AWS Vs Azure Vs GCP - The Cloud Platform of Your Choice? (2024)

By Veritis

This detailed breakdown showcases the hourly cost structure for general-purpose compute instances across this three-leading comparison of cloud providers, aiding in precise financial planning and strategic decision-making for businesses.

Comparison of 1-Year Upfront Commitment Discounted Pricing: AWS vs Microsoft Azure vs Google Cloud

When evaluating the cost efficiency of AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud within a one-year commitment period involving an upfront payment, it’s essential to consider their respective discounted AWS vs GCP vs Azure pricing structures. AWS employs Reserved Instances, Azure implements Reserved Savings, and Google Cloud leverages Committed Use Discounts to offer reduced rates.

The subsequent tables present a comparative analysis of discounted pricing for general-purpose instances across Azure AWS GCP comparison, with a one-year commitment and full upfront payment:

Prominent AWS, Azure, GCP Customers

AWS is the biggest cloud services provider and has amassed an impressive clientele. As per the exhaustive report compiled by Yahoo Finance, German firm SAP has been an AWS client since 2008. SAP is deemed to be the third-biggest software giant in the world. This was an AWS first as it was the first cloud technology to shoulder SAP’s workflows. Other clients are Novartis, the American pharmaceutical manufacturer Pfizer, and the electronics colossus Sony.

Azure is not far behind in a lot of favor for its compatibility with its pre-existing Microsoft infrastructure. Beverage maker Coca-Cola, machinery manufacturer Bosch, and computers manufacturer Lenovo have harnessed the power of Azure.

Google Cloud is not backing down as it bagged Twitter, Deutsche Bank, and the global mailing platform UPS are using the tech to keep their operations running. Azure vs AWS vs Google Cloud has many more desirable clients.

Amazon Web Services (AWS)

A pioneer of cloud computing, Amazon was the first entrant into the cloud services market over a decade ago and leads in terms of the number of products and customers, with AWS considered the benchmark of cloud service quality.

AWS offers a range of Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) offerings that can be classified into computing, database, content delivery and storage, and networking.

AWS enables a smooth and flexible data collection flow using serverless services such as Amazon Kinesis Streams, Amazon SQS Queues, and AWS Lambda Functions. It allows organizations to choose the web application platform, operating system, database, and programming languages, among others, as required.

Cloud infrastructure resource usage can be monitored using AWS management tools, such as AWS CloudTrail and Amazon CloudWatch, for tracking user activity and AWS Config, for managing resource inventory and changes.

AWS contributes to significant enhancement in the productivity and business growth of organizations. A few drawbacks of AWS include the complex infrastructure and default service limits set by average user needs.

Amazon data centers are the largest among the three cloud services providers in 84 regions worldwide.

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Useful Link: Best Practices for AWS Cloud Migration and Benefits

Microsoft Azure

Microsoft Azure platform has been designed for building, deploying, and managing various services and applications through the massive network of Microsoft-managed data centers. Azure’s offerings include computing, networking, data management databases, and performance.

Azure Site Recovery enables organizations of all sizes to orchestrate site-to-site replication and data recovery to VMs hosted on Azure. Azure offers Zone Redundant Storage (ZRS) or data storage redundancy across multiple data center regions.

Azure ExpressRoute facilitates connectivity of the data center to Azure through a private link without using the Internet, thereby providing higher security, excellent reliability, and lower latency.

Azure also has extensive networking capabilities, including support for multiple site-to-site connections to virtual networks and the ability to connect virtual networks across different regions to each other.

Azure has the lowest on-demand and discounted instance pricing. Specialist developers can write, test and deploy algorithms using the Azure Machine Learning Studio.

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Useful Link: Steps to a Successful Microsoft Azure Cloud Migration

Google Cloud Platform (GCP)

With an intuitive interface, lower costs, preemptible instances, and flexible compute options, GCP is an attractive alternative to both AWS and Azure. Google uses full-scale encryption of all data and communication channels including the traffic between data centers.

Some of the areas where Google Cloud strongly competes with AWS include instance and payment configurability, privacy and traffic security, cost-efficiency, and Machine Learning.

While all three cloud providers offer discounts of up to 75 percent for a commitment of one to three years, Google additionally offers a sustained use discount of up to 30 percent on each instance type running for more than 25 percent each month.

AWS’ 1-year-free trial has been matched by GCP’s credit of USD 300 for 12 months along with a free tier that isn’t time-limited. GCP’s credits model is more suited for organizations newly venturing into cloud services.

Google offers several off-the-shelf APIs pertaining to computer vision, natural language processing, and translation. Machine learning engineers can build models based on Google’s Cloud Machine Learning Engine’s open-source TensorFlow deep learning library.

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Useful Link: Migrate to Google Cloud Platform (GCP) – Best Practices, Tools and Benefits

A Three-way Battle

The differences between the three major cloud services can be seen by evaluating them using different parameters such as computing, storage, databases, locations, and documentation.

• Compute: AWS offers the Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2), which handles all compute services by managing virtual machines with preconfigured settings that can also be configured by users as required. On the other hand, Azure offers Virtual Machines and Virtual Machine scale sets, while GCP provides the Google Compute Engine (GCE), which performs the same functions.
• Storage: Amazon S3 (Simple Storage Service) is the best option for storage, with extensive documentation, tried-and-tested technology, and proper community support. Microsoft Azure Storage and Google Cloud Storage also offer reliable storage services.
• Multi-Cloud Support: AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud have upped their respective games regarding multi-cloud infrastructure. AWS was one of the first cloud players to enter multi-cloud games with Elastic Container Service (ECS) and Elastic Kubernetes Service (EKS), allowing its AWS users to manage their containers and K8s applications on Azure and Google Cloud. Azure went the extra mile by bringing out Arc, allowing its users to run the Microsoft cloud’s services on AWS and Google Cloud. This is an edge Azure possesses over AWS, as the latter has limited itself to containers and K8s. Despite its late entry, Google has also forayed into this arena with Anthos, which allows Kubernetes clusters and other such loads to be run on AWS and Azure.
• Databases: All major service providers offer multiple tools and service options for databases. Amazon’s Relational Database Service (RDS) supports major databases such as Oracle and PostgreSQL and manages everything from updating to patching. Azure SQL Database offers SQL database handling features for Azure, while it is Cloud SQL for GCP.
• Location: AWS, Azure, and GCP offer great coverage worldwide and ensure peak application performance by having the least possible route to the intended customer base. While Amazon has 77 availability zones, Azure has a presence in 60+ regions, and Google has a presence in 33 countries, with newer regions being added regularly.
• Documentation: Although AWS is slightly ahead of Azure and GCP, all three vendors offer high-quality documentation.

Benefits of AWS, Azure, and GCP

AWS Benefits:

• Mature Ecosystem: AWS is the longest-standing cloud provider with a vast and mature ecosystem of services and solutions.
• Global Reach: AWS boasts a widespread global network of data centers, ensuring low-latency access in various regions.
• Robust Security: AWS offers a comprehensive suite of security tools and compliance certifications, making it a trusted choice for security-conscious organizations.
• Serverless Computing: AWS Lambda enables serverless computing, allowing users to focus on code without managing servers.
• AI and Machine Learning: AWS provides powerful AI and ML services like Amazon SageMaker for advanced data analytics.

Azure Benefits:

• Seamless Integration: Azure seamlessly integrates with Microsoft products like Windows Server and Active Directory, which is ideal for organizations heavily reliant on Microsoft technologies.
• Hybrid Cloud: Microsoft Azure is known for its hybrid solid cloud capabilities, making it suitable for businesses with on-premises infrastructure.
• Enterprise Focus: Azure offers extensive enterprise-grade services, including Azure Active Directory, Azure Site Recovery, and Azure DevOps.
• AI and ML Integration: Azure Machine Learning and Cognitive Services facilitate AI and ML integration into applications.
• Data Analytics: Azure provides Azure Data Lake Analytics and HDInsight for advanced data analytics and big data processing.

GCP Benefits:

• Data Analytics Prowess: GCP excels in data analytics with BigQuery, Dataflow, and Dataprep for efficient data processing and insights.
• Container Management: Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) is a leading container orchestration and management platform.
• Global Network: GCP boasts a high-speed, low-latency global network, perfect for real-time applications.
• Open Source Embrace: GCP is known for its open-source commitment and support of popular tools and frameworks.
• Machine Learning Expertise: Google’s AI and ML capabilities are leveraged in GCP, making it a strong choice for machine learning projects.

Ultimately, the choice between Azure vs AWS vs Google Cloud depends on an organization’s specific needs, existing technology stack, and strategic goals. Each cloud provider provides a unique set of benefits that can cater to various business requirements.

How to choose a cloud service provider (Based on Reason and Availability)

Amazon Web Services has had a head start in the cloud race as it was the first to kickstart the race. AWS has a wide range of services, and its reach is a significant motivational factor for choosing the Amazon cloud. Whether with the containers or their innovative tools, AWS has been the favorite for many users who develop and deploy products rapidly.

Azure is another preferred productivity partner, and its parent company, Microsoft, is prevalent. Azure’s compatibility with Microsoft products such as Windows and Office suites is an excellent reason for choosing the cloud. Additionally, Microsoft is expending efforts to lay an undersea cable to ensure high-speed connectivity for its clients.

Finally, GCP is preferred by companies in their nascent stages, as Google is known to offer discounts on its pricing models. Additionally, Google is spearheading some open-source projects, such as Karpenter, which would push productivity to new heights. These productivity tools and affordable pricing models sweeten the deal for users in their emerging phases.

AWS Vs Azure Vs Google Cloud: Key Takeaways!

After examining the pros and cons of these three cloud providers, it is evident that each is unique and offers various options to customers.

But looking closely at them, we can see AWS securing the maximum footprint in this cloud battle of Azure vs. AWS vs. GCP. Even though AWS is ahead of the curve, it is still uncertain how long it will enjoy its dominance.

Azure and GCP strive to secure a maximum global cloud market share. Azure is leveraging the fact that ‘it is easy to integrate MS tools with Azure cloud’. So, Azure can easily embrace organizations using MS tools. On the other hand, GCP, with the best pricing models, can aid customers with cost concerns.

AWS, Azure, and GCP: Market Shares and Growth Rate

Since the inception of Cloud computing, AWS has been dominating others in the global cloud market. AWS enjoys dominance by securing around 33 percent of the global market share. At the same time, Microsoft Azure is ensuing AWS with 23 percent of the global market share. GCP is third, with a global market share of 11 percent.

AWS vs. Azure vs GCP Market Share

• AWS – 33%
• Microsoft Azure – 23%
• GCP – 11%

Source: Synergy Research Group

Useful Link: Which Cloud has Better Private Connectivity: AWS or Azure or GCP?

The Selection Dilemma

The war for cloud supremacy is between the Big Three. While several other players like IBM and Oracle have ventured into cloud services, they are still far from cornering a significant market share.

Each of the three cloud platforms Amazon Web Services vs Azure vs Google Cloud is unique and offers many options for organizations to select from based on their specific requirements. Whether AWS will retain its eminence or the others will catch up soon remains to be seen.

Conclusion

AWS is the top in cloud computing, with the broadest range of services, the largest community, and the most mature tooling. Azure is a strong competitor to AWS, with a broad range of services and good hybrid cloud support. GCP is the most affordable of the three major cloud providers and strongly focuses on machine learning and artificial intelligence.

Your needs and requirements will determine the best cloud web services comparison platform. AWS is a good choice if you are looking for the most mature and feature-rich platform. Azure is a good option if you are looking for a good hybrid cloud solution or a platform with solid machine learning support. GCP is a good choice if you are looking for the most affordable platform.

It is also important to note that all three major cloud providers offer free trials, so you can try them out before you commit to a paid plan. Still unsure about which cloud suits you best? We are here to solve your dilemma. Veritis, the Stevie and Globee Business Awards winner, has developed, deployed, and maintained countless cloud applications. From Fortune 500 companies to emerging enterprises, we have tendered customized solutions that stood the test of time.

Reach out to us, harness our cloud expertise, and walk away with a suit tailored just for you.

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Additional Resources:

• How Businesses Can Establish Right KPIs to Measure Digital Success?
• The 6 Cloud Trends Which Shall Dominate 2022
• Future of DevOps: Top 6 DevOps Trends in 2022 and Beyond
• AWS vs Azure vs GCP: Breakdown of Cloud Migration Services (Infographic)
• AWS Leads Cloud Race in 2019; GCP, Azure Continue Growth
• AWS Vs Azure Cloud – A Glance at Comparison
• Leverage Full Advantage of Cloud Migration with GCP