Government cloud refers to the cloud computing solutions and services that are developed specifically for government firms and agencies. Government agencies are significantly adopting virtualization products, due to various benefits such as reduced Capital Expenditure (CAPEX) and Operational Expenditure (OPEX), scalability, faster deployment, and elasticity.

The MicroQuadrant provides information about the major players who offer government cloud solutions and services. It outlines the findings and analysis on how well each market vendor performs within the predefined MicroQuadrant criteria. The vendor evaluations are based on 2 broad categories: strength of product portfolio and business strategy excellence. Each category carries various criteria, based on which the vendors have been evaluated. The evaluation criteria considered under the strength of product portfolio includes breadth and depth of service offering (on the basis of the industries that the vendors cater to, solutions, and service offerings), service feature/functionality (on the basis of the overall capabilities of the services), focus on service innovation (on the basis of R&D activities for new service innovations), and service differentiation and impact on customer value (on the basis of the services’ unique qualities and the impact they have on the customers’ buying decision). The evaluation criteria considered under the business strategy excellence include the effectiveness of the growth strategy (on the basis of partnerships and revenue generation), channel strategy and fit (on the basis of the channel partners that the vendors cater to), geographic footprint (on the basis of geographic presence), and mergers and acquisitions strategy (on the basis of the company’s key mergers/acquisitions or partnership deals in the last couple of years). We have placed vendors into 4 categories based on their performance in each criterion: “Visionary Leaders,” “Innovators,” “Emerging Companies,” and “Dynamic Differentiators.”

Vendors who fall into this category generally receive high scores for most of the evaluation criteria. They have a robust and established product portfolio and very strong market presence. Moreover, these vendors also have strong business strategies. Amazon Web Services, Microsoft, IBM, Google, HPE, Salesforce, Oracle, Cisco Systems, Verizon, Dell Technologies, and VMware are the visionary leaders in the government cloud market. They have a strong portfolio of services and these vendors have been marking their market presence by offering customized services as per the IT requirement of the companies. The growth strategies of these companies have helped them advance consistently in the government cloud market.

The dynamic differentiators category includes established vendors with very strong business strategies. However, they are low in their product portfolio. They generally focus on a specific type of technology, related to the product. NTT DATA, CGI Group, NEC, SAP, and AT&T are the key dynamic differentiators in the government cloud market. These companies have an innovative portfolio of services. They also have an extensive network of channel partners and resellers to increase the deployment of their services across a multitude of verticals. The dynamic vendors have been consistently generating a positive revenue growth in the government cloud market, and its market position is boosted by their organic and inorganic ventures.

Innovators are vendors who have demonstrated substantial product innovations as compared to their competitors. They have a focused product portfolio. However, they do not have very strong growth strategies for their overall business. Key innovator in this market is NetApp. These companies possess innovative services to cater to the future mobility demands. They focus on their service portfolio and have the robust potential to build strong business strategies for expanding their business and staying at par with the visionary leaders. These vendors have been consistently offering government cloud solutions to fulfill customers’ demands. The innovators have been at the forefront for deploying its solutions.

Emerging companies’ category comprises vendors with niche product offerings, who are starting to gain their position in the market. They do not have very strong business strategies as compared to other established vendors. They might be new entrants in the market and require some more time before getting significant traction. The emerging companies in the government cloud market are Informatica, Capgemini, CenturyLink, Citrix, Huddle, Equinix, Fujitsu, and Red Hat.