Are Cloud, Storage, and Gartner’s Magic Quadrant Entering the US-China Tech War?

We are five years into a US-China tech war that has seriously impacted semiconductors, operating systems, and media platforms. And there are now disturbing indications that cloud services and storage will be next. And American technology research and consulting firm Gartner might be (accidentally) jumping into the middle of it.

The Magic Quadrant is Gartner’s framework for assessing IT providers. Many of which are in China / Asia. These assessments are important for both customers making a purchasing decision and IT vendors creating products and services. And Gartner’s criteria for the Magic Quadrant assessments are important and can impact both the vendors and the evolution of the industry (somewhat).

One factor in these assessments that is important is integration with cloud service companies (AWS, Azure, etc.). IT vendors, especially primary storage, need to be able to integrate with cloud services.

And this is where Gartner appears to have done something strange.

First, they appear to be increasing the importance of integration with cloud services within their classification for primary storage. That has serious implications, which Tony Moroney recently wrote about.

• Proposed Changes to Gartner Magic Quadrant May Undermine the Future of Primary Storage

Second, Gartner repeatedly cites integration with 3 US cloud companies (AWS, Microsoft / Azure and Google Cloud) in their evaluations of primary storage vendors. And I can’t find any mention of non-US cloud companies. I also can’t find any mention of integrating with the Chinese cloud services giants (Alibaba Cloud, Tencent Cloud, Baidu AI Cloud).

If true, that creates significant problems with the Magic Quadrant classifications in Asia. And some other international markets.

The Chinese vendors are major players in Asia in particular. According to Gartner’s own reports,?Alibaba Cloud was the largest Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) provider in the Asia Pacific (APAC) region in 2019. And is basically tied with Google Cloud globally in 2024.

So, what is going on with Gartner and their influential Magic Quadrant classification?

• Are US cloud companies being up ranked?
• Has the classification become inaccurate for certain geographies (especially APAC)?
• And are we seeing political bias (pro-US? anti-China?) introduced into these classifications?
• Is cloud and storage becoming part of the US-China tech war?

If there is the perception that political bias is being introduced, that would impact the perceived impartiality of Magic Quadrant. And don’t kid yourself, the perception of anti-China or anti-Asia bias would land Gartner in the headlines here.

I don’t know. But I’m looking into it. This longer article (located here) has my assessment thus far.

• Is Enterprise Cloud and Storage Entering the US-China Tech War? And Did Gartner and its Magic Quadrant Just Jump into the Middle of It? (1 of 2)

——-

I write, speak and consult about how to win (and not lose) in digital strategy and transformation.

I am the founder of TechMoat Consulting, a boutique consulting firm that helps retailers, brands, and technology companies exploit digital change to grow faster, innovate better and build digital moats. Get in touch here.

My book series Moats and Marathons is one-of-a-kind framework for building and measuring competitive advantages in digital businesses.

This content (articles, podcasts, website info) is not investment, legal or tax advice. The information and opinions from me and any guests may be incorrect. The numbers and information may be wrong. The views expressed may no longer be relevant or accurate. This is not investment advice. Investing is risky. Do your own research.