Best cloud analytics of 2024
We list the best cloud analytics platforms, to make it simple and easy to better analyze your cloud data in order to find actionable insights.
This is especially important as cloud computing has made it easier for companies to deploy and maintain applications. Enterprises can now spin up any application they want on the cloud, compared to the previous way of hosting it on their own servers, which takes time and more effort to deploy and maintain.
Analytics is one of the best applications of cloud computing. Every company needs to analyze its metrics and extract insights to guide its decision-making. Data-driven decisions will likely yield more positive results than gut decisions.
Many cloud analytics tools can help businesses make data-driven decisions. These tools are hosted on the cloud, so they are easy to deploy. Users just need to upload the required data, and the platform will start analyzing it to fetch insights.
Because they’re dealing with sensitive data, any cloud analytics tool must have advanced security features. It’s also important that they are easy to use and navigate instead of something that’ll confuse your employees.
We tested different cloud analytics products and chose the five best ones. Each of these analytics tools has its pros and cons, but overall are the best you can find on the market.
We’ve also highlighted the best cloud computing services.
The best cloud analytics of 2024 in full:
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Best cloud analytics for Microsoft 365
Millions of enterprises worldwide already use the Microsoft 365 cloud software suite, so are familiar with Microsoft as a company. Power BI is yet another software tool that Microsoft offers. It is an interactive data visualization product; you can upload data to it via CSV, XML, and JSON files and turn them into visual insights.
There are three Power BI options; Free, Premium, and Pro. The Free option comes with all Microsoft 365 subscription plans but has limited features and doesn’t offer much value. For instance, it allows you to extract and publish insight reports, but you can’t share them with other people. You’ll need either the Premium or Pro option for sharing.
The Premium and Pro packages offer more advanced features, such as the ability to connect to over 100 data sources and embed Power BI reports in other Microsoft apps.
Microsoft Power BI gives you access to sophisticated data visualization and analytics features. However, we observed a pattern of customer complaints of the platform’s interface being cluttered and bulky.
Best cloud analytics for performance
Tableau is a data analytics platform owned by Salesforce, which acquired it in 2019. It has been one of the top-ten data analytics platforms for a long time, including before selling to Salesforce.
Tableau is well-known for its strong performance. The platform works well with large data volumes, unlike some platforms that begin to lag once you upload large data into it. You can create different types of visualizations easily.
This platform has iOS and Android apps, so you can visualize and monitor your data on the go. The mobile app gives you access to most of the features you’ll find on the desktop and online versions.
Artificial intelligence is all the rage now, and Tableau isn’t left out of it. The company recently released Tableau GPT, an AI assistant you can ask questions about your data and get answers.
Best cloud analytics for ease of use
Domo is a cloud analytics tool that’s popular with enterprises. The main attraction of this tool is that it’s easier to use and navigate than most competitors. Many people praise Domo for enabling non-technical employees to use data analytics software with ease, unlike many other platforms where they’ll find it hard to understand and navigate the features.
You can upload raw data into Domo, and the platform will transform it into interactive visualizations that anyone can easily understand; viewers can spot patterns, identify trends, and answer needed questions. Like most platforms now, Domo incorporates artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to help convert data into intelligible insights. Thanks to AI and ML, you can also ask questions and get natural language answers (which may be helpful, but wrong in some cases, so always double-check).
Domo allows you to create interactive and customized dashboards despite having little technical skills. You can share these visualizations with anyone you want either within or outside your organization. The platform has mobile apps, enabling users to analyze data on the go.
The main drawback of Domo is that it’s more expensive than comparable tools.
Best low-cost cloud analytics solution
Zoho is a well-known company that provides more affordable alternatives to popular enterprise software products. Think of it as the low-cost Microsoft.
Zoho Analytics is a cloud-based data analytics and business intelligence platform. Just like with other tools, you can upload data to it to create interactive visualizations and extract insights. For example, you can upload your sales data and visualize how well your business has performed over a given period.
A good thing about using Zoho Analytics is that you can import data from many sources; Google Drive, Teamwork Desk, Salesforce CRM, Zendesk, MailChimp, etc. It has integrations with many apps, which enables you to import data at the click of a button.
This platform has a built-in AI assistant called Zia Insight, so you can ask it questions about your data and get insights. You can visualize your data by choosing from one of many templates. It has a drag-and-drop interface that makes it easy to add charts, widgets, tables, etc.
Zoho Analytics is more affordable than many rival tools. It charges according to user groups. The few drawbacks are its user interface being cluttered and complaints of customer support that we observed.
Best cloud analytics for visualizations
Amazon Web Services (AWS) is the world’s biggest cloud computing provider, so it makes sense that the company offers a cloud-based data analytics tool.
QuickSight is a data analytics tool that you can easily spin up on Amazon Web Services. It works well with large volumes of data, which makes it suitable for large enterprises. QuickSight has a built-in visualization engine that makes it possible to picture your data in ways you can’t on other platforms. If you ask most users what the best thing about QuickSight is, a common reply will be the platform’s visualization.
Yet, QuickSight has limited integration with other platforms, so you might find it more strenuous to import data into it. It also has limited customization compared to rival platforms.
We’ve also featured the best cloud storage.
Best cloud analytics FAQs
How to choose a cloud analytics provider
The key factors to consider include:
1. Security
You’ll be uploading sensitive business data to the cloud analytics software, so it’s non-negotiable that it has advanced security features to prevent leaks and theft. Verify that the platform encrypts your data on its servers and keeps it siloed. What location does your data reside and what laws are they subject to? Read their data governance policies and ensure you’re satisfied with them.
2. Reliability & performance
Your software must be reliable and perform effectively. You don’t want something that hangs or becomes slow when you upload a large amount of data on it. You also don’t want a platform that experiences frequent downtimes and shuts you out at important periods.
You can use a free trial to test the platform’s performance and reliability before making your final decision.
3. Cost
Different cloud analytics software providers have different pricing structures. Some charge per user and some charge per user group. You might need to pay a monthly or annual fee or sign a long-term contract that gives you discounts. Nonetheless, ensure you check the pricing and be sure it’s something you can afford even as your business grows.
5. Features
What features does the analytics platform offer? Does it incorporate artificial intelligence or not? Is there a limit on the amount of data it can process or not? Does it integrate with other third-party tools? Etc.
What are the essential features of a cloud analytics service?
The essential features include
1. Visualization
Any data analytics software must be able to visualize the data that you feed into it. The aim of using one is to convert raw data that is difficult to parse into a visual format that anyone can easily understand. The visualization should be simple such that any professional can view and understand it at a glance.
You should be able to share the visualizations with people within or outside your organization.
2. Data import
The usual way of uploading data into data analytics tools is by using CSV, XML, or JSON files. However, a good platform should have integrations that let you import data directly from other platforms. This way, you can just connect your account and fetch the data instead of downloading and reuploading it.
Mobile app
Your data analytics platform should have a mobile app that makes it easy to monitor your dashboards on the go. This way, you don’t have to carry your PC everywhere to stay on top of your data.
Customer support
You should be able to access support resources online and speak with a human support representative if need be.
How we tested the best cloud analytics
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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