Here's what's ahead for Microsoft in 2020, according to experts: Taking 'significant' cloud market share from Amazon and becoming a bigger hardware player

• Microsoft in the past year has landed big partnerships and deals, including a hotly-contested $10 billion Pentagon cloud contract.
• We asked analysts what's ahead for Microsoft in 2020 - and they predict the company's momentum will help it make big gains in the cloud and beyond.
• Microsoft's Azure cloud-computing business, for example, is expected to take "significant" market share from Amazon Web Services in the upcoming year.
• Click here to read more BI Prime stories

Microsoft had a big year.

The Redmond, Washington-based company landed a contentious multibillion-dollar cloud computing contract with the Pentagon, reported continued (albeit, slowing) growth in its Azure cloud-computing business and brokered major partnerships and deals.

We asked analysts what's ahead for Microsoft in 2020 - and they predict the company's momentum will help it make gains in the cloud and beyond.

Analysts expect Microsoft will take "significant" market share from cloud market leader Amazon Web Services in 2020, plus score more government cloud deals, ink more big partnerships and gain traction in its business applications and hardware businesses.

Here's what experts think is ahead for Microsoft in 2020: