CRN’s 2024 Big Data 100 names 10 companies in its “big data systems and cloud platforms” category: Amazon Web Services, Dell Technologies, Google Cloud, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, IBM, Microsoft, NetApp, Oracle, SAP and Snowflake. This is CRN’s editorial selection from 2024—not a ranked league table, benchmark or current 2026 recommendation. The vendors operate at different layers, from servers and storage to hyperscale infrastructure, enterprise databases and cloud data platforms.
The category matters because it supplies the foundation beneath data lakes, warehouses, databases, streaming systems, analytics and AI. The right choice depends on workload, data location, existing software, compliance obligations, skills and cost controls—not on a universal “best” provider.
Read CRN’s original 2024 list and its broader Big Data 100 category overview.
What CRN meant by “big data systems and cloud platforms”
CRN uses the category for the foundational layer beneath data-management software and analytics applications. It includes:
Outdated Drivers Are Slowing You Down
One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchWindows Errors? Fix Them Before They Spread
Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstall#1 Best Overall
- Entry-level NAS Personal Storage：UGREEN NAS DH2300 is your first and best NAS made easy. It is designed for beginners who want a simple, private way to store videos, photos and personal files, which is intuitive for users moving from cloud storage or external drives and move away from scattered date across devices. This entry-level NAS 2-bay perfect for personal entertainment, photo storage, and easy data backup (doesn't support Docker or virtual machines).
- Set Your Devices Free, Expand Your Digital World: This unified storage hub supports massive capacity up to 64TB.*Storage drives not included. Stop Deleting, Start Storing. You can store 22 million 3MB images, or 2 million 30MB songs, or 43K 1.5GB movies or 67 million 1MB documents! UGREEN NAS is a better way to free up storage across all your devices such as phones, computers, tablets and also does automatic backups across devices regardless of the operating system—Window, iOS, Android or macOS.
- The Smarter Long-term Way to Store: Unlike cloud storage with recurring monthly fees, a UGREEN NAS enclosure requires only a one-time purchase for long-term use. For example, you only need to pay $459.98 for a NAS, while for cloud storage, you need to pay $719.88 per year, $2,159.64 for 3 years, $3,599.40 for 5 years. You will save $6,738.82 over 10 years with UGREEN NAS! *NAS cost based on DH2300 + 12TB HDD; cloud cost based on 12TB plan (e.g. $59.99/month).
- Blazing Speed, Minimal Power: Equipped with a high-performance processor, 1GbE port, and 4GB RAM on Board, this NAS handles multiple tasks with ease. File transfers reach up to 125MB/s—a 1GB file takes only 8 seconds. Don't let slow clouds hold you back; they often need over 100 seconds for the same task. The difference is clear.
- Let AI Better Organize Your Memories: UGREEN NAS uses AI to tag faces, locations, texts, and objects—so you can effortlessly find any photo by searching for who or what's in it in seconds. It also automatically finds and deletes similar or duplicate photo, backs up live photos and allows you to share them with your friends or family with just one tap. Everything stays effortlessly organized, powered by intelligent tagging and recognition.
- Public-cloud infrastructure and managed data services
- Servers, storage and accelerated computing
- Private-cloud and hybrid-cloud infrastructure
- Data warehouses, data lakes and lakehouse foundations
- Transactional and analytical databases
- Streaming and real-time processing
- Enterprise data-management, governance and AI platforms
The boundaries overlap with CRN’s database, data-warehouse/lakehouse and data-management categories. Consequently, AWS, NetApp, SAP and Snowflake are not interchangeable products; they may be layers in the same architecture.
Quick comparison of the 10 companies
| Company | Primary role | Typical deployment | Best-fit situations | Main caution |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon Web Services | Hyperscale cloud and managed data services | Public cloud | Broad AWS-standardized data estates | Service sprawl, lock-in and variable consumption bills |
| Dell Technologies | Servers, storage and integrated systems | On-premises/private cloud | Controlled, predictable data-center workloads | Capacity planning and lifecycle operations remain yours |
| Google Cloud | Cloud infrastructure, BigQuery and analytics | Public cloud | Serverless SQL, large-scale analytics and Google AI/ML | Skills, portability and data-location considerations |
| Hewlett Packard Enterprise | Servers, storage, GreenLake and Ezmeral | Hybrid/private cloud | Consumption-based or controlled hybrid infrastructure | Evaluate Ezmeral against newer lakehouse alternatives |
| IBM | Hybrid infrastructure, databases and governance software | Hybrid cloud, mainframe and private cloud | Regulated, mainframe-connected enterprises | Broad portfolio can be difficult to simplify |
| Microsoft | Azure, Fabric, Synapse, databases and Power BI | Public and hybrid cloud | Microsoft-centric organizations and BI | Capacity, licensing and migration complexity |
| NetApp | Storage and data-management infrastructure | On-premises, hybrid and cloud-connected | ONTAP estates, file services and data mobility | Storage portability does not make applications portable |
| Oracle | Databases, OCI and engineered systems | Cloud, on-premises and engineered systems | Oracle-heavy application estates | Proprietary dependencies and contract commitments |
| SAP | HANA, Datasphere and business-data platform | Cloud and enterprise environments | SAP ERP data and governed business semantics | Licensing and extraction constraints |
| Snowflake | Cloud data platform, sharing and analytics | Runs on public clouds | Managed cross-cloud warehousing and collaboration | Consumption surprises and platform dependence |
The three hyperscalers
Amazon Web Services
CRN highlighted AWS as both a general cloud and a broad data-service provider, including Aurora, RDS, DynamoDB, Athena, Redshift, Lake Formation, Kinesis, Glue and Data Exchange. An S3-centered lake can feed Redshift warehousing, Athena queries, Glue pipelines and Kinesis streams; relational and NoSQL services cover application workloads. See AWS analytics, Redshift, Glue, Athena and Kinesis.
AWS suits organizations with existing AWS skills and partner relationships. Its breadth can reduce third-party dependencies, but every additional service adds identity, monitoring, orchestration and FinOps work. Model storage, scanning, logging, data transfer and idle capacity before choosing between Redshift provisioned or serverless, Athena and an open lakehouse. AWS publishes service-specific and reservation pricing at its Redshift pricing page.
Google Cloud
Google Cloud’s 2024 portfolio included BigQuery, Dataflow, Analytics Hub, Looker, Cloud SQL, Firebase and AlloyDB, with Gemini features highlighted for BigQuery, Looker and databases. BigQuery’s serverless SQL model and Dataflow’s batch/stream processing can reduce infrastructure administration; Looker adds semantic modeling and BI. Official references are Google’s analytics overview, BigQuery, BigQuery pricing, Dataflow and Looker.
Recommended Free Tools
Rank #2
- 【Advanced Home Data & Media Hub】For advanced home users who need phone backup, file storage, and centralized data management. Centralize family photos, 4K videos, movies, computer backups, and personal files in one place while running multiple apps for home entertainment and everyday data management. Suitable for households with growing digital libraries and multiple NAS use cases.
- 【Built for Creators, Media Servers & Advanced Apps】Powered by the Intel N100 Quad-Core CPU, 8GB DDR5 RAM, 2.5GbE networking, and dual M.2 NVMe slots, DXP2800 handles large files and heavier workloads with ease. Run Docker, virtual machines, and media server applications compatible with Plex—ideal for content creators, tech enthusiasts, and advanced home users managing 4K videos, RAW photos, personal media libraries, and multiple NAS apps.
- 【Up to 80TB for Growing Digital Libraries】 Supports up to 80TB of storage using two HDD bays and two M.2 NVMe SSD slots for family photos, movies, RAW photos, 4K videos, work files, and device backups. AI photo management supports recognition of people, objects, scenes, and locations, album organization, and duplicate photo detection. HDDs and SSDs are not included.
- 【AI-powered Home Surveillance】Turn DXP2800 into a centralized home surveillance hub by connecting compatible network cameras and storing recordings locally on your NAS. AI-powered features include Face Recognition, People Detection, and Pet Detection, helping advanced home users review important events more efficiently while managing home surveillance and personal data in one place.
- 【One data Center Across Your Devices】Keep files from desktops, laptops, phones, tablets, and other devices together instead of scattered across cloud accounts and external drives. Access, back up, organize, and share data across Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, web browsers, and compatible smart TVs—ideal for creators and advanced home users working across multiple devices.
Choose it for analytical SQL scale and a Google AI/ML ecosystem, not simply for AI branding. Query volume, storage, data residency, skills and portability still determine suitability.
Microsoft
Microsoft combines Azure infrastructure with Synapse Analytics, Data Explorer, Stream Analytics, Data Factory, Cosmos DB, Azure databases and Power BI. Microsoft Fabric now unifies data engineering, integration, data science, warehousing, real-time intelligence and BI in one environment. That can simplify the user experience for Microsoft-centric enterprises, especially where Entra identity, security and Power BI are already standard.
Fabric does not eliminate cost analysis: capacity, storage, compute, data movement and separate Power BI licensing still matter. Existing Synapse, Data Factory and Power BI estates require migration and contract analysis before a wholesale Fabric move. Consult Fabric pricing, Synapse, Data Factory, Cosmos DB and Power BI pricing.
Enterprise-platform vendors
IBM
IBM spans mainframes, servers, storage, Db2, Db2 Big SQL, Cloud Pak for Data, Cognos Analytics, Databand, Netezza and managed database services. Its strength is integration across hybrid cloud, regulated workloads, legacy estates and governance; its portfolio is not one automatically unified product. IBM also reported collaboration with Cloudera in CRN’s 2024 coverage. Evaluate Cloud Pak for Data, watsonx.data, Db2 and Netezza as components of an operating model rather than assuming a single-platform shortcut.
The Tool Desk
Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Rank #3
- Value NAS with RAID for centralized storage and backup for all your devices. Check out the LS 700 for enhanced features, cloud capabilities, macOS 26, and up to 7x faster performance than the LS 200.
- Connect the LinkStation to your router and enjoy shared network storage for your devices. The NAS is compatible with Windows and macOS*, and Buffalo's US-based support is on-hand 24/7 for installation walkthroughs. *Only for macOS 15 (Sequoia) and earlier. For macOS 26, check out our LS 700 series.
- Subscription-Free Personal Cloud – Store, back up, and manage all your videos, music, and photos and access them anytime without paying any monthly fees.
- Storage Purpose-Built for Data Security – A NAS designed to keep your data safe, the LS200 features a closed system to reduce vulnerabilities from 3rd party apps and SSL encryption for secure file transfers.
- Back Up Multiple Computers & Devices – NAS Navigator management utility and PC backup software included. NAS Navigator 2 for macOS 15 and earlier. You can set up automated backups of data on your computers.
Oracle
Oracle’s list includes Oracle Database, MySQL, MySQL HeatWave, Oracle NoSQL Database Cloud Service, Exadata, OCI databases, integration, streaming, replication and lake-management capabilities. Oracle is often compelling when applications and data already depend on Oracle; OCI can reduce migration friction. Exadata is an engineered database system, not a general-purpose data lake.
Do not treat CRN’s 2024 references to Oracle Database 19c and 21c as a current release statement. Verify versions, support dates and commercial terms directly. Start with OCI, Oracle Database, Exadata, MySQL HeatWave and the OCI cost estimator.
SAP
SAP’s relevance centers on HANA and Business Technology Platform, including Datasphere, Analytics Cloud and Master Data Governance. Datasphere supports integration, cataloging, semantic modeling, warehousing and virtualization across SAP and non-SAP data. It is especially suitable when ERP data and SAP business semantics are central.
The strategic choice is whether to retain SAP-governed definitions or move data into a more cloud-neutral architecture. SAP licensing, implementation partners and extraction rights can matter as much as query performance. See SAP BTP, Datasphere, HANA Cloud and SAP Analytics Cloud.
What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
Rank #4
- Entry-level NAS Home Storage: The UGREEN NAS DH4300 Plus is an entry-level 4-bay NAS that's ideal for home media and vast private storage you can access from anywhere and also supports Docker but not virtual machines. You can record, store, share happy moment with your families and friends, which is intuitive for users moving from cloud storage, or external drives to create your own private cloud, access files from any device.
- Smart Photo Backup & AI Album: Automatically back up photos and videos from your phone in real time and keep growing family memories organized with AI-powered photo albums. Semantic search, custom learning, and recognition of people, objects, pets, and similar photos help you quickly find the moments you want. Duplicate photo removal also helps keep your library organized—ideal for families and users with large photo collections.
- User-Friendly App & Easy Setup: Connect quickly via NFC, set up simply and share files fast on Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, web browsers, and smart TVs. You can access data remotely from any of your mixed devices. What's more, UGREEN NAS enclosure comes with beginner-friendly user manual and video instructions to ensure you can easily take full advantage of its features.
- More Cost-effective Storage Solution: Unlike cloud storage with recurring monthly fees, A UGREEN NAS enclosure requires only a one-time purchase for long-term use. For example, you only need to pay $629.99 for a NAS, while for cloud storage, you need to pay $719.88 per year, $1,439.76 for 2 years, $2,159.64 for 3 years, $7,198.80 for 10 years. You will save $6,568.81 over 10 years with UGREEN NAS! *NAS cost based on DH4300 Plus + 12TB HDD; cloud cost based on 12TB plan (e.g. $59.99/month).
- Your Data, You Control：No third-party clouds, no hidden access, UGREEN NAS provides a more secure and private data storage solution. It stores data locally on your private hard drives and does automatic backups. Thus, you can keep full control over it. The advanced encryption is TRUSTe certified in the United States and is awarded the first (and only) ETSI EN 303 645 certification mark for NAS products by TÜV SÜD Group.
Infrastructure and storage vendors
Dell Technologies
Dell supplies PowerEdge servers, storage and integrated systems for operational, analytical and AI workloads. CRN also highlighted PowerEdge XE9680 and a Dell Data Lakehouse with Starburst. Dell is an infrastructure choice, not a direct replacement for a hyperscale cloud. It fits organizations with data-center capacity, sovereignty requirements or predictable workloads, provided they budget for networking, patching, staffing, resilience and hardware refreshes. Product references include Dell data solutions, PowerEdge and Dell AI solutions.
Hewlett Packard Enterprise
HPE offers servers, storage, GreenLake consumption services, Ezmeral Data Fabric, unified analytics and AI software. GreenLake is a procurement and deployment model for managed capacity, not the same thing as hyperscaler public cloud. Hadoop-related GreenLake positioning deserves caution: many organizations have moved toward object storage, lakehouse formats and managed services. Compare current Ezmeral capabilities with alternatives at Ezmeral, GreenLake and HPE data solutions.
NetApp
NetApp focuses on ONTAP, BlueXP and intelligent data infrastructure. It is relevant where customers need enterprise file services, hybrid storage, data mobility or existing ONTAP expertise. Storage portability does not make analytics applications portable: metadata, identity, network paths and engine-specific formats remain dependencies. Review ONTAP, BlueXP and NetApp cloud services.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why Snowflake belongs in this category
Snowflake is a cloud data platform that generally runs on AWS, Azure or Google Cloud. Its abstraction layer provides separated storage and compute, elastic warehouses, data engineering, analytics, machine learning, data applications, clean rooms and cross-organization sharing. That makes it a strategic platform decision distinct from selecting the underlying infrastructure provider. See Snowflake’s platform description, Marketplace and clean rooms.
Best Value
- Secure private cloud - Enjoy 100% data ownership and multi-platform access from anywhere
- Easy sharing and syncing - Safely access and share files and media from anywhere, and keep clients, colleagues and collaborators on the same page
- Automated Backup Protection - Set-and-forget backups for Macs, PCs and mobile devices to multiple destinations including cloud and external drives
- Home Security System - Record and monitor your property 24/7 with support for multiple IP cameras and remote viewing
- 2-Year Warranty - Reliable hardware backed by Synology's expert customer support team and ongoing software updates
Snowflake can simplify operations and collaboration, but warehouse sizing, concurrency, storage, transfer and credit consumption require active governance. Prices vary by edition and usage; consult official pricing and the credit-consumption table. CRN’s 2024 article also reported a February 2024 CEO transition from Frank Slootman to Sridhar Ramaswamy and fiscal 2024 revenue of just over $2.8 billion—historical, vendor-reported context rather than a performance test.
How to choose among them
Start with deployment
- Public cloud: fastest provisioning and broad managed services, with variable usage and transfer charges.
- Private or on-premises: control and predictable placement, but responsibility for facilities, hardware and operations.
- Hybrid: useful for sovereignty, latency and legacy integration, but harder identity, governance and observability.
- Multicloud: can reduce concentration risk while increasing networking, tooling and skills complexity.
Match the workload
Assess batch ETL/ELT, interactive SQL, streaming latency, transactional databases, machine learning, high-performance computing, file/object storage, data sharing and embedded analytics separately. A platform that excels at one is not automatically suitable for another.
Model the complete cost
- Compute by time, capacity or consumption
- Storage and backup
- Data scanned and streaming ingestion
- Network transfer and egress
- Autoscaling, concurrency and idle resources
- Reserved-capacity or committed-spend discounts
- Support, migration, training and professional services
- BI, security, governance and observability licenses
Advertised compute rates are not a total-cost model. On-premises comparisons must include staff, facilities, refresh cycles and resilience; cloud comparisons must include storage growth, scans and egress.
Check skills, governance and portability
- Existing cloud, database and partner expertise
- SQL, API, Kubernetes and infrastructure-as-code support
- Encryption, key management, fine-grained access and audit logs
- Lineage, retention, deletion, residency and sovereign-cloud options
- Dependence on proprietary SQL, metadata, orchestration, formats or AI APIs
- Migration utilities, exit costs and contractual commitments
A practical decision tree
- Need broad public-cloud services? Compare AWS, Azure and Google Cloud using data location, partner skills, databases, analytics, AI, networking economics and lock-in.
- Need Microsoft BI and identity integration? Evaluate Fabric with the wider Azure, Power BI and Data Factory estate.
- Need SAP-centric integration? Start with SAP BTP, Datasphere and HANA Cloud, then test extraction and licensing assumptions.
- Need Oracle database modernization? Compare OCI, Oracle Database, Exadata and compatible alternatives against multicloud goals.
- Need controlled or hybrid infrastructure? Compare Dell, HPE, IBM and NetApp for capacity, sovereignty, operations and data mobility.
- Need managed cross-cloud analytics and sharing? Compare Snowflake with native cloud warehouses and lakehouse platforms.
Alternatives outside CRN’s 10
Depending on the architecture, buyers may also evaluate Databricks for lakehouse, Spark, ML and AI workflows; Cloudera for hybrid Hadoop-derived estates; Teradata for enterprise analytics; Starburst for federated access; and Dremio for lakehouse query and semantic layers. An open-source combination such as Spark, Trino, Iceberg, Kafka, Flink and Kubernetes can reduce single-vendor dependence but increases integration and operational responsibility.
Free tools Windows power users keep installed
One-click scans. No signup required.
What the 2024 list does—and does not—tell you
- “Coolest” is CRN’s editorial language, not a quantified ranking.
- The companies occupy different layers and are not head-to-head substitutes.
- CRN did not provide an independent benchmark, customer-satisfaction study or universal price comparison.
- Product names, leadership references and positioning in the article are time-bound to 2024.
- Later packaging, including Microsoft Fabric, changes category boundaries; current availability, pricing and support should be rechecked before contracting.
Common failure modes include assuming cloud is automatically cheap, treating hybrid as simple, overlooking data gravity, calling an hourly micro-batch “real time,” and expecting an AI feature to repair poor data quality or governance. Managed services remove infrastructure tasks, not architecture, security, reliability or FinOps responsibilities.
The Bottom Line
CRN’s 2024 list is best used as a map of vendors that can underpin big-data projects, not as a ranking of winners. Choose the layer and workload first, then compare deployment, data gravity, existing enterprise commitments, governance, skills, full lifecycle cost and exit options.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
