AWS Vs Azure Vs Google Cloud – Which cloud platform should you choose for your enterprise?

Businesses are progressively shifting to the cloud in order to become more cost-effective, agile, and imaginative in their operations. The data in this research by MarketsandMarkets backs up all of the excitement around the cloud services market ecosystem. According to the report, the cloud technology services industry will be worth $832.1 billion in 2025.

Since its start, cloud computing has come a very long way. It’s no longer an option whether or not to use cloud computing; it’s instead a matter of choosing which cloud service to use.

Although there are numerous cloud platforms to choose from today, the major cloud providers are Amazon Web Services (AWS), Azure, and Google Cloud Platform (GCP). As a result, AWS, Azure, and GCP are locked in a furious three-way war for cloud supremacy.

So, what distinguishes each of the “big three” cloud services? And how do you decide which platform is ideal for your company?

If you have to choose one, you’ll want to understand the comparison of AWS vs Azure vs Google Cloud. In this article about AWS vs Azure vs Google Cloud, we’ll examine the top 3 cloud services to find out which one triumph.

Cloud Computing: An Overview

Cloud computing refers to the provision of on-demand computing services such as app storage, and processing power through the internet. All of these resources are available on a pay-per-use basis over the internet. 

Rather than investing in computing equipment and incurring upfront expenses, businesses rent access to cloud-based services from a third-party supplier. They only get charged for what they actually use. Cloud service providers profit from significant economies of scale as they provide comparable services to different clients.

The advantages of moving to the cloud include:

• Cost-cutting
• Flexibility
• Rapid innovation
• Loss avoidance
• Agility
• Quality control
• Improved security
• Competitive advantage
• Sustainability 
• Increased efficiency

An overview of the big 3 cloud platforms 

AWS (Amazon Web Services)

Amazon Web Services is a division of Amazon.com, Inc. and is the dominant player in cloud computing platforms. AWS is the most matured cloud management platform, with a wide selection of services for almost everyone, including individuals, small businesses, and even governments.

AWS began as a private cloud service for Amazon employees. Since 2006, it has grown into a publicly accessible cloud platform for businesses with capabilities such as Amazon S3 cloud storage and elastic computing cloud (EC2). AWS today has over 200 fully functional services to meet any need and satisfy millions of users.

Customers who use AWS include:

• The Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
• Expedia
• Coinbase
• Netflix
• Coca-Cola
• Formula 1
• Airbnb
• Intuit
• Coursera
• Lyft

Microsoft Azure

Microsoft Azure is the second-largest cloud management platform. Since its inception in 2010, Azure has grown to become a cloud-based platform with over 200 goods and services. It is now one of the most rapidly expanding cloud platforms.

Microsoft Azure offers a wide range of services customized specifically for Microsoft-centric businesses, making the transition to a cloud or hybrid-cloud environment simple for many enterprises. Microsoft Azure, which is used by more than 95 percent of Fortune 500 firms, has an established track record of serving enterprise users.

Azure isn’t just for Windows-based services, either. It also supports open-source programming, platforms, and technologies, allowing anybody to create and maintain any program.

Companies that have been using Azure include:

• Starbucks
• DAIMLER AG
• Asos
• McKesson Group
• Center of Disease Control (CDC) – US
• HSBC
• HP
• Walgreens
• Mitsubishi Electric
• Renault
• 3M

Google Cloud Platform

The Google Cloud Platform is a subset of the Google Cloud. Since its launch in 2010, the Google Cloud Platform has grown to include over 100 services covering big data, networking, computing, and much more. 

GCP now includes Google Workspace, corporate Android, and Chrome OS, among other services.

GCP is the youngest of the Big 3 cloud service providers when compared to AWS and Azure. Despite this, it provides a robust collection of cloud services that can run and support any application.

Customers using GCP include:

• Toyota
• Twitter
• Nintendo
• Target
• Unilever
• Spotify
• Paypal
• The Home Depot
• UPS

Choosing the best cloud platform for your enterprise – Microsoft Azure vs Amazon AWS vs Google Cloud

The 3 major cloud providers, of course, have the experience and competence to deliver dependable and feature-rich cloud infrastructure. However, before committing to one cloud platform for business, do your homework and analyze each platform to comprehend its capabilities and peculiarities. 

A quick glance at detailed cloud platform comparisons may lead one to believe that AWS has to have an unrivaled advantage over Azure, but a closer examination reveals that the choice isn’t so simple.

Let’s have a look at some of the most important factors to consider when choosing the best cloud platform or technology for your enterprise.

Availability 

As previously stated, Amazon Web Services was the first in the world to offer cloud services. It means they’ve had far more time to establish their networks around the globe. Naturally, they have a significantly larger number of availability zones than their competitors. Amazon Web Services presently offers over 84 availability zones around the world.

This number is higher than Google Cloud’s 24 availability regions, with a total of 73 zones. 

Microsoft Azure is a great alternative if you’re looking for something readily available. They have 60+ regions available in more than 140 countries throughout the world.

Market Share

According to a Statista report from the fourth quarter of 2021, AWS has a 33% market share, Azure has a 22% market share, and Google Cloud has a 9% market share.

Compute, storage, and networking

AWS’ main compute service is its EC2 instances, which can be customized with a variety of features. AWS Lambda, the EC2 Container Service, Elastic Beanstalk for app deployment, ECS for Kubernetes (EKS), and Autoscaling are all available.

Meanwhile, the compute offering of Azure is centered on its Virtual Machines (VMs), with many other tools like Cloud Services and Resource Manager to aid with cloud application deployment, as well as its Azure Autoscaling service.

Google’s customizable Compute Engine provides virtual machines (VMs) in its data centers. They are fast to boot, have persistent disk storage, high performance, and are highly configurable to the customer’s needs.

The AWS storage services include Elastic Block Storage (EBS), Simple Storage (S3), Elastic File System (EFS), Glacier archive backup, Import/Export big volume data transfer service, and Storage Gateway, which interacts with on-premise settings.

Microsoft’s Azure Storage service includes Azure Blob storage, as well as Queue, Table, and File storage options. Import-Export, Site Recovery, and Azure Backup are also included.

All three platforms offer strong networking capabilities, including on-premise system connectivity and automatic server load balancing.

Services Offered

The number of services provided is the key distinction between the three companies under consideration. Because of the variety of services available, the cloud platforms are suitable for a wide range of businesses. 

Amazon Web Services offers the most services to its customers. AWS offers around 200 services, with Google Cloud and Microsoft Azure offering about 90 and 200 services, respectively. 

Since AWS was the first one to enter the market, it also has the most products. It offers many types of infrastructure as a service (IaaS), including database, storage, compute, content delivery, and networking. 

Computation, data management, networking, and reliability are some of Azure’s offerings. Google Cloud Platform is another excellent alternative, thanks to its instance and payment configuration flexibility, cost-effectiveness, privacy, traffic security, and machine learning capabilities.

Why Choose Appinventiv’s Cloud Computing Services?

If you have an understanding of cloud computing and how it can revolutionize the way your organization operates, you must also understand that it is not a matter of whether or not you should obtain it. It’s an appealing solution that would benefit your company, so take your time choosing the best cloud service provider.

To help businesses modernize IT environments, Appinventiv provides best-in-class cloud services. Our team of experts provides cost-effective and reliable cloud consulting services, cloud professional services, and cloud managed services that give businesses a competitive edge.

Organizations can leverage our cloud services to increase productivity, and lower the IT resource requirements and expenses.

By easing cloud adoption, we help businesses become more adaptable to the ever-changing market landscape, allowing them to make the right decisions and maximize their ROI. Speak to our experts to know more about our services.

Conclusion

Even though Amazon Web Services (AWS) is currently the industry leader in terms of storage and services, Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud are fast expanding to compete with AWS.

With its heavy focus on the enterprise, Azure, in particular, is hot on AWS’ heels. Meanwhile, Google’s reach continues to grow via integration with open-source programs and third-party businesses.

Of course, it all comes down to your unique use case in the end. As the industry matures, most businesses are seeking multi-cloud solutions that allow them to take advantage of the benefits of each cloud service without being tied to a single one.

FAQs

Q. What are the various kinds of cloud computing services available?

A. Platforms-as-a-Service (PaaS), Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS), and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) are three main types of cloud computing services.

Q. Which cloud platform for business has the most room for expansion?

A. Each of the three cloud giants is fiercely competitive with the others. All three have experienced strong growth in recent years, helping their parent firm meet its growth and profitability targets.

Q. What are the benefits of Azure versus Google Cloud and Amazon Web Services?

A. Azure releases new tools every two weeks, and the cloud is completely compatible with Microsoft tools and the Windows OS, which are widely utilized around the world.

In comparison to competing cloud platforms, this eliminates compatibility difficulties and makes Azure future-proof.

Q. Which is best for my organization: Google Cloud, Amazon Web Services, or Microsoft Azure?

A. Google Cloud is a popular choice among entrepreneurs since it offers a variety of discounts to cloud users. If cost is a major consideration, Google Cloud is the superior option. Azure provides a lot of flexibility, and AWS has a huge worldwide footprint, so it has an advantage over the others.

THE AUTHOR

Sudeep Srivastava

Co-Founder and Director