Best cloud brokers of 2019

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If you decide to dabble in the stock exchange you can simply buy shares directly through your bank. Alternatively, you can engage a dedicated broker who can negotiate better prices for you and make sure you’re getting the best deal possible.

Cloud brokers operate in a similar way. Instead of stocks and bonds, they trade in measuring the performance of various cloud services and negotiating the very best rates. They can also assist with integration, which is very useful if you manage a large organisation.

In this guide you’ll explore some of the very best cloud brokers on the market today. All of these can help you to list and manage existing cloud services and explore integration with new ones.

• We've also highlighted the best cloud storage

• Want your company or services to be added to this buyer’s guide? Please email your request to desire.athow@futurenet.com with the URL of the buying guide in the subject line. 

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Image Credit: Amazon

AWS Service Broker is part of Amazon Web Services. 

The solution is open source which allows AWS services to be exposed directly through third party applications such as Red Hat OpenShift. 

The AWS Service Broker integrates AWS services directly into AWS Network Partners’ solutions.

The benefits of this are a unified interface where users can manage all their applications and resources. Users can manage infrastructure, resources and build logic through AWS CloudFormation templates. These contain a set of both strict and customizable parameters that implement production, tests and develop environments. They also interact with applications through endpoints and credentials. These can be stored as OpenShift binding. 

AWS Services Broker is integrated into the Red Hat OpenShift Platform on AWS QuickStart. OpenShift manages master instances, etcd instances and node instances in popular configurations.

In order to utilize the service broker users need to have an account with Amazon web Services.

AWS has three different pricing models; ‘Pay as you Go’, ‘Save when you reserve’ and ‘Pay less using more’. To get prices for all these you need to contact Sales directly.

However, AWS provides a free tier. This offers users certain services for 12-months. After that you have to choose to sign up for any of the plans above or to cancel your AWS subscription.

• You can sign up for AWS Service Broker here

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Image Credit: IBM

IBM may offer its own cloud platform, but they also offer managed cloud brokerage services to allow you to bring together cloud services from multiple suppliers under one roof.

With the IBM Cloud Brokerage Managed Services you can play, design, and manage all cloud models from a single platform, while still ensuring compliance. Though the migration of apps and optimization across all your services you should be able to minimize costs. 

A key aim it to help allow managers and executives bring their IT infrastructure under control in a single cloud platform to reduce hybrid sprawl, especially when different departments may have their own cloud operations for CRM, sales, or ecommerce, which can otherwise complicate the overall IT environment.  

While initial costs may be initially higher, operational savings should easily outweigh these. Additionally, IBM provides cost management tools with built-in analytics to help improve efficiency further.

Bringing together all your IT needs onto a single platform should provide added benefits in terms of easier management, not least having a clearer idea of needs, services, and costs, and being better able to balance these, without having to drop needed tools and processes.

Overall, IBM expect that half of all enterprises will move into cloud brokerages over the coming years, not least the better balance the interests of developers, line-of-business executives, and IT administrators.

• You can sign up for IBM Cloud Brokerage Managed Services here

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Image Credit: Cloudmore

Cloudmore is a Swedish company with offices in Estonia, the UK and US. They were founded in 2007. The solution works to bring all cloud-based IT services together into one unified platform.

Cloudmore is delivered as a SaaS service. There is no hardware to buy or initial set-up costs. Everything you need from a brokerage solution is available from the get-go except for add-ons you might decide to include as you progress.

The interface is simple to use and easy on the eye. It is intuitive ensuring usability for all clients. 

Cloudmore’s Brokerage platforms is based on a pay-as-you go pricing structure. The solution charges for the management of services which are usually paid for by the vendor. Users also have the option to purchase add-ons.

Cloudmore’s API’s easily integrate into your systems. This allows for end-to-end automation. Microsoft Online Services is part of their many integrations. 

Users need to contact Cloudmore directly for more information and a quote.

• You can sign up for Cloudmore here

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Image Credit: Jamcracker

Jamcracker Cloud Services Brokerage also offers organizations the opportunity to manage diverse cloud services from a single platform. This brings with it the ability to unify public, private, and hybrid cloud operations and deliver them both across departments and also to customers.

This can involve unifying SaaS, Paas, and IaaS needs, along with any other virtualizations, and Jamcracker provides support for multiple languages, currencies, and time zones.

As above, the expectation is that simplifying cloud IT infrastructure should result in positive cost and efficiency savings, but by being a cloud services broker (CSB) companies can look to not simply apply these benefits internally but also resell their own value-added services - something Jamcracker is keen to develop with its customers as required.

Overall, Jamcracker has positioned itself as a key provider for unifying cloud operations and management, while also being able to offer cloud brokerage services that enterprise business can take in house and repackage for use among its own clients or suppliers.

• You can sign up to Jamcracker Cloud Services Brokerage here

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Image Credit: Dell

Dell Boomi is a business unit acquired by Dell in 2010. It specializes in cloud-based integration, API management and Master Data Management.

Major clients include Micorsoft Azure, MapAnything and Novartis.

Users can build on-premise to on-premise, cloud-to-cloud and hybrid integrations. The interface gives you access to the tools needed to build end-to-end workflows. 

Dell Boomi has a handy drag and drop feature which makes integration simpler. It is an enterprise integration Platform as a Service. Users can build, deploy and manage all integrations seamlessly. 

Boomi ‘Suggest’ allows users to show others in the community ideas for integrations and receive feedback.

Users can submit data on integration processes to ‘AtomSphere’ to test against future changes. Boomi is a multi-tenant platform which manages all your data management software. They have connections to multiple providers such as MailChimp, GoogleCloud and Slack.

Some reviewers have noted Boomi has a steep learning curve, so it may not be suitable for absolute beginners.

• You can sign up for Dell Boomi here

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