Google May Have to Get Used to Third Place in the Cloud

In the cloud business, there’s Amazon Web Services, and there’s everybody else. But the race for the silver medal is getting less competitive, too. In 2019, Microsoft Corp.’s Azure is expected to solidify its position enough that Google Cloud Platform will have a tough time catching up.

“Not Amazon” is a strong position when pitching to retailers, grocers, and other cloud customers that would prefer to avoid lining Jeff Bezos’ pockets while he’s competing directly against them. For years, Google looked like the alternative. It had a two-year head start on Microsoft and more experience selling internet-based software. Yet by the end of 2014, shortly after Satya Nadella took over as chief executive officer, Microsoft had double Google’s market share, according to analyst Synergy Research Group.