News

AWS Cedes Cloud Leadership to Azure Among Service Partners

• By David Ramel
• 04/10/2025

For years Amazon Web Services (AWS) has dominated cloud computing surveys of all types, continually edging out Microsoft (Azure) and Google (GCP) in that order, no matter the metric. A new survey of the Managed Service Provider (MSP) space bucks that trend.

The study, published last week by Futurum Research, is titled "2024 GTM Channel Decision Maker Survey Report" and is based on a survey of IT partner professionals conducted in order to better understand the strategic decisions, growth expectations, and operational dynamics of channel organizations.

And the cloud figures prominently in those decisions, expectations and dynamics, as cloud giants -- or hyperscalers -- make for natural IT partners. In fact, Azure beating out AWS in one metric made for one of the report's key findings as presented by Futurum:

69% of respondents view Microsoft as a key partner, with AWS (66%) and Google Cloud (54%) following closely. Additionally, 87% report frequent customer purchases through hyperscaler marketplaces, reinforcing their growing role in sales and procurement.

Futurum commented on a couple of data points:

• 54% of respondents consider Google Cloud strategic, showing the increasingly important role it is having in the world of IT.
• 42% see IBM as a key player, with Adobe also capturing 40% of the vote, reflecting their leadership in AI, enterprise solutions, and creative tools.

"The responses highlight the importance of cloud giants such as Microsoft, AWS, and Google Cloud as strategic partners, signaling their integral role in modern technology ecosystems," the report said. "This trend underscores the increasing reliance on cloud infrastructure, AI solutions, and robust enterprise software to meet organizational needs in a rapidly evolving market."

Along with the key finding about hyperscalers, Futurum also highlighted:

• 60% of partners expect moderate to high growth in 2025, driven by digital transformation and services opportunities, but challenges such as rising costs and budget pressures remain as noted concerns.

  

• AI software and cybersecurity are expected to be major growth drivers in 2025, with 86% and 82% of sellers respectively, anticipating significant growth, reflecting strong market confidence in these technologies and their transformative potential.

  

The report also provided recommendations for vendors:

• With AI software (86%) emerging as a key growth category for partners, vendors must focus on enabling their partner communities with their respective offerings to meet growing customer demand.
• With 87% of respondents reporting seeing frequent purchases through hyperscaler marketplaces, software companies should optimize their marketplace presence, strengthen partnerships with AWS, Microsoft, and Google, and streamline procurement processes.
• Partners are looking to vendors for technical enablement with developer tools, technical support, and training programs high on the list of things that are in demand by the community. Partner programs are viewed as extremely important (64%) to enabling partners to get access to these types of offerings.

"Partners consistently gravitate toward the most promising growth areas -- a strategic advantage of being diversified across the technology stack," said Futurum analyst Alex Smith, a co-author of the report, in an April 4 blog post. "This partner survey strongly echoes the findings of our CIO study, revealing a sharp focus on cybersecurity and cloud as top investment priorities. Notably, Microsoft Copilot stands out as the leading AI tool under exploration. The collective hope among partners now is that this wave of experimentation transitions into widespread commercial adoption, unlocking the next phase of opportunity."

The report is based on an online survey conducted in early 2025 involving 705 respondents from technology partners across a range of senior roles, including C-level executives, directors, and managers across North America and Western Europe. The survey respondents were selected based on their influence and knowledge in technology and business decisions within their organizations.