The best cloud brokers make it simpler and easier to manage a range of cloud computing services under a single platform. The aim is to simplify the process of managing public, private, or hybrid clouds while also ensuring the services remain optimized.
1. Best for SaaS integration
2. Best for ease of use
3. Best for security
4. Best for support
5. Best for cloud integration
6. FAQs
7. How we test
Cloud computing is a huge market that continues to grow. It has made it easy for people to deploy and manage their apps. Anyone is free to sign up for a cloud-based app. You can do that directly, but some people choose to go through an intermediary known as a cloud broker.
A broker signifies a third-party negotiating an agreement between two or more parties. They make business dealings simpler for all parties involved, especially the buyer. Cloud brokers are third parties connecting developers to multiple cloud-based services for better cloud management.
Cloud services have evolved and become more complex over time, and this complexity may be too much for end consumers to handle. A cloud broker is a third party that makes the process simpler.
There are endless cloud brokers out there. We tested many of them to identify the best ones. We considered many factors including cost, ease of use, reliability, security, etc. They have their respective advantages and disadvantages, but, overall, are the best you can choose.
We've also highlighted the best cloud storage.
The best cloud brokers of 2024 in full:
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Best for SaaS integration
AppDirect is an application marketplace. Different cloud providers offer their services through AppDirect because it’s a good place to find customers. Hence, as the customer, you can access many cloud services from one single interface.
AppDirect gives businesses a platform to access hundreds of apps they want. You just need to create a single AppDirect account to access these services, which is more convenient than creating different accounts for all the cloud services you want to access.
There's no shortage of the type of tools you can find on AppDirect. It could be Google Workspace for easy enterprise collaboration, Okta for identity management, Proofpoint for security, and DocuSign for electronic signatures. AppDirect also offers its own cloud-based tools, such as the AppDirect Workspace collaboration platform.
Of course, you’ll need to pay for each software that you choose. AppDirect has high listing and integration fees, so software providers tend to increase prices a bit to recoup their costs. You may end up paying a higher amount via AppDirect than you would if you purchase the software on their main website. However, many consider the higher price a good tradeoff for convenience and easy access.
Best for ease of use
Pax8 is a popular cloud services marketplace. It is famous for its extensive customer support, with dedicated staff ready to help you in times of technical challenges. It also has one of the best user interfaces we’ve encountered in a cloud broker, so you won’t face much issues navigating it.
Pax8 aggregates a lot of cloud services and lets you purchase them in one place. You can buy everything ranging from cloud storage on Amazon Web Services (AWS) to Bitdefender for cybersecurity, Datto for endpoint management, QuickBooks for accounting, etc.
Pax8 helps you organize your cloud service subscriptions easily. You'll subscribe from one spot instead of creating separate accounts for each service. The company offers consolidated billing, meaning it aggregates the prices for you to pay in one go.
This platform offers great support to both end users and developers offering their apps through the Pax8 marketplace. Online reviews often highlight customer support as the main attraction. It provides dedicated teams to attend to customer issues alongside secondary support resources such as video tutorials and extensive documentation.
Best for security
Flexera is a well-known IT and cloud management company. The Flexera App Portal allows businesses to connect to many cloud services. It's like an in-house enterprise app store where employees can find just the tools they need to work. You'll select the apps you want to connect to and pay for them, and your employees can connect to anyone you pay for.
The advantage of using the Flexera App Portal is that it gives your business control over which cloud services connect to its network. This process is more secure compared to using consumer app stores to download and use different cloud services.
By accessing all your cloud apps from one software, Flexera reduces administrative tasks and expenses. It makes the software management process much easier and helps with security compliance.
This platform is known for being very secure. However, many customers complain about the user interface being too clunky and needing improvements. They also complain about the expenses being high. The app doesn’t offer standard pricing, so you’ll have to contact Flexera’s sales team for a custom quote.
Best for support
Boomi is a cloud broker that’s integrated with multiple cloud services including Amazon Web Services, NetSuite, Salesforce, SAP, etc. Overall, it's connected to over 300,000 apps, one of the highest we've seen in a cloud broker.
Essentially, Boomi is a one-stop shop for all your cloud software needs. Instead of signing up separately for different cloud services, just create a single Boomi account to connect to them. You can connect to all types of apps on this platform, including accounting apps, big data, collaboration, analytics, fraud protection, e-commerce, etc.
If you need help at any time, Boomi offers good customer support resources. You can find extensive documentation about all the platform's aspects on the official website, or check the library of articles and how-tos. You can also contact human support representatives to help you or hire professional Boomi experts, although the latter requires an extra payment.
A major drawback of Boomi is that its user interface can be difficult to navigate, especially for non-technical people. We also observed complaints of app updates causing some connection issues, although it seems like a bug that you’ll only encounter occasionally.
Best for cloud integration
Jamcracker isn’t a very popular cloud brokerage platform but is nonetheless a good one. This broker is integrated with virtually all major cloud providers; Azure, AWS, Google Cloud, IBM Cloud, VMWare, Huawei Cloud, and Alibaba Cloud. Hence, you can access different services offered by these cloud providers from your Jamcracker account.
Jamcracker lets you pick just the features you want from different cloud providers. It’s an ideal tool to use if your business favors a multi-cloud IT environment. However, unlike other tools on this list, Jamcracker doesn’t have integration with many SaaS platforms. Office 365 and G Suite are the only SaaS platforms you can access via Jamcracker, compared to other rivals that integrate with thousands of SaaS tools. Jamcracker’s strength lies more in its cloud infrastructure integration than SaaS software integration.
Jamcracker doesn’t have a straightforward pricing structure. You’ll have to contact the company’s sales team for a custom quote.
We've also featured the best cloud backup solutions.
FAQs
How to choose a cloud broker
1. Cost
Cost is the primary consideration when choosing any service. Different brokers have different pricing structures, and it’s important to study the details of your desired platform. Read the fine print to see if they’re any hidden or opaque costs. The idea is to pick a platform you can afford to avoid future problems.
2. Security
Your organization will be uploading a lot of sensitive data to the cloud, such as customer details and user information. It’s paramount to pick a cloud broker with advanced security features. You don’t want a platform that’s vulnerable to data leaks, which can cause financial loss or loss of customer trust.
3. Vendor lock-In
Vendor lock-in is a case when you're forced to use a software platform because switching to another one is expensive and impractical. Before picking any cloud broker, consider if it’s something that’s easy to migrate from. The platform should have features that make it easy to transfer your data to another broker. Otherwise, you might get stuck with a platform you detest due to sunk costs.
4. Customer support
You’ll likely run into issues with your cloud broker at some point and need help. You should be able to contact a human support representative to get that help. The broker should also offer support resources such as user guides, documentation, and video tutorials.
What are the essential features of a cloud broker
1. Aggregation
A broker combines multiple cloud-based services into a single interface. It should make it easy to integrate your data across these different services and guarantee security when transferring data from one service to another.
2. Arbitrage
Arbitrage traditionally means taking advantage of price differences for similar products to make gains. In this case, a cloud broker should allow you to choose the most affordable of several cloud-based services offering similar features. The idea is to select the most economical services to lower your aggregate software costs.
3. Intermediation
The broker should provide enhanced features in addition to what the cloud-based services on its network offers. For example, it can offer deeper insights and analytics compared to what you'd get on a typical cloud-based software or advanced security features. The broker should bring more to the table alongside the cloud services it has integrated with.
4. Analytics
You should be able to analyze your cloud software usage easily. Despite using multiple platforms, you should be able to get accurate metrics on your usage of each one and identify what needs improvement or not.
How we test
We test by evaluating numerous factors. To start with, we look at the feature set, the range of tools available, and what size of businesses this would be ideal for. We consider how easy the setup is, the simplicity of the interface, and whether there's sufficient documentation and tutorials for users to utilize necessary options optimally.
We assess how well the service integrates with other relevant apps, and check the overall scalability of the service. We also analyze whether there are collaboration features for multiple users, and lastly, we judge the quality of the customer service and the different pricing plans available.
Read more on how we test, rate, and review products on TechRadar.
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