IDC MarketScape Names Akamai a Contender in Worldwide Public Cloud IaaS
Akamai has been named a Contender in the “IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Public Cloud Infrastructure as a Service Vendor Assessment” (Figure). The report evaluated 13 cloud vendors that offered services across all global regions and generated more than $100 million in infrastructure as a service (IaaS) in 2021.
Akamai’s inclusion in this report — the first IDC MarketScape for worldwide public cloud IaaS in two years — demonstrates the strength of our cloud computing services, built on our edge computing network, which is the largest distributed network in the world.
Fig: IDC evaluated 13 cloud vendors that offered services across all global regions and generated more than $100 million in IaaS in 2021 and named Akamai a Contender.
Enthusiastic user base
In its vendor profile of Akamai, the IDC MarketScape stated, “In February, content delivery network (CDN) provider Akamai announced plans to purchase Linode for $900 million, instantly creating a prominent new force in public cloud IaaS.” The report also acknowledged, “If Akamai has one thing, it is an enthusiastic user base. At the time of the acquisition, Linode boasted more than 150,000 active customers.”
The report went on to note that Akamai “now offers an open source heavy range of compute, storage, networking, databases, and other midtier software and developer tools. This lineup has been coupled with Akamai’s CDN, serverless, and cybersecurity services.”
Poised for further success
IDC MarketScape also noted, “Akamai will add new Linode datacenters across North America, Latin America, EMEA, and Asia/Pacific by the end of 2023. This expansion complements and is integrated with Akamai's globally distributed network, which currently consists of 4,200 points of presence in 135 countries.”
Addressing the future, the report noted, “The combination of Akamai and Linode should now be able to address the cloud computing needs of a much wider audience by offering a broad portfolio of cloud, CDN, and security offerings. In a world where business models in many industries depend on reliable delivery of rich content, Akamai seems poised for further success with IaaS.”
Spending on public cloud IaaS has also undergone significant growth, up 35.6% to a total of $91.3 billion in 2021."
How COVID-19 helped the cloud grow
Since the previous IDC MarketScape on public cloud IaaS was released in 2020, IDC has observed a significant evolution in the cloud market, as both hyperscalers and new players like Akamai are rolling out services into new areas across the world.
While IDC recognizes that changing business realities during the COVID-19 pandemic initiated some of the migration to public cloud IaaS, the report also credits the existence of “a better, richer array of options, thanks to strategic decisions taken by vendors.” Some of these changes include:
On-premises software vendors and public cloud IaaS providers creating innovative partnerships
Single-focus cloud providers moving into such areas as adding compute to storage
Major independent software vendors shifting operations to public cloud and catering to customers that want their applications and data running close by for privacy and regulatory reasons
Multicloud continuing to grow as a preferred customer deployment model for reasons such as service selection and vendor management
Spending on public cloud IaaS has also undergone significant growth, up 35.6% to a total of $91.3 billion in 2021. And IDC’s analysts don’t see a reversal in the trend: “In fact, IDC estimates show that spending on public cloud IaaS will overtake the total spent on traditional infrastructure and private cloud in the next several years.”
The most recent IDC MarketScape also highlights some important takeaways, including how to build a cloud strategy that drives innovation, cost savings, and efficiency."
Key takeaways
The most recent IDC MarketScape also highlights some important takeaways, including how to build a cloud strategy that drives innovation, cost savings, and efficiency through:
Freeing developers from restrictive rules set by a single cloud provider
Letting businesses compare prices and find the right fit for their budget
Matching the right workload with the right cloud
The right cloud for the right workload
The IDC MarketScape acknowledges that some businesses will always have some use cases for traditional, on-site infrastructure, “such as older, stable bespoke applications.”
But other common issues that have tied companies to on-site databases — including latency and security — are addressed by Akamai, the company that powers and protects life online. The opportunity that Akamai has seized in this modern era of public cloud IaaS is to match specific workloads to particular clouds.
Determining a workload’s placement
As the IDC MarketScape notes, it’s “critical to determine a workload’s placement not just by cost but also by factors such as service adjacency, the provider’s broader ecosystem, and the provider’s commitment to interoperability and open standards.”
Read an excerpt
An excerpt from the “IDC MarketScape on Public Cloud Infrastructure as a Service Vendor Assessment” can be downloaded for free. If you have questions about migrating to IaaS platforms, we would be happy to schedule a meeting with one of Akamai’s cloud experts to discuss your questions.
