Poster Child Switches to Microsoft BPOS

Just a little more than a year after touting its move from Microsoft Exchange to Google Gmail, Serena Software has decided to make the switch back to Microsoft and dump its Google Apps support.

Unlike the University of California, Davis, which dumped Gmail over security and privacy concerns earlier this month, Serena's reason was much more old school and basic. In short, it all came down to cost. Microsoft came back to Serena with an offer the ALM (application lifecycle management) software company could not afford to refuse, sources said.

Indeed, sources close to the situation said Microsoft offered Serena a price point for its enterprise software that included on-premise software, Microsoft's new Business Productivity Online Service Suite (BPOS) and migration services. The deal was simply too good to pass up. Microsoft Business Productivity Online Standard Suite is a set of messaging and a collaboration solution hosted by Microsoft, and consists of Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, Office Live Meeting and Office Communications Online.

Read Full Article Here:
http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Cloud-Computing/Google-Apps-Poster-Child-Switches-to-Microsoft-BPOS-171445/

Google Launches Online Marketplace For Cloud Applications

Google has launched an online marketplace where third-party suppliers of on-demand applications that supplement Google's own applications can show off their wares.

Taking a page from the strategy books of Apple's App Store and other online software marketplaces, the new Google Apps Marketplace offers cloud-based applications that integrate with Google Apps. At the time of the launch late Tuesday Google said more than 50 companies were participating.

Google Apps today includes the company's email, calendar and Google Docs document, spreadsheet and presentation applications, among others.

"We're often asked when we'll offer a wider variety of business applications " from accounting and project management to travel planning and human resources management," said product manager Chris Vander Mey in a statement. "But we certainly can't and won't do it all, and there are hundreds of business applications for which we have no particular expertise."

Read Full Article Here:
http://www.crn.com/software/223400077?cid=nl_crn

Google Set To Challenge Microsoft In The Channel

Google (NSDQ:GOOG) and Microsoft (NSDQ:MSFT) compete vigorously in areas like search, mobile devices, and SaaS applications, but when it comes to the channel, there's no comparing the two companies. This week, as Google celebrates the one-year anniversary of its Google Apps Authorized Reseller Program, the notion of Google becoming as synonymous with the channel as Microsoft is doesn't seem as far-fetched as it used to.

That's not to suggest that Google hasn't encountered difficulties along the way. Solution providers tend to regard vendor newcomers to the channel with the cold, appraising eye of a father sizing up his teenage daughter's first boyfriend. So when Google launched its program last February, many VARs that have built businesses around face-to-face interactions were skeptical. And in some early cases, their suspicions were confirmed.

Some VARs that tried to engage with Google were irked by being unable to reach a human company representative, and didn't appreciate being steered instead to Google's Web-based support. Daniel Duffy, CEO of Valley Network Solutions, a solution provider in Fresno, Calif., says that based on what he's seen from Google thus far, the company isn't quite ready to build meaningful channel relationships.

Read full article here:
http://www.crn.com/software/223100778;jsessionid=VLW55XGQBA4YJQE1GHPCKH4ATMY32JVN?cid=nl_crn

Clash of the technology titans

The largest technology companies in the world are at war.

Sure, the executives who run Cisco, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Oracle, and others appear to play nice: Cisco touts the "regular dialogue" between its CEO, John Chambers, and IBM's chief executive, Sam Palmisano. Ann Livermore, an HP executive vice president, spoke at Oracle's annual customer event in October and extolled the virtues of their partnership. And because large customers buy software, gear, and services from all the tech giants, their staffs must work together to get computers and networks up and running.

Don't be fooled by the handshakes and air kisses. Increasingly these titans are invading one another's territories in a bid to grab as much of the $1.5 trillion in projected 2010 worldwide corporate tech spending as they possibly can — and it's going to get bloody.


Customers have cut their tech purchases, and when they do loosen their purse strings, they are buying software and services that help them run their systems more cheaply. To boost sales and profits in this low-growth environment, technology companies are bulking up by buying companies in entirely new businesses.

Read Full Article Here:
http://brainstormtech.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2010/01/13/clash-of-the-technology-titans/

Google Docs Becomes Google ‘Any File’ as Cloud Wars Heat Up

Google is now offering a small virtual hard drive in the cloud so you can access all sorts of files anywhere — the latest salvo in an arms race to become the dominant player in cloud services.

As with many Google initiatives, this one may be deceptively modest: When it is completely rolled out, Google Docs will accept uploads of any kind of file — not just text and spreadsheets. That move heightens their competition with Microsoft, and takes on Apple and a number of small startups in the business of creating backup and storage space on remote servers.

This business is suddenly becoming viable with the ubiquity of broadband connectivity (which makes things almost as accessible as they’d be on your hard drive) and the popularity of netbooks (which are usually light on internal storage). Cloud computing also makes it possible never to lose data when you drop your beloved laptop, or when you don’t have it with you.

Read Full Article Here:
http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2010/01/google-docs-storag/

Google To Acquire DocVerse; Office War Heats Up

From TechCruch:

Google, which is currently on one heck of a spending spree, is closing an acquisition of San Francisco based DocVerse, a service that lets users collaborate around Microsoft Office documents, we’ve heard from a source with knowledge of the deal. The purchase price is supposed to be around $25 million.

Docverse lets users collaborate directly on Microsoft Office documents. Appjet, another recent Google Acquisition, has a related product called EtherPad, although that team is reported to be working with Google Wave and the EtherPad source code has been released to the community.

Read Full Article Here:
http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/12/19/google-to-acquire-docverse-office-war-heats-up/

Google touts progress with Apps, takes shot at Microsoft

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- A Google Inc. executive said Wednesday that the company's Apps software has won over 20 million users across "a few million businesses," as it looks ahead to an impending revamp of rival technology from Microsoft Corp.

Speaking at the Barclays Capital Global Technology Conference, Matthew Glotzbach, director of product management for Google Enterprise, said that Google Apps -- which includes document and spreadsheet tools, as well as the Gmail service -- now has moved "out of that early-adopter phase," when "our one big customer" was biotech giant Genentech Inc.

Read Full Article Here
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/google-bears-down-on-microsoft-applications-2009-12-09

Google Docs: A love letter

Googe Apps Vs Microsoft BPOS

This is an interesting step by step comparison of Google's online services offering vs what Microsoft is currently providing...

http://blogs.technet.com/carpediem/archive/2009/12/03/google-apps-vs-bpos-you-decide-day-1-stage-1-the-facts.aspx

What is Google Chrome OS?