Infrastructure- and Platform-as-a-Service Guide

Why Read This Research

Cloud service providers offer a wide range of cloud-based services, from basic infrastructure such as compute and storage to complex machine learning development and execution environments. They provide services in two major categories: Infrastructure as a Service and Platform as a Service. Platforms also provide additional services, including platform administration and management, application development tools, security services, edge computing resources, and applications that can be integrated via APIs to new applications developed by customers. With insights on considerations for administrative systems, institutional trends, major providers like Amazon Web Services, Google, IBM, Microsoft, and Oracle, and more, institutions can use this research to inform procurement efforts of cloud services.

Key Questions Answered

• What are the common characteristics of cloud platforms?
• How do institutions determine whether to go with a single-cloud or multi-cloud architecture?
• What budget concerns should institutions pay attention to when considering cloud platforms?

Features

• Vendor in Focus: Amazon Web Services, Google, IBM, Microsoft, Oracle
• Software Category in Focus: Cloud Platforms
• Author: Dave Kieffer, Vice President, Research, Large Enterprise Systems
• Research Availability: April 2021

Table of Contents

1. Overview of Cloud Service Providers
2. Major Providers
3. Considerations for Administrative Systems
4. Best Practices
5. Institutional Feedback
6. Conclusions & Methodology
7. Additional Resources