AWS Vs. Azure Vs. GCP Vs. Oracle Vs. IBM Customer Spending Face-Off: Report

AWS Vs. Azure Vs. GCP Vs. Oracle Vs. IBM Customer Spending Face-Off: Report

  • 24.03.2025 18:24
  • crn.com
  • Keywords: NoImpact, EmptyHistory

The report compares AWS, Azure, GCP, Oracle, and IBM in cloud spending, showing AWS leads for SMBs while Azure is ahead for enterprises. Google Cloud dominates among smaller spenders, with most customers using discounts to manage costs.

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Context

Analysis of Cloud Provider Customer Spending: Key Insights and Market Implications

Cloud Adoption Trends

  • Tipping Point Reached: Over 50% of enterprise and SMB workloads are now running on public clouds, according to Flexera’s 2025 report.
  • Repatriation Limited: Only 21% of cloud workloads have been moved back to private data centers, with ongoing migration to the cloud still dominant.

Top Public Cloud Providers

  • AWS: Leading with 79% respondents using it for running workloads.
  • Microsoft Azure: Second at 77%, slightly ahead of AWS in enterprise spending.
  • Google Cloud Platform (GCP): Third with 46% usage, highest among SMBs experimenting on its platform (20%).
  • Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI): Fourth with 27% usage.
  • IBM Cloud: Fifth with 17% usage.

Spending Patterns

Monthly Spending Breakdown

  • AWS:
    • 48% spend ≤ $200,000/month.
    • 17% spend between $1M-$5M+/month.
  • Azure:
    • 50% spend ≤ $200,000/month.
    • 19% spend between $1M-$5M+/month.
  • GCP:
    • 44% spend ≤ $200,000/month.
    • 7% spend between $1M-$5M+/month.
  • Oracle:
    • 29% spend ≤ $200,000/month.
    • 3% spend between $1M-$5M+/month.
  • IBM:
    • 24% spend ≤ $200,000/month.
    • 3% spend between $1M-$5M+/month.

Enterprise vs. SMB Spending

  • Enterprises:
    • Azure leads with 22% spending $1M-$5M+/month.
    • AWS follows with 21% in the same tier.
  • SMBs:
    • AWS dominates with 67% spending ≤ $200,000/month.
    • GCP sees growth, with 2% SMBs spending ≥$1M/month (up from 0% in 2024).

Discount Usage

  • Overall: 96% of respondents use at least one cloud provider discount.
  • Most Common Discounts:
    • Microsoft Enterprise Agreement: 45% usage.
    • Google Committed Use Discount: 44% usage.
    • AWS Reserved Instances: 42% usage.
    • AWS Enterprise Discount Program (EDP): 40% usage.
  • Bespoke Negotiations: More common with Oracle (35%) and IBM (27%).

Hybrid Cloud and Multi-Cloud Strategies

  • Adoption: 70% of respondents use hybrid cloud (public + private).
  • Multi-Cloud Tools: Larger enterprises lead in multi-cloud tool usage.
  • Steady State: Organizations prefer a mix of public and private clouds.

MSP Involvement

  • Usage: 60% of respondents leverage Managed Service Providers (MSPs) for cloud management.
  • Enterprises vs. SMBs:
    • Enterprises: 62% use MSPs.
    • SMBs: 48% use MSPs, up from 36% in 2024.

Long-Term Effects and Market Implications

  • Growth Projection: Increasing cloud spending indicates sustained market growth.
  • Provider Competition: AWS and Azure lead overall, but GCP gains traction among smaller spenders.
  • Strategic Focus: Providers offering discounts and multi-cloud solutions are likely to gain competitive advantages.
  • MSP Ecosystem: Growing reliance on MSPs suggests opportunities for partnerships and specialized services.

Regulatory and Cost Considerations

  • Cost Management: High discount usage highlights cost sensitivity among organizations.
  • Regulatory Impact: No direct mention, but ongoing cloud migration may influence future regulatory frameworks.