AWS Isn’t the Only Company Slowing Down the Internet.

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For many of us, Monday was a workday, remembered for the AWS outage . Amazon Web Services experienced periodic outages, throwing much of the internet into chaos: websites and services built on them crashed or completely shut down.

It was a sobering reminder that so many countries around the world rely on AWS for networking, computing, and data storage. Frankly, I was surprised at how much control we actually have , especially after a number of my work applications ran into issues. Over four million companies with physical addresses use AWS for cloud computing. It’s the world’s largest cloud infrastructure provider, with a whopping 30% market share. That’s why when a global outage like this occurs, it’s impossible to ignore: so many companies and products are affected, from streaming platforms like Prime Video to social media platforms like Facebook, that virtually everyone who accesses the internet will notice the outage.

But 30% isn’t 100%. AWS may be the market leader, but it doesn’t cover the entire market. There are many other cloud infrastructure companies offering similar services and posing similar risks in the event of failure.

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Why use a cloud infrastructure company?

For companies using AWS for their computing needs, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It’s simply much more cost-effective to outsource the resources needed to run programs, store data, and host traffic, especially in the face of rapid growth and business changes. Instead of spending time and money on constantly purchasing and upgrading hardware on-premises, companies can pay for servers as they’re used. Companies like AWS scale their resources as needed, without interrupting service—until, of course, there’s a service outage.

These companies offer a wide range of cloud services and tools, including computing, databases, machine learning, networking, security, and data storage. AWS, surprisingly, is the largest of these, but many companies choose other cloud infrastructure options to meet their needs.

What do you think at the moment?

AWS Alternatives

There are many other companies that offer the same services as AWS, but for our purposes, I’ll list the seven most popular ones, starting with AWS’s main competitors:

  • Microsoft Azure : Microsoft’s cloud computing services are second only to AWS in global market share. Microsoft obviously uses its own cloud infrastructure, but many other companies also use it , including Ralph Lauren, Best Buy, Procter & Gamble, Coca-Cola, Abercrombie & Fitch, as well as local, state, and federal governments .

  • Google Cloud : Google Cloud is the third-largest player in this space, with companies like Lowe’s, Wendy’s, EA, Fox Sports, Bayer, and McLaren using its services.

  • Alibaba Cloud : Alibaba Cloud holds a large share of the cloud computing market and is used by companies such as Air Asia, Zara, Lenovo Group and JNE Express.

  • Oracle Cloud : Oracle Cloud includes customers such as Quest Diagnostics, Baylor University, Smeg, Northwell Health, DHL, and MEO.

  • Salesforce : Companies like Pacers Sports, Indeed, F1, and The Adecco Group use Salesforce cloud data services.

  • IBM Cloud : Deloitte, Pfizer, Harvard, Vodafone and even US Open are acquiring cloud products from IBM Cloud.

  • Tencent Cloud : You might know Tencent primarily for its massive gaming division, but its cloud services are also widespread. These includeservices for companies like L’Oréal Paris, Tim Hortons, and Dell, as well as its own subsidiaries like Supercell and DouYu.

If there’s any silver lining here, it’s that websites and services around the world aren’t powered by just two or three companies, and we haven’t yet reached the point where every internet-connected company relies on AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud. That level of centralization would create even greater risks than we currently face.

However, the current situation remains quite risky . AWS holds 30% of the market, Azure 20%, and Google Cloud 12%. Together, these three companies account for 62% of all cloud infrastructure companies worldwide. While it’s good that the remaining 38% is spread among other players, the risk of another AWS-like outage remains high. Hopefully, after Monday’s outage, work is underway to prevent a recurrence, but that’s still an optimistic forecast.

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