Cloud differences
| Aspect | AWS (Amazon Web Services) | Azure (Microsoft) | Google Cloud Platform (GCP) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Market Share | Largest (leader in cloud market share) | Second-largest | Third-largest |
| Launch Year | 2006 | 2010 | 2008 |
| Strengths | Extensive services, global coverage, mature ecosystem | Seamless integration with Microsoft products | Strong in AI/ML, data analytics, Kubernetes (GKE) |
| Regions | 36 Regions, 114 Availability Zones (expanding) | 60+ Regions, 180+ Data Centers | 38+ Regions, 147+ Zones |
| Pricing Model | Pay-as-you-go; granular options | Pay-as-you-go; enterprise-friendly options | Pay-as-you-go; competitive and straightforward |
| Compute Services | EC2, Lambda, Fargate, Elastic Beanstalk | VMs, Azure Functions, App Services | Compute Engine, Cloud Functions, GKE |
| Storage | S3, EBS, Glacier | Blob Storage, Azure Files, Archive Storage | Cloud Storage, Persistent Disks, Nearline/Coldline |
| AI/ML | SageMaker, Rekognition | Azure AI, Cognitive Services | Vertex AI, AutoML, BigQuery ML |
| Database Options | RDS, DynamoDB, Aurora | Azure SQL, Cosmos DB | Cloud SQL, Bigtable, Spanner |
| Networking | VPC, Route 53, CloudFront | Virtual Network, Traffic Manager | VPC, Cloud Load Balancing |
| Kubernetes | EKS (Elastic Kubernetes Service) | AKS (Azure Kubernetes Service) | GKE (Google Kubernetes Engine) |
| Compliance | Broadest compliance portfolio | Strong focus, especially in enterprise compliance | Good compliance coverage |
| Hybrid Support | AWS Outposts, ECS Anywhere | Azure Arc, Azure Stack | Anthos |
| Developer Tools | CLI, SDKs, CloudFormation, CDK | Visual Studio, Azure DevOps, ARM Templates | CLI, SDKs, Deployment Manager |
| Free Tier | Free tier for 12 months, always-free services | Free tier for 12 months, always-free services | Free tier for 12 months, always-free services |
| Key Clients | Netflix, Airbnb, Samsung | Adobe, eBay, Boeing | Spotify, Snapchat, PayPal |
| Best For | Large-scale, general-purpose workloads | Enterprises with Microsoft ecosystems | Data analytics, AI/ML, containerized applications |
When to Choose Azure
- Your business already uses Microsoft Office 365, Dynamics 365, or other Microsoft products.
- You rely on .NET for application development and deployment.
- You need robust hybrid cloud solutions with seamless on-premises integration.
- Security, compliance, and enterprise-grade support are top priorities.
This tight integration and alignment with Microsoft's broader ecosystem make Azure particularly appealing to enterprises that need continuity and efficiency in their IT operations.
When to Choose AWS
- You need the widest range of services for diverse workloads (compute, storage, AI/ML, etc.).
- Your company operates globally and requires high availability and low-latency solutions.
- You’re focused on data analytics, big data, or AI/ML projects.
- You require extreme scalability for unpredictable or seasonal workloads.
- You want to build cloud-native applications with cutting-edge developer tools.
- You prioritize a flexible and vendor-agnostic environment.
AWS’s unmatched scale, innovation, and service portfolio make it a go-to choice for startups, enterprises, and everything in between.
When to Choose GCP
GCP is the best choice if:
- Your business prioritizes data analytics, AI, and machine learning.
- You need high-performance networking with ultra-low latency.
- You rely on Kubernetes or containerized workloads.
- You're pursuing a multi-cloud or hybrid cloud strategy.
- Your organization already uses Google Workspace (Gmail, Drive, Docs).
- You value open source technologies and flexibility.
