Does InMotion Cloud Run on Top of Other Cloud Providers?

Does InMotion Cloud run on AWS or Azure underneath?

It is a fair question. Many cloud platforms that look independent actually sit on top of Amazon or Microsoft infrastructure. Knowing what you are actually buying matters when you are choosing where to run your business.

The short answer: No. InMotion Cloud does not run on AWS, Azure, or any other third-party provider.

In simple terms: Some platforms rent infrastructure from AWS or Azure. We don’t. We own and operate everything ourselves.

What "Own Infrastructure" Actually Means

When we say we run our own infrastructure, we mean it in the most direct sense.

We own the physical servers in our data centers. We run OpenStack, the open-source cloud platform trusted by enterprises worldwide, on that hardware. We manage the networking, the storage, and the virtualization layer ourselves. And when something needs attention, our engineers handle it directly.

There is no middleman. You are not renting capacity from a reseller who rents it from AWS who owns the actual machine. The hardware your workloads run on is ours, maintained by our team, in our facilities.

Why Some Platforms Run on AWS or Azure

For a new cloud platform trying to launch quickly, leasing capacity from AWS or Azure is a practical shortcut.

Some platforms add valuable services on top: better dashboards, specialized tools, or managed application stacks, and they deliver real value to customers. The underlying infrastructure is just not their own.

The tradeoff is dependency. When you buy from a platform built on AWS, you are two steps removed from the hardware. Pricing decisions made at Amazon will ripple into your bill. Support issues may require coordination across teams. And the platform's cost structure is constrained by what they pay their underlying provider.

Why Owning Our Infrastructure Matters to You

Running our own infrastructure is not just an engineering choice. It has direct implications for how you experience the platform.

Predictable Pricing

Our pricing is not subject to upstream cost changes from a hyperscaler. We control our own cost structure, which is why we can offer fixed, predictable pricing instead of the variable billing common on metered public cloud platforms. You plan your budget. It holds.

Performance We Can Control

Because we own the hardware, we make the decisions about what goes in it. We can tune CPU-to-memory ratios, configure storage for specific workload types, and manage network topology for performance. We are not limited to the instance types another provider decided to offer.

A Single Team Owns Your Stack

When something goes wrong on a platform built on AWS, there is a question of who handles it. The platform blames AWS. AWS points to configuration. Your team is in the middle. With InMotion Cloud, there is one team responsible for the hardware, the platform, and your support ticket. You get in-house support, end-to-end. No finger-pointing. No escalation maze.

Infrastructure Comparison at a Glance

| | InMotion Cloud | Platform Built on AWS/Azure |
|---|---|---|
| Who owns the hardware? | InMotion Cloud | AWS, Azure, or GCP |
| Who handles your support? | Our engineers, end to end | Platform team + upstream provider |
| Pricing model | Fixed, predictable | Variable or metered |
| Infrastructure control | Full control | Limited to what the underlying provider offers |
| Data center transparency | Our own facilities | Depends on underlying provider |

When Each Approach Makes Sense

No cloud model fits every situation. Here is an honest breakdown.

InMotion Cloud is a strong fit when:

• Predictable monthly costs matter to your budget or finance team
• You want one accountable team for infrastructure, platform, and support
• You are running business-critical workloads where performance consistency is important
• You prefer managed infrastructure without the complexity of hyperscaler tooling

A platform built on AWS or Azure may fit better when:

• You need specific services that only exist in the hyperscaler ecosystem (proprietary ML services, global CDN edge networks, etc.)
• Your application already has deep integrations with AWS or Azure APIs
• You need presence in dozens of geographic regions simultaneously

Being direct about this builds a more productive conversation. If AWS-native services are central to your architecture, that matters. But if you are running web applications, SaaS platforms, business applications, or development infrastructure, the hyperscaler ecosystem is often more complexity than your workload requires.

The Infrastructure Layer Is a Strategic Decision

Most organizations moving to cloud infrastructure are not thinking about who owns the servers. They are thinking about uptime, support, and the monthly bill. But the infrastructure layer shapes all three.

When a provider owns their infrastructure, they can make commitments. On pricing. On performance. On support ownership. When they are a layer on top of AWS, those commitments have limits; because they are bound by decisions someone else makes.

InMotion Cloud was built on the premise that owning your stack is a competitive advantage. For us, and, for our customers. OpenStack gives us enterprise-grade cloud capabilities on hardware we control, in data centers we operate, supported by engineers who answer to one team.

If you are evaluating cloud infrastructure and want to understand exactly what you are buying, we are happy to walk through it. Clarity about the infrastructure layer is where the right conversation starts.

Ready to see what managed cloud infrastructure looks like when one team owns the whole stack? Explore InMotion Cloud plans or talk to our team about your workload requirements.