AWS Vs Azure Vs Google Cloud: Which is the Best Cloud Platform?

Comparing the Big 3 Cloud Platforms: AWS Vs Azure Vs Google Cloud

The way the cloud computing market is growing, businesses are finding it hard to pick the right cloud platform to migrate their business data. In the massive cloud market, comparing AWS vs Azure vs Google Cloud platforms is quite challenging as your one decision will shape the future of your organization’s digital journey.

In the dynamic realm of cloud computing, Microsoft’s Azure, Amazon Web Services (AWS), and Google Cloud platform are the titans of the industry and acquiring 63% of the cloud market share. 

Still, when it comes to hosting a website or application, many users are relying on these three platforms. Cloud computing has emerged as a top software development trend that has a long way to go. It no longer remains an option for businesses, it has become a matter of which cloud services to use. 

Though with the increasing demand for cloud platforms, today there are numerous cloud platforms to choose from, but Amazon Web Services, Azure, and Google Cloud Platform are the dominating service providers.

Before you head straight to finalize any cloud service provider, you must ask what distinguishes each of “The Big Three” cloud services. And how will you judge which platform is ideal to opt for your company?

To make an informed decision, let’s look at the big picture of Cloud computing and then take an overview of major cloud service providers…

Understanding the Concept of Cloud Computing and Why It is Surging in Demand?

Cloud computing refers to the delivery of on-demand computing services which includes servers, storage, databases, networking, hosting, and more over the cloud platforms. All of these resources are available to access based on the pay-per-use model. 

This is one of the major reasons why businesses are moving towards cloud computing services. Instead of heavily investing in computing equipment and incurring upfront expenses, businesses can access these resources on-demand from the leading cloud service providers including AWS, Azure, and GCP (Google Cloud Platform). 

So here are two key highlights about the inclining interest of businesses toward cloud migration services:

• Cloud computing is like renting a fully equipped office instead of investing in a building. You get all the facilities to manage the operations without bearing the overhead of ownership.

• It is more like renting computing power and paying only for what you use. It is much like paying for utilities such as water or electricity. 

Now the question is why does it matter?

Before you get trapped in the detailed comparison of Google Cloud vs AWS vs Azure, let’s understand why cloud computing matters:

In recent years, cloud computing services have witnessed a monumental shift in demand as it is offering a modern way of operating a business which ultimately leads to sustainable long-term growth, improved efficiency, no risk of data loss, and centralized accessibility to operations.

Almost, the entirety of business enterprises have migrated some form of their business operations to cloud computing. Whereas well-established enterprises are strongly intent on transforming digitally through cloud computing or using SaaS-based services.

Here’s a more detailed breakdown of cloud computing adoption and its popularity:

Cloud computing is now the mainstream technology as the vast majority of businesses are leveraging its capabilities for various aspects of their business.

• Half of an organization’s workload is maintained on the public cloud and 64% of companies are using private cloud computing services while the remaining ratios of businesses still are confused between Multi-cloud vs Hybrid-cloud.
• The global cloud computing market size is expected to grow at a CAGR of 21.2% from 2024 to 2030. 
• Over 90% of organizations now use some cloud environment.

The popularity of cloud computing is unstoppable. But advantages businesses can leverage by adopting cloud computing:

• No matter which cloud service provider you choose, it ensures support for diverse applications based on the latest technologies. For example, apps using AI in Supply Chain, Ecommerce stores using AI/ML models, and even AI in cloud computing will become possible. 

• Easy scalability of the resources and ensuring hassle-free scalability of resources. 

• Eliminate the hassle of investing in buying computing equipment and physical data centers, therefore you can rapidly deploy the apps.

• No need to upgrade your complex IT system to adopt evolving market changes, hence switching to cloud computing is a painless and quicker method of hosting apps. 

AWS vs Azure vs Google Cloud: What’s the Basic Concept Behind?

Undoubtedly, when it comes to choosing between AWS vs Google Cloud vs Microsoft Azure, each service provider has its nuanced and strength to offer. Before you head straight to hire a software development company to migrate data to the top cloud platform, then explore some basic information about each provider and judge how they are different.

1. Amazon Web Services (AWS) – The King of Cloud Platforms

Amazon Web Services was launched in 2006 and offered basic cloud computing services to businesses based on pay-as-you-go. It was started by providing just a few services like storage and computation which was quickly expanded to the next level and has become a market leader with 30% of the market share.

Compared to other major cloud computing platforms, AWS is the first in the market offering 18000+ services that include everything from computing, content management, and delivery to data storage services and Data Analytics and ML. 

AWS is used by a wide range of businesses from startups to leading enterprises including Expedia, Netflix, Coca-Cola, CoinBase, Airbnb, and more. 

2. Microsoft’s Azure: The Enterprise Cloud Powerhouse

Azure is the second most demanding cloud platform launched in 2010. It is growing faster than AWS with an annual growth rate of 46% and acquiring 21% of the market share. It is particularly launched to offer tailored Microsoft-centric support to enterprises. 

Since its inception, it has grown to become a cloud-based platform with over 200 goods and services. The wide range of customized services for enterprises makes a huge transition to a cloud or hybrid-cloud environment. 

With more than 95% of Fortune 500 firms using it, Microsoft Azure has established a track record of serving enterprise users. Major companies including Starbucks, Asos, Center of Disease Control (CDC), HP, HSBC, and more are the major users of Azure.   

3. Google Cloud- The AI & Data Innovation Leader

Google Cloud is the third titan of the cloud computing world which is quite different among others. While saying AWS and Azure are pronounced competitors, Google Cloud is equally trotting the racetrack. 

Today, Google Cloud offers more than 100 services and acquires 9% of the cloud market space. However, Google Cloud is not limited to the suite of Infrastructure-as-a-service(IaaS), Platform-as-a-service (PaaS), IoT integration and control. Rather GCP provides exceptional support to the app using AI and ML Capabilities.

In addition, owing to Google’s near-hegemonic status in the sphere of technology, Google Cloud has been professed to surpass its competitors and will become the leading cloud platform in the near future. 

AWS vs Azure vs Google Cloud: How to Choose the Best Cloud Service Provider?

Selecting the right cloud service provider between AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud- depends upon various factors. The major factors that influence your decision include your business requirements, budget, security, and scalability goals. Understanding each provider’s strengths and weaknesses will help you make a better decision.

Before you weigh the pros and cons of each service provider, here are a few factors to consider to make the right choice.

1. Global Footprints of the Service Provider

The size of a provider’s global footprint directly impacts data storage, backup, and disaster recovery. The wider footprints can store and back up your data in more geographic locations. 

Moreover, having access to more regions, availability zones, and edge locations means more room to grow and enables you to take your services closer to target customers and reduce latency.

So before you make a choice, verify that your preferred Availability Zone supports the actual service you require. 

2. Cloud Scalability and Flexibility

Top cloud service providers offer auto-scaling, and with the help of cloud consulting services, you may easily figure out the best service provider. But remember, ease of use and configuration can greatly vary, depending upon your requirements. Look for the providers who help you easily scale resources up and down based on your changing needs. 

• AWS: Provides granular scaling for various services.
• Azure: It is ideal for businesses using Microsoft tools.
• GCP: Is well-optimized for workloads with unpredictable demand. 

3. Security and Compliance

Security is the top priority when it comes to migrating data to cloud platforms. But the specific data encryption access controls and security auditing techniques that each provider uses, may differ.

• AWS: It offers advanced security tools and compliance certifications, including GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI-DSS.
• Azure: It is integrated with Microsoft security framework and enterprise compliance solutions.
• Google Cloud: Emphasizes encryption and AI-driven security control systems and is ideal for data-driven businesses.

4. Reliability and Performance

Select a provider that has a good track record of providing unmatched performance. You need to consider SLAs (Service Level Agreements) of specific services you plan to use rather than just considering the provider’s overall uptime rating. 

• AWS: 99.99% SLA for most services
• AZURE: 99.95% SLA with region-based redundancy
• Google Cloud: High availability with automatic failover mechanisms.

5. Costing and Pricing Models

All three service providers offer pay-as-you-go pricing, reserved instances, and commitment discounts. However, the ultimate pricing structure may differ depending upon various factors including where you hire a software developer, which company you choose for cloud computing services, and more.

• AWS: Best for businesses requiring diverse pricing models.
• Azure: Cost-effective for enterprises using Microsoft licenses.
• Google Cloud: Competitive pricing for AI, ML, and analytics workloads. 

AWS vs Azure vs Google Cloud: A Detailed Comparison Between These Titans

Of course, all these big 3 cloud providers have in-depth experience and competence to deliver dependable and feature-rich cloud infrastructure. But before you incline to any specific cloud platform for your business, let’s compare the strength and capabilities of each cloud provider on different parameters.

Though a quick look at this detailed comparison guide may lead you to believe that AWS cloud solutions are leading over Azure, a closer examination of these providers reveals that the choice isn’t so easy to make. 

1. AWS vs Azure vs Google Cloud: Product Offering

Each cloud service provider offers a diverse range of computing resources to support various business requirements. 

In a nutshell: AWS is an extensive suite well suited to businesses looking for scalability, high-end performance, and flexibility. Whereas Microsoft Azure offers powerful resources tailored for enterprises and hybrid cloud environments. Google Cloud Platform provides highly customizable computing resources, specially optimized for all the latest technologies including AI, Big Data, and containerized workloads. 

AWS vs Microsoft Azure vs Google Cloud: What Resources and Products Do They Offer?

Key Takeaways:

• AWS leads in computing and storage services, making it the best choice for enterprises needing robust structure.
• Azure excels in hybrid cloud solutions, ideal for businesses that are already using Microsoft products.
• Google Cloud offers powerful AL/ML and big data analytics tools which makes it the preferred choice for data-driven applications. 

2. AWS vs Azure vs Google Cloud: Open Source Support

Open-source support is a crucial factor when choosing a cloud service provider, especially for businesses relying on community-driven projects and open-source frameworks. 

In a Nutshell: AWS has a long history of working with open-source communities, while the Azure cloud platform is increasingly supporting open-source projects, but surprisingly Google Cloud platform went bigger.

So, when it comes to Google Cloud vs AWS vs Azure: Which platform provides the best open-source support?

Key Takeaways:

• AWS provides broad open-source support with a mix of proprietary and community-driven tools, focusing on databases, cloud orchestration, and development tools. 

• Azure is increasingly open-source friendly, especially for enterprises transitioning from Windows to Linux-based workloads, with support for third-party open-source tools. 

• Google Cloud is the most open-source-driven cloud provider, originating key open-source projects like Kubernetes and TensorFlow, which makes it ideal for AI and ML-based projects.  

3. AWS vs Azure vs Google Cloud: Accessibility and Geographical Availability

The global presence of cloud providers is quite essential for businesses and developers seeking the ideal cloud solution for them. The need for a data center will vary based on where an application or website’s users are located. 

Here are some more details about how AWS, GCP, and Azure compare in terms of the number and geographical location of their data centers.   

AWS Availability

• 33 regions and 105 Availability Zones (AZs) worldwide.
• 600+ Points of Presence (PoPs) across every continent except Antarctica.
• Edge computing locations to provide low-latency content delivery.

Azure Availability

• 160+ data centers worldwide.
• It covers more regions than AWS and GCP, which are 60+ regions globally.
• Each region has at least three Availability Zones (AZs) to ensure fault tolerance. 

Google Cloud Availability

• GCP covers over 40 regions and multiple Availability Zones.
• Slightly behind AWS and Azure in global reach but still widely available. 
• Strong integration with Google’s global fiber-optic network, ensuring minimal latency.

So before you look for cloud migration services to transit your business data or host any app, make sure to check the Availability Zone of cloud service providers.

4. AWS vs Azure vs Google Cloud: Comparing the Pricing Difference 

When it comes to Microsoft Azure vs AWS vs Google Cloud service providers, pricing is one of the most important elements to consider. After all, you will be likely to lock in the pricing of your choice of service provider for such long years. 

Comparing the pricing models of major cloud providers, AWS, GCP, and Azure, businesses must proceed with the service provider that best fits specific needs and budgets. 

Each cloud platform adopts a pay-as-you-go model with varying parameters depending on the type, storage costs, data transfer fees, and discounts. Understanding each factor in detail will help you better optimize your spending on cloud computing and migration services. 

• AWS is known for its pay-as-you-go, where they roughly $0.023 per GB for S3 storage in the first 50 TB per month.
• Whereas Azure charges roughly $0.021 per GB for Blob storage.
• Google Cloud charges around $0.026 per GB for Cloud Storage and ensures frequent access storage in the first 50 TB per month. 

Here’s how AWS vs Azure vs Google Cloud services comparison in terms of pricing differs:

5. AWS vs Azure vs Google Cloud: Use Cases

When it comes to comparing AWS Vs Azure Vs Google Cloud platforms, all three offer powerful cloud services but each caters to specific use cases. 

In a nutshell: AWS boasts global reach and a wide service offering, ideal for diverse applications. While Azure excels in seamless integration with Microsoft ecosystems and ensuring strong security features. Google Cloud is an attractive option for Google Cloud providers. 

However, the real challenge is to recognize which cloud service provider should be chosen and when.

Choose AWS if:

• You need a vast global network with high availability and low latency. 
• Your workloads require high scalability and handling of real-time communication. Majorly ecommerce, SaaS apps, and Media streaming apps use it. 
• You need flexible computing options with extensive machine types.

Choose Azure If:

• Your business already uses Microsoft products like Windows Server, Active Directory or SQL Server.
• You need a Strong hybrid cloud setup and are looking for seamless integration with Visual Studio, Azure, DevOps, and GitHub.

Choose Google Cloud If:

• Your project types involve AI, ML, and Big Data analytics as GCP has the most advanced AI/ML tools. 
• You prioritize containerized workloads and would require cost-efficient compute pricing with per-second billing and sustained-use discounts.

Conclusion

Hopefully, with this blog guide, you may have a fair idea about how cloud computing services take a central space in the digital landscape. Using the right fitted cloud service provider, helps businesses control their investment in computer equipment, and allows them to rent a fully feature-rich cloud platform where they can easily manage their operations. By choosing to hire a software developer, you can easily weigh the capabilities and strengths of each cloud service provider and make a decision.

At Xicom, we have a team of cloud consultants who go up and beyond in analyzing your project requirements. They evaluate the requirements and help you make the best decision that ensures scalability, flexibility, and long-term success. 

FAQs

Here we have gathered additional information related to leading cloud service providers Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud Platform.