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Best Cloud Management Software in 2025

Managing multiple and hybrid clouds can be an uphill task, especially when you have several accounts to monitor. The best cloud management software lets you maintain, monitor and control all your cloud environments on a single platform.

Grace MicereValentina BravoIgor Kurtz

Written by Grace Micere (Writer)

Reviewed by Valentina Bravo (Editor)

Facts checked by Igor Kurtz (Fact-checking editor)

Last Updated:

All our content is written fully by humans; we do not publish AI writing. Learn more here.

Best Cloud Management Software
Key Takeaways: These Are the Best Online Management Systems
  1. Azure Storage Explorer — Best cloud management software overall
  2. Morpheus Data — Best multi-cloud management platform
  3. AWS Storage Gateway — Best cloud management platform for multiple storage solutions
  4. Tanzu CloudHealth — Best cloud cost management software
  5. CloudFuze — Best cloud service for user access controls
  6. Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform — Best platform for container-based application development
  7. TotalCloud — Best for securing cloud environments
  8. Apache CloudStack — Best open-source cloud management platform\
  9. CoreStack — Best autonomous cloud governance platform
  10. Concierto Cloud — Best cloud migration service
  11. CloudBolt — Best self-service cloud management platform 
  12. Snow Commander — Best cloud platform for virtual machines

Facts & Expert Analysis About the Best Cloud Management Tools:

  • Data breaches are expensive: The average cloud data breach costs about $5 million to resolve fully, hence the importance of cloud data security.1
  • Multiple clouds is the usual choice: More than 80% of enterprises use multiple cloud service providers, which increases management complexity.2 
  • There are some hindrances to cloud adoption: Organizations stated a lack of visibility, high costs, a lack of security and user access control as the main factors slowing cloud adoption.3

Cloud storage has revolutionized the working environment, allowing teams to access business data and collaborate with ease. However, the more it grows, the more difficult it becomes to manage. The best cloud management software lets you manage all your cloud data stored on all the best cloud storage services on a single platform.

With a cloud management tool, you can manage user access, monitor resource usage, automate tasks and much more. All this happens in a secure environment where cloud data is kept safe as you migrate it between environments. We’ll take you through the top cloud management tools and why we chose each one. 

  • 11/20/2024 Facts checked

    Article rewritten to include up-to-date information about the best providers, their features and pricing.

Cloudwards Editor’s Choice: Azure Storage Explorer

We chose Azure Storage Explorer as the best cloud management software because it supports multiple resource types. We were able to connect our Azure account to blob containers, Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2 directories and queues. Plus, we had access to tables and file shares when we used a shared access signature URL.

What Are Cloud Management Tools? 

Cloud management tools are the tools that companies use to manage all their infrastructure, applications and services that run in the cloud from a single dashboard. These tools help companies streamline processes, automate tasks, reduce cloud costs and provide efficient service delivery across cloud environments.

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How to Choose the Best Cloud Management Solutions

When choosing the best cloud storage solution, security should be a top priority. This is because cloud data is sensitive and may cause huge losses if breached. Below, we list the factors you should consider when making your choice. 

Security

Choose cloud services based on how well they secure your data. Look for features like access controls, data encryption and threat reporting. This will ensure only authorized persons gain access to the data. 

Scalability

Since cloud platforms keep evolving, your cloud management requirements may change over time. Choose a service that can scale with your organization’s changing needs and growth. Keep in mind that you can scale upwards or downwards. 

Efficient Reporting

The right cloud management software should have contextual reporting, which lets you enrich your reports with additional explanations to guide other users. This will help you identify the root cause of any issues that arise so you can fix them in time. This in turn will minimize the failure impact while quickly restoring service availability.

Intuitiveness

Cloud management software should have an intuitive interface that helps you save time while boosting overall productivity. An intuitive interface that is easy to navigate, configure and use helps reduce the learning curve.

Seamless Integration

You should pick a platform with good cross-platform interoperability. This means it should support seamless connections with different cloud platforms. Therefore, make sure the provider you choose can work with the cloud services you’re currently using.

Automation

In the era of AI, automation is a must-have feature. Choose a platform that provides intelligent alerts, real-time detection of anomalies, automated provisioning and DevOps tool integrations. 

Customer Support

Most platforms provide a knowledgebase and training tutorials. Therefore, focus on choosing one that offers phone, live chat or one-on-one onboarding support. This will ensure you get quick and helpful responses whenever you run into an issue with the tool.

Pricing

Choose a cloud service that offers good value for the money. Keep in mind that cheap platforms may not offer all the services your organization needs. On the other hand, the best cloud platform isn’t always the most expensive one. 

The 12 Best Cloud-Based Management Software

We used the criteria above to research and test multiple cloud-based management software solutions. We then came up with this list of the top 12 cloud management services you should consider, and explain what sets them apart from the rest.

1. Azure Storage Explorer — Best Cloud Management Software Overall

azure-storage-explorer-interface
Azure Storage Explorer lets you scale your cloud-based operations
seamlessly to match your business needs.
More details about Azure Active Directory:
  • Pricing: A pricing calculator lets you estimate the price of the services you’ll be using. After that, you pay only for your cloud computing consumption via the pay-as-you-go model.
  • Website: azure.microsoft.com

Pros:

  • Highly scalable
  • Robust security features
  • Seamless Microsoft integration

Cons:

  • Vendor lock-in
  • Lacks a free plan
  • Pricing complexities

Azure tools are among the most secure cloud platforms available on Windows, Linux and macOS. Azure supports various authentication methods, such as Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure Active Directory) and shared access signatures. This hybrid cloud management tool is highly scalable and is best for users whose infrastructure mainly comprises Microsoft products.

It can be difficult to track cloud spending on Azure because the pricing system is quite complex. The pay-as-you-go model usually leads to unexpected cloud costs for users. Since Azure Storage Explorer integrates so well with Microsoft products, vendor lock-in is a concern. This exposes users to unfavorable vendor decisions about pricing and policy.

2. Morpheus Data — Best Multi-Cloud Management Platforms

morpheus data interface
Morpheus Data lets you build private clouds using the no-code setup feature to save time.
More details about Morpheus Data:
  • Pricing: There’s no free trial or free plan, but you can request a product demo. The pricing is customized according to your needs.
  • Website: morpheusdata.com

Pros:

  • Private cloud building
  • No-code setup feature
  • Multiple third-party integrations

Cons:

  • Unattractive user interface
  • Inefficient customer support
  • Requires high-speed internet

Morpheus Data is a great tool for managing multiple cloud environments, including GCP, Azure and AWS cloud-native services. It offers several integrations with third-party apps like Jenkins, Microsoft DNS and Power DNS. The no-code setup feature lets you build private clouds and Kubernetes without needing technical knowledge. 

Customer support wasn’t as responsive as we had hoped, taking about a week to respond to emails. In addition, Morpheus Data’s interface could use some work to make it more appealing to users. We also noticed that we needed a high-speed internet connection to use the software effectively.

3. AWS Storage Gateway — Best Platform for Multiple Storage Solutions

aws storage gateway interface
AWS Storage Gateway is a fully managed service that integrates
seamlessly with other AWS products.
More details about AWS Storage Gateway:
  • Pricing: Each gateway costs up to $125 per month. It has no free plan but does offer a 60-day free trial. 
  • Website: aws.amazon.com/storagegateway

Pros:

  • Scalable
  • Fully managed service
  • Integrates with AWS cloud tools

Cons:

  • Expensive
  • Steep learning curve
  • Complex setup process

AWS Storage Gateway is a hybrid cloud management service that bridges the gap between cloud and on-premises architecture. It provides low-latency data access to on-premises applications. It is highly secure because it uses audit logging, encryption and write-once, read-many storage (WORM). 

You get unlimited virtual cloud storage without having to deploy new storage hardware. That said, AWS Storage Gateway is an expensive service for small businesses. We found the initial setup process quite complex, with a steep learning curve for beginners.

4. Tanzu CloudHealth — Best Cloud Cost Management Software

vmware aria interface
Tanzu is a great cost allocation and management platform
that excels in multi-cloud monitoring and reporting.
More details about VMware Aria Cost:
  • Pricing: There’s no free trial or pricing table listed on the website, but you can request a product demo. Pricing starts from $45,000 annually. 
  • Website: vmware.com

Pros:

  • Easy deployment 
  • Robust monitoring & analytics
  • Third-party cloud service integrations

Cons:

  • Expensive
  • Lacks mobile apps
  • Limited documentation

Tanzu by CloudHealth is the ideal platform for cost management, standing out for its great multi-cloud reporting and monitoring. It integrates seamlessly with major cloud providers, including Google Cloud, AWS, Docker and Azure management tools. Tanzu runs multi-cloud history reports to reveal activities and trends within cloud environments.

We found the pricing to be on the higher side; some users may consider it costly. Additionally, the documentation available online isn’t as comprehensive as we would have expected compared to other cloud platforms. 

5. CloudFuze — Best Cloud Service for User Access Controls

cloudfuze interface
CloudFuze is one of the easiest cloud tools to use on this
list and has an appealing user interface.
More details about CloudFuze:
  • Pricing: No free plan, free trial or money-back guarantee is offered, nor is a pricing table listed on the website. You can request a product demo, though.
  • Website: cloudfuze.com

Pros:

  • Easy to use
  • Good user access controls
  • Supports multiple cloud services

Cons:

  • No free plan
  • Expensive plans
  • Lacks native apps

CloudFuze is the cloud management tool with the best migration options. You can migrate folders, tenant data and more between 76 major cloud providers. Its most recent migration tool lets you transfer cloud data from Meta Workplace to Google Chat. CloudFuze supports migration between hybrid public and private cloud environments.

CloudFuze doesn’t offer a free plan or free trial. There are no native mobile or desktop apps either, with only a web version available. Its paid plans are pricey, making the tool better for enterprise-level businesses.

6. Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform — Best Platform for Container-Based Application Development

red hat openshift interface
Red Hat has an appealing interface, but it takes time to learn your way around the platform.
More details about Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform:
  • Pricing: Custom pricing depending on the products used. A 60-day free trial is offered but requires pre-existing cloud infrastructure to work.
  • Website: redhat.com

Pros:

  • Robust customization options
  • Comprehensive documentation
  • Easy container-based app development

Cons:

  • Steep learning curve
  • Few deployment options

Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform makes it easy to build, deploy and manage containerized applications. These applications usually run in isolated code packages known as containers. Its robust automation capabilities let you automate cloud environments using policies and eliminate the need to train your staff on how to use each cloud vendor.

Red Hat has a steep learning curve and can be complex to deploy and use. Additionally, the installation process is more complex than with other top cloud management platforms. It also only has two deployment modalities, which is quite limited.

7. TotalCloud — Best for Securing Cloud Environments

totalcloud interface
TotalCloud has a colorful user interface and is the most secure
cloud management tool we researched.
More details about TotalCloud:
  • Pricing: There’s no free plan, but there is a 30-day free trial. Custom pricing is available depending on the products used.
  • Website: qualys.com

Pros:

  • Automated remediation
  • Native security integrations
  • Robust automation features

Cons:

  • Complex deployment
  • Limited customization options
  • Expensive Qualys integrations

We found that TotalCloud is the most secure of all the cloud services on this list. It has robust native security features such as automated threat detection, SaaS security posture management and supply chain risk mitigation. 

Though the vulnerability scanning is agentless, you need to deploy multiple agents before achieving optimal functionality. There’s no free plan to help personal users protect their websites, browsers and public cloud assets. It is quite limited and lacks the advanced features that larger businesses or enterprises need for cloud management. 

8. Apache CloudStack — Best Open-Source Cloud Management Platform

apache cloudstack interface
Apache CloudStack is open-source and totally free to use.
More details about Apache CloudStack:

Pros:

  • Free to use
  • Comprehensive documentation
  • Open-source cloud management

Cons:

  • More prone to bugs
  • Limited customer support options

As the best open-source cloud management tool, Apache CloudStack is totally free to use, and independent developers continuously update it. If you want to deploy functions that are unavailable in other cloud management tools, this is your best bet. It has a thriving community forum and comprehensive documentation to help users find their way around the platform. 

Despite the great documentation and vibrant community, Apache CloudStack lacks other customer support options. You can manage huge networks of virtual machines on the platform, but it is more prone to bugs than other cloud management tools. 

9. CoreStack — Best Autonomous Cloud Governance Platform

corestack interface
CoreStack offers robust AI governance capabilities to help
you automate cloud tasks and save time.
More details about CoreStack:
  • Pricing: No free plan or trial is offered, but you can request a demo. Custom pricing is available depending on the products used.
  • Website: corestack.io

Pros:

  • AI cloud governance 
  • Reduces cloud costs
  • Robust customer support

Cons:

  • Lacks mobile apps
  • UI needs improving
  • Syncing issues with AWS

With CoreStack, you can govern multiple clouds via its robust AI capabilities. Comprehensive CloudOps, SecOps, FinOps and assessment modules are available on a single dashboard. This helps reduce cloud costs and prevent unpredictable cloud spending. This is the only tool on our list to offer phone, email and direct message support in addition to great documentation.

CoreStack’s interface needs updating to make it more appealing and user-friendly. CoreStack also lacks Android and iOS versions for mobile users.

10. Concierto Cloud — Best Platform for Cloud Migration

concierto cloud interface
Concierto Cloud allows you to define the landing zone for your data as you migrate it.
More details about Concierto Cloud:
  • Pricing: No free plan or free trial is offered. The pricing is customized according to user needs.
  • Website: concierto.cloud

Pros:

  • Bulk migration capabilities
  • Assessment before migration
  • Catalog-based migration feature

Cons:

  • Limited documentation
  • Limited customer support

Concierto Cloud is the only service that lets you migrate data, applications and infrastructure to the three major clouds. You can manage hybrid cloud environments on a single dashboard with ease. The catalog-based migration lets you transfer only the data you need, and the pre-migration assessment informs you in advance of the capabilities and costs you’ll need.

Concierto Cloud doesn’t have a free plan or offer a free trial. However, you can request a demo to get started. The online documentation is quite sparse, making it difficult for users to self-solve basic issues. Customer support isn’t helpful either — it’s a ticketing system, and it took us about a week to get a response. 

11. CloudBolt — Best Self-Service Cloud Management Platform

cloudbolt interface
CloudBolt has robust self-service features that give you
more control over your IT environments.
More details about CloudBolt:
  • Pricing: No free plan is offered, but a free trial is available. Pricing is customized according to user needs.
  • Website: cloudbolt.io

Pros:

  • Self-service features
  • Several deployment options
  • Multiple native integrations

Cons:

  • Unintuitive interface
  • Limited customer support

CloudBolt allows you to manage and maintain your business cloud infrastructure independently. With the self-service feature, we were able to order cloud resources and make use of them immediately. It has flexible deployment options and gives you more control over your IT environments than its competitors.

However, customer support is unresponsive, taking longer than a week to respond to requests. Additionally, CloudBolt’s user interface could use a facelift to make it more appealing and easy to use. Some features, like the scheduling option, did not work at times, making it challenging to complete operations on the platform.

12. Snow Commander — Best Cloud Platform for Virtual Machines

snow commander interface
With Snow Commander, you get to customize your service
catalog to match your business needs.
More details about Snow Commander:
  • Pricing: No free plan is offered, but a seven-day free trial is available and you can request a demo. Pricing is customized according to user needs.
  • Website: flexera.com/products/snow-commander

Pros:

  • Multiple integrations
  • Customizable service catalog
  • Automated life cycle management

Cons:

  • Steep learning curve
  • Slow customer support

Snow Commander is a Flexera product that lets you automate management functions in hybrid environments. We especially liked the automated service management feature. We set timers for how long resources would be accessible. After the time ran out, the resource was automatically decommissioned, making it easy to manage virtual machines.

On the downside, customer service was slow, taking a week and a half to respond. In addition, Snow Commander’s user interface is quite complex, resulting in a steep learning curve. It is evident that the interface was created by a developer instead of a UX designer.

Benefits of Cloud Management Platforms

Cloud management platforms are beneficial because they allow users to improve data security, and manage costs and overall IT performance. They are necessary for enterprises that maintain hundreds or even thousands of cloud applications and servers.

Improves Efficiency

Using cloud management software significantly reduces the time spent on mundane tasks and routine maintenance. Since cloud platforms are automated, the costly, time-consuming manual updates that may cause downtime and require an external IT expert are eliminated. 

Cost Efficiency

Cloud infrastructure allows you to save data without needing any in-house infrastructure setup, which may also require professional IT personnel to run. A cloud management solution will only charge you for the resources you use, allowing for cloud cost optimization and cost savings.

Data Recovery & Backup

Data recovery is essential in case something unexpected happens that causes downtime or data losses. Cloud providers have data backup and recovery features that can help arrest the situation in case of unprecedented circumstances. Check out our list of the best online backup services if you need a more dedicated tool.

Scalability

Cloud platforms allow you to expand or contract your infrastructure according to your business needs. This ensures you never run out of storage space or overspend on features you don’t need.

Security

Cloud infrastructure helps users strengthen their cybersecurity and keeps sensitive data safe from cybercriminals. The platforms also offer robust user access controls to ensure only authorized team members can view and edit business data. 

Improves Accessibility

Cloud services let you access data in real time from any location. This means you don’t have to go to the office to access the data you need. As long as you have an internet connection, you’re good to go. 

Final Thoughts

The best cloud management software is secure, scalable, intuitive and accessible on all major platforms. It helps you keep your cloud data safe as you monitor, maintain and control the applications, services and data present in your cloud environments. Azure Storage Explorer emerged as the winner because it is secure, highly scalable and offers seamless integrations.

Which cloud management software do you use? Have you used any of the tools on this list before? What was your experience like, and why did you switch? Let us know in the comments below. Thank you for reading.

FAQ: Top Online Management Platforms

Sources:

  1. Cost of a Data Breach Report 2024 – IBM
  2. The State of Multi-Cloud Management – Virtana
  3. 2022 Cloud Security Report – Fortinet
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