This is an article about cloud computing platforms. It discusses what cloud computing is and the benefits it offers. It also compares three major cloud computing platforms: AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud. Each platform has its own strengths and weaknesses. The best platform for a particular organization depends on its specific needs.
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Which One Is Best Platform?
successive.tech/blog/aws-vs-azure-vs-google-cloud/
AWS Vs Azure Vs Google Cloud : The Best Cloud Platform For Your
Organization
As per Markets and Markets Research, the global cloud computing market is projected to
reach $1240.9 billion by the end of 2027, growing at a CAGR of 17.9%. Cloud computing
transforms businesses by offering game-changing agility and transformative opportunities. Its
advantages, like scalability, flexibility, pay-as-you-go model, big data, real-time
communication, collaboration, etc., help businesses eliminate their investment in redundant
infrastructure. Cloud computing services enable businesses to streamline integration,
innovate faster, optimize resources, leverage data-driven insights, and create a cohesive
digital ecosystem.
Cloud computing has made significant strides since its inception and transformed how
businesses operate. Today, organizations’ decisions no longer revolve around whether to
adopt Cloud Solutions or not, but rather, which cloud platform to select. Three leaders
emerge prominently in the vast landscape of cloud providers: AWS, Azure, and Google
Cloud Platform. Sometimes, determining the best choice among them can be challenging. To
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overcome this challenge, an organization should always select the provider that suits its
business and functional requirements. According to Synergy Group Research, AWS, Azure,
and Google Cloud dominate the global cloud market, as shown in the image below.
This blog aims to provide you with comprehensive insights and guide you through the AWS
vs Azure vs Google Cloud.
Comparing AWS Vs Azure Vs Google Cloud: A Brief Introduction
To select the best among Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud,
it is essential to have a clear understanding of each platform, its user base, and its
advantages and disadvantages. Let us explore the key aspects of these cloud providers:
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
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Launch: March 2006
Services: Over 200
AWS dominates the global cloud services market, commanding a substantial 34% market
share. As the world’s largest cloud service provider, AWS Cloud is the most secure, scalable,
and reliable cloud platform, offering more than 200 fully featured services across the globe.
If you are looking for a public cloud provider that delivers cloud infrastructure (IaaS), pay-as-
you-go pricing, and the ability to auto-scale resources, AWS stands out as an exceptional
choice. Through its IaaS model, AWS provides servers, networking, compute power, and
storage resources while eliminating the need for businesses to invest in their infrastructure.
This approach allows organizations to focus on deploying their application workloads globally
in a single click without the hassle of purchasing, installing, or maintaining hardware. With its
extensive range of services, unwavering reliability, and unmatched flexibility, AWS remains at
the forefront of cloud computing. Choosing AWS as your cloud provider ensures access to a
comprehensive and scalable cloud solution, enabling your business to thrive in the digital
landscape.
When it comes to compute services, AWS shines through Amazon EC2, a reliable and
flexible solution that empowers businesses to meet their computing demands with ease. For
elastic object storage, Amazon S3 provides a robust and scalable option. Networking needs
are met seamlessly by Amazon EBS, while the innovative capabilities of Amazon Lambda
enable efficient serverless computing. Furthermore, Amazon RDS offers a robust and
reliable solution for managing relational databases. Hence, these cloud services help
organizations to build, test and deploy applications in the AWS cloud. AWS also provides
cloud cost management tools such as AWS Cost Explorer, Cost and Usage Report, and Cost
Calculator that help businesses to get high-level cost overviews and in-depth insights for
specific metrics like cost per customer or service. With the help of this feature, Businesses
can reduce their cloud cost by selecting the resources of the right type and right quantity.
Let us discuss AWS’ advantages and disadvantages.
AWS Advantages
Scalability: AWS effortlessly can scale your computing resources up or down in
response to varying resource demands. This dynamic scalability ensures optimal
performance and cost-efficiency for your business.
Flexibility: AWS offers a wide range of services and deployment options as per
specific business needs. Whether you require virtual machines, databases, storage, or
developer tools, AWS provides the flexibility to choose the right combination of services
that align with your requirements.
Innovation: As a pioneer in public cloud services, AWS continues to innovate and
deliver reliable services, providing a wealth of experience and expertise.
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User-Friendly: AWS adds a user-friendly interface, making it easier for new cloud
users to navigate. It also provides cost-effective and open-source solutions, making it
suitable for small and medium businesses.
Easy To Use: AWS provides extensive configuration options, self-service provisioning,
and fully managed services. It creates an ecosystem that attracts developers and cloud
engineers.
AWS Marketplace: The AWS Marketplace offers various third-party software and
support tools that enhance the cloud services ecosystem.
Business Continuity: Leveraging its global infrastructure, AWS offers robust DR &
backup solutions across multiple locations.
AWS Disadvantages
Vendor Lock-in: If any organization has invested heavily in AWS and its services,
switching to a different cloud service provider or platform can be challenging.
Complex Pricing Structure: AWS pricing can be complicated, especially when
utilizing different products and processes together, making it challenging to predict
costs accurately.
Cost: While AWS can be cost-effective for some users, it can also be expensive,
especially for enterprise-level customers that require a lot of resources or use high-end
services.
Limited Hybrid and On-Premises Capabilities: AWS is relatively new to the on-
premises and hybrid cloud space compared to competitors like Azure, resulting in less
mature offerings.
Need for Technical Expertise: The vast range of AWS products, services, and
features can be overwhelming. It requires the correct planning & strategy and AWS
technical expertise.
Microsoft Azure
Launch: February 2010
Services: Over 160
Microsoft Azure is the second-largest cloud management platform with market share of 23%.
Like AWS, Azure offers a comprehensive range of cloud services, including Infrastructure-as-
a-Service (IaaS), Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS), and some parts of Software-as-a-Service
(SaaS) cloud models.
In the realm of PaaS, Azure provides a robust platform for building, hosting, and deploying
consumer-facing applications. It also empowers businesses to leverage vendor-provided
infrastructure and focus on developing their unique applications. On the other hand, SaaS, a
highly adopted model among small and medium enterprises, allows subscribing to pre-built
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applications that can be customized to suit specific requirements. This flexibility enables
organizations to adopt and utilize ready-made applications for their distinct purposes. Here
are the two most popular reasons why Azure is adopted among enterprises:
Existing Microsoft Licenses: Many enterprises already leverage Microsoft products
such as Microsoft 365, Microsoft SQL Server, SharePoint, and Power BI. This pre-
established Microsoft ecosystem makes seamless transitioning to and integrating
Microsoft’s cloud services. The integration between existing Microsoft tools and Azure
facilitates a smoother migration process.
Hybrid Cloud Capabilities: Azure seamlessly integrates on-premises infrastructure
with public cloud services. This hybrid cloud approach appeals to organizations that
want to retain their data centers while capitalizing on the advantages offered by the
cloud. Azure’s hybrid cloud solutions enable companies to balance maintaining control
over their data centers and harnessing the benefits of cloud technology.
Let us discuss Microsoft Azure’s advantages and disadvantages.
Microsoft Azure Advantages
Scalability: Azure enables quick and easy scaling of computing resources, benefiting
businesses with on-demand resources.
Flexibility: Azure offers a diverse range of services and deployment options, including
virtual machines, databases, and developer tools, allowing users to choose what best
fits their specific needs.
Integration with Microsoft Ecosystem: Azure seamlessly integrates with other
Microsoft tools and services, such as Office 365 and Visual Studio, making it a
compelling choice for organizations already using Microsoft technologies.
Hybrid Cloud Capabilities: Azure integrates on-premises data centers with cloud
services, hosting a hybrid cloud solution that benefits both environments. Utilizing
Azure Hybrid Cloud can lead to up to 40% cost savings on virtual machines.
Cost-effectiveness: Azure follows a pay-as-you-go pricing model and is relatively
cheaper than AWS for enterprises but not for small to medium-sized businesses.
Security: Azure offers a range of security features, including encryption, access
controls, and compliance certifications, ensuring the protection of user data and
applications.
Microsoft Azure Disadvantages
Reliability: Azure has experienced outage instances in the past, leading to concerns
about its reliability.
Customer Support: There were some customer complaints about technical support
quality in past that can impact the overall customer experience.
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Complex Pricing: The pricing of Azure’s products and services can be challenging to
understand when purchasing.
Focus on Existing Customer Base: Azure’s sales strategy heavily focuses on its
established customer base, sometimes overlooking the challenges faced by non-
Microsoft customers using Azure.
Google Cloud Platform (GCP)
Launch: April 2008
Services: Over 100
GCP emerges as the right choice for companies that prioritizes cloud-native applications,
particularly those leveraging containers, Kubernetes, and Google Workspace. Google’s
pioneering efforts in technologies such as Kubernetes, the leading container orchestration
platform, and Istio, a robust service mesh, along with other industry-standard tools, make
GCP the go-to platform for seamless integration of cutting-edge capabilities.
With GCP’s reliable infrastructure, startups can harness the power of tested open-source
solutions while capitalizing on Google’s scalability and innovation. This winning combination
propels startups forward, enabling rapid development and competitive advantage.
GCP Advantages
Containerization Support: Google has been at the forefront of container technologies,
contributing to projects like Kubernetes and Istio.
Open-Source Support: GCP has strong partnerships within the open-source
community, collaborating on various projects with partners like RedHat.
Advanced ML and Blockchain Capabilities: GCP leverages its vast database to offer
powerful Deep Machine Learning and blockchain capabilities seen in services like
Google Search, YouTube, and Gmail.
Seamless Integration with Workspace: GCP seamlessly integrates with tools like
Gmail for Business, Spreadsheets, Forms, and Google Docs used by many
companies.
Support for Multi-Cloud Deployments: While Azure pioneered hybrid cloud
deployments, GCP emphasizes and supports multi-cloud deployments.
User-Friendly Pricing Model: GCP’s pricing model is straightforward and easier to
understand than AWS and Azure.
DaaS Service: GCP has significantly improved its virtual desktop offering, similar to
Azure’s advancements.
GCP Disadvantage
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Limited Global Presence: GCP currently has limited cloud servers and data centers
worldwide, which may restrict usage in some regions.
Limited Enterprise Solutions Support: GCP’s support for enterprise solutions may
be less extensive than other providers.
Detailed Comparison Among AWS Vs Azure Vs Google Cloud
Services
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Let Us Understand, Which Is Better: AWS or Azure or Google Cloud?
Determining the most suitable cloud service among AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud depends
entirely on your unique business needs and type of workload. It’s crucial to recognize that
just because your competitor has adopted a particular cloud service doesn’t mean it’s
automatically the best fit for your organization.
To help you make an informed decision, consider the following guidelines:
AWS:
If you require a comprehensive range of cloud services and tools with the broadest reach,
AWS is the optimal choice. It boasts an extensive portfolio of services and maintains a
dominant position in the market.
Azure:
If your operations heavily rely on Windows and Microsoft applications, Azure is the best
option. It offers seamless integration with Microsoft technologies and provides specialized
services designed specifically for Windows-based environments.
Google Cloud:
While it may not initially appear as prominent as the other two providers, Google Cloud is a
viable platform, particularly for small web-oriented startups. If your focus lies on leveraging
machine learning capabilities, Google Cloud offers advanced offerings in this domain and
can be a solid choice.
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It’s important to emphasize that this decision should be based on a thorough evaluation of
your organization’s requirements, including specific workloads, existing technology stack,
and long-term business objectives. Important factors such as pricing, support, security, and
scalability should also be considered during the decision-making process.
Finally, it is recommended to assess each cloud transformation service provider’s offerings,
features, strengths, and weaknesses to determine which one aligns best with your unique
business needs.