AWS vs. Azure vs. GCP: Which Cloud Platform to Choose for Your Business?

Only a few years ago, cloud computing sounded like a novel technology. As there was little to no knowledge of the platform and technology. However, every other tech behemoth has joined the bandwagon by shifting to cloud services. However, the behemoths AWS vs. Azure vs. GCP, are already dominating the market. And this makes it difficult for business owners to select one of them. So, fret not. Let’s dive in and explore what factors determine the cloud platform for your business.

An Overview of Cloud Computing

Cloud computing is also known as on-demand computing. It offers Internet-powered app storage. Perhaps it isn’t so new to you. However, the debate over AWS vs. Azure vs. GCP continues. These resources are available on the Internet on a pay-per-use basis. As a result, businesses now rent access to cloud-based services from a third-party provider. Because purchasing computer equipment can result in additional costs. Cloud service providers profit significantly from various clients.

Benefits of Cloud Computing

Cloud computing offers many options to store, process, and manipulate data. Cloud networks host various things, from Netflix to sensors and machine learning applications. So, let’s know some of the benefits offered by cloud computing.

Reduced Costs

Aside from cost savings, what else is a blessing for business owners? Cloud computing reduces the cost of initial infrastructure. And it introduces low variable costs that scale with your business. It impacts businesses by allowing them to save money on servers and other IT equipment. Instead, it quickly spins up thousands of servers and delivers results.

Decreased Maintenance

Maintenance is among the mundane tasks. And cloud computing ensures the removal of these physical storage issues. So, you can focus on more business-oriented goals. It also offers to pool the resources to service other consumers. And this way, it supports providing location independence.

Increased Availability

We all want a service that is available 24*7. Cloud computing with AWS vs Azure vs GCP made this possible by making IT resources available just a tap away. Finally, it assists cloud developers in reducing any time overhead. As a result, save time in allocating resources and generating results. The cost and time to experiment reduces, resulting in a significant increase in organizational agility.

Enhanced Scalability

With the changing landscape, business scale elasticity becomes critical. The scalability provided by cloud computing is a huge plus! It enables organizations to be more agile by providing them with resources. For example, bandwidth, storage, and computing power. Furthermore, users receive IT resources from the correct geographical location in the cloud.

Types of Cloud Deployment: AWS vs. Azure vs. GCP

Here are some common types of cloud models.

Public

The term “public cloud” refers to computing services provided by a third-party provider over the public Internet. Anyone who wishes to use these services has easy access to them. These mega cloud platforms, AWS vs. Azure vs. GCP fall in this category. It could be either paid or free services. The provider checks for public cloud deployment, management, and maintenance. Although the architecture of public and private clouds is similar, there may be significant differences.

A public cloud deployment model eliminates the need for costly upfront costs. Purchasing, managing, and maintaining on-premises hardware and software infrastructure, for example.

Private

A private cloud is a computing service that is available to a single organization via a private network. And you can manage the private cloud internally. So, this cloud deployment will offer you the same benefits as public cloud deployment.

Unlike the public cloud, the private cloud gives you more control and customization. It means you can implement higher levels of security and privacy in your industry.

These additional benefits, however, come at a cost. In most cases, your IT department will bear the cost and responsibility for managing the private cloud.

Hybrid

A hybrid cloud is a computing service that uses public and private cloud deployments. Furthermore, this deployment enables data and application sharing between cloud environments. When confused with AWS vs. Azure vs. GCP, a hybrid cloud can be a savior. A hybrid cloud allows you to scale your resources. In terms of processing computing demands, this ranges from on-premises private infrastructure to public cloud. It enables you to use public cloud resources for non-critical computing tasks. Furthermore, it protects sensitive business-critical applications within a private cloud deployment.

Multi-Cloud

A multi-cloud is a cloud strategy that combines multiple cloud services and cloud vendors, whether public or private. Every hybrid cloud is a multi-cloud, but not every multi-cloud is a hybrid cloud. When multiple clouds connect via integration, they become hybrid clouds. A multi-cloud environment for better data control or redundant storage. In any case, having multiple clouds is becoming more common in businesses. Moreover, it improves security and performance by exposing a wider range of environments.

Overview of Cloud-Based Services

So, before jumping to AWS vs. Azure vs. GCP we will discuss some cloud-based services. So, have a look at them all.

Software as a Service (SaaS)

SaaS is a method of delivering services and applications over the Internet. So, instead of installing and maintaining software, you can use the Internet to access it. It promises to free you from the burden of complex software and hardware management.

SaaS allows you to make pay-as-you-go purchases from a cloud service provider. However, many applications can be run directly from a web browser without any downloads.

Advantages of SaaS

1. Cost-effective:Pay only for what you use, which means purchase only for the use.
2. Reduced time:Users can run most SaaS apps directly from a web browser. Ultimately saves your time for installation and configuration.
3. Automatic updates:Customers rely on a SaaS provider to automatically perform the updates.
4. Scalability: It allows the users to access the services and features on demand.

Platform as a Service (PaaS)

PaaS is a type of cloud computing that provides a platform for developers. It helps them to build applications and service access via the Internet.

The consumer does not manage or control the underlying cloud infrastructure. Such as the network, servers, operating systems, or storage. Instead, decide the deployed applications and environment configuration settings.

Advantages of PaaS:

1. Convenient: It offers infrastructure and other IT services.
2. Cost-Effective: It charges for the services provided on a per-user basis.
3. Efficient:It allows for higher-level programming with reduced complexity.

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)

Infrastructure as a service (IaaS) is a service model that provides outsourced computer infrastructure. Such as networking equipment, devices, databases, and web servers as an outsourced service.

It is also referred to as Hardware as a Service (PaaS). Customers who use IaaS pay per user. Sometimes they are also charged for the virtual space they use for any services. Hire a dedicated developer in India for more guidance.

Advantages of IaaS: 

1. Cost-Effective:Eliminates capital expense and reduces ongoing costs.
2. Website hosting:Running websites using IaaS can be less expensive.
3. Security: The IaaS Cloud Provider provides better security.
4. Maintenance:There is no need to manage the underlying data center.

AWS vs. Azure vs. GCP: Detailed Comparison

AWS vs. Azure vs. GCP are various cloud platforms. Such as public, private, and hybrid same as their name suggests. Platforms follow different models, modes, and services to fit user needs. Mega cloud platforms help organizations to build, test, store, back up and recover data. Organizations can stream video and audio, embed AI into operations, and deliver software on demand.

AWS

Amazon Web Services, also known as AWS, was introduced by Amazon.com, Inc. On a global scale, this mega cloud platform provides the dominant services. AWS is a mature public cloud platform that offers a wide range of services. It provides these services to individuals, startups, and government agencies. This publicly accessible cloud platform is designed for businesses and includes features like Amazon S3 cloud storage and elastic computing cloud (EC2). You can take assistance from AWS cloud computing company for more guidance. And it now has over 200 fully functional services to meet the needs of millions of people.

Customers using AWS include:

• FDA
• Netflix
• Coca-Cola
• Formula 1
• Expedia
• Coinbase
• Airbnb
• Intuit
• Coursera
• Lyft

Microsoft Azure

Did you know Azure has the most delivery points and data centers of any cloud service? The second-largest cloud platform is Microsoft Azure. It offers over 200 products and services and rapidly expanding cloud platforms. Azure provides services that are tailored to and focused on Microsoft-related businesses. It makes the transition to a cloud or hybrid environment simple for many businesses. Furthermore, Microsoft Azure has a proven track record of supporting many Fortune 500 companies. It works with OOPs, platforms, and technologies to build and maintain any program.

Customers using Azure include:

• Starbucks
• DAIMLER AG
• Asos
• McKesson Group
• CDC – US
• HSBC
• HP
• Walgreens
• Mitsubishi Electric
• Renault
• 3M

Google Cloud Platform

Now when looking at AWS vs. Azure vs. GCP, we move to the third one. It is a mature and known division of Google Cloud. And, now it has grown to include over 100 services covering big data, networking, computing, and much more. It includes Google Workspace, corporate Android, Chrome OS, etc. GCP is the youngest of the Big 3 cloud service providers from AWS and Azure. Despite all its odds, it provides a robust collection of cloud services. And it runs and supports any application.

Customers using GCP include:

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

AWS vs. Azure vs. Google Cloud

These three cloud platforms are popular and have a worldwide reputation among tech titans. Such as Adobe, Airbnb, Netflix, and so on. However, if you are an expert in this field, you may know some outstanding features. Such as features, pricing, and other considerations.

So, here’s a list to help you decide which cloud platform is best for you, from beginners to geeks.

Features

When we compare AWS vs. Azure vs. GCP, their features are almost identical in some ways. Configurable processing, storage, databases, and networking are some examples. Even the virtual instances are nearly the same, only with distinct names.

AWS, on the other hand, is five years old and far more advanced than the other two. It provides over 200 services, whereas Azure provides up to 100. However, we detected a minor gap that Google Cloud could fill. There are currently over 60 service offerings available.

Do you know what motivates Azure’s strengths? It’s global reach. That’s obvious, right? Aside from that, its tools can assist you in managing cloud infrastructure. Furthermore, Azure facilitates data transfer between your sites without leaving the Azure network. As a result, it reduces latency and costs and enhances security. Google Cloud provides advanced data analytics and development tools. Furthermore, you can use its cloud SDK to interact with Google Cloud APIs.

Availability

Amazon Web Services was the first to offer cloud services. And this clearly defines how they have established their global networks. Furthermore, this contributed to numerous availability zones outperforming their competitors. They provide over 84 availability zones worldwide. It competes with Google Cloud’s 24 availability regions and 73 zones. But here’s a quick tip: if you’re looking for alternatives, Microsoft Azure is readily available. They have over 60 regions available in over 140 countries.

Security

Security has been an outstanding feature of the AWS platforms. It has matured and become future-ready for enterprise applications. It provides its customers with simplicity, scalability, privacy, and security. AWS also provides enhanced security and privacy settings. These three mega-cloud platforms offer exceptional security and privacy. Although Azure outperforms Google Cloud due to its cloud defender feature. Because it is AI-powered, and help detects flaws in cloud configurations.

Improve your security and protect your multi-cloud and hybrid environments from cyber threats. However, many Microsoft Azure development services preconfigure with security. For example, when you launch a virtual machine resource, all the ports are open by default. Contrary to this, Google Cloud is the most secure cloud platform with extensive features. Identity-Aware Proxy (IAP) and encryption are two examples. If you need something more modern, AWS and Azure should suffice.

Computing

In the competition of, AWS vs Azure vs GCP, we come down to computing options. AWS’s primary offering in EC2 instances is customization. Because you can change storage, connect instances, and adjust regions, among other things. However, if you are aware of computing or fear high expenses? Amazon Lightsail allows you to get started quickly! It provides low-cost, dependable virtual private servers as well as serverless computing. Furthermore, the best thing to remember here is that you only pay for the time you use AWS. Another feature that adds value is the variety of instances available, such as on-demand, spot, reserved, and so on.

In contrast, the Azure computing solution works on virtual machines (VMs). With tools like Cloud Services and Resource Manager to help with cloud application deployment.

In Google’s case, its scalable virtualization platform hosts VMs in Google’s data centers. So, the best part is that they start quickly, have plenty of storage space, and are adaptable to customer needs.

Pricing

Whenever you talk about cloud services, pricing comes to mind. Isn’t it? And when talking about some high-end cloud service providers, you need to be mindful. Although, it can be challenging to make a comparison between the three. They have various pricing models, discounts, and price reductions.

• AWS:AWS provides a dependable cost calculator to help make pricing more understandable. However, before making a final decision, double-check the final price. Because it will include various types of taxes and charges. You can take assistance from AWS cloud computing company for more guidance.
• Microsoft Azure:Azure pricing is quite extensive. It also has a billing section on its dashboard. You can also use their cloud-based service pricing calculator.
• Google Cloud:Google has already won millions of users’ hearts. Its user-friendly and appealing pricing takes the cake. It attempts to undercut the prices charged by most cloud service providers to gain business.

Google also provides other incentives to attract customers. So, check out their calculator to see what services they offer. Compute engines, app engines, cloud storage, and so on.

If others are burning a hole in your pocket, you can opt for Google Cloud. AWS, on the other hand, is the best platform for quality.

Storage

AWS provides S3 and on-premises storage through Storage Gateway. You can also optimize your storage prices based on the frequency with which you need to retrieve data. You can use its cloud-based applications, instance recovery, cloud hosting, and other services. Moreover, you can quickly take snapshots of your instances. And move them to another region if you use the Lightsail server.

Azure, on the other hand, offers various storage services such as Azure Blob storage, Azure file storage, etc. It also has features like site recovery, automatic server load balancing, import/export, and Azure Backup.

In contrast, Google Cloud, like Google Drive, employs a specialized, scalable storage system. As a result, it makes no difference whether you’re uploading or downloading a 1GB or 100GB file.

To summarise, Google Cloud is the best option for streaming high-quality media, storing massive amounts of data, and easily expanding storage.

Comprehensive

So, here we go once more. AWS triumphs in terms of usability. But here are a few more reasons why you should use AWS as a beginner! For starters, it has a feature-rich yet simple dashboard. The second feature is its extensive documentation. You can also host a simple instance (EC2) on it using the Instance section.

In contrast to AWS, adding users for access to each account is complicated. Azure manages everything via a single directory. However, Azure is devoid of documentation and recommendations.

However, because of clear instructions, Google Cloud is much easier to use. And a well-organized dashboard with adequate documentation.

Finally, AWS is the most comprehensive of the three cloud platforms.

Comparing the Tech

Amazon, Microsoft, and Google are three behemoths that promote innovation, learning, and advancement. And we will continue to work hard to create a diverse set of development tools.

They provide AI and machine learning, serverless platforms, and networking tools. As a result, their development tools may differ. And here’s a quick breakdown:

AWS Development Tools

Amazon pioneered the digital assistant along with some focus on AI and machine learning. AWS has a vast collection of AI/ML and IoT tools. With the Lex interface that introduced Alexa to the world. You can consult AWS developers from OrangeMantra for more guidance.

It has two serverless tools; Lambda is a serverless computing environment.

Other AI/ML and IoT tools include:

• SageMaker
• Polly
• Translate
• Transcribe
• Machine Learning
• DeepLens
• Deep Learning
• Comprehend
• IoT Core
• IoT Button
• IoT One-Click
• IoT Device Defender

Azure Development Tools

You will notice that Microsoft Azure development has fewer AI-focused services. They are, however, targeted and excel in specific functions.

Azure provides one serverless tool in this case. Its functions enable you to design, manage, and execute complex workflows.

Other AI/ML and IoT tools include:

• Machine Learning
• Azure Bot Service
• IoT Edge
• IoT Hub
• Computer Vision
• Text-to-Speech
• Time Series Insights
• Stream Analytics
• Microsoft Genomics

Google Cloud Development Tools

Google cloud platform is the most popular search engine and has used AI and machine learning. Its cloud text-to-speech and translation algorithms have aided a global audience. If your company wants to use AI and machine learning, GCP may be the best option.

The IoT and serverless platform offerings from Google are somewhat limited. Cloud IoT Core and Cloud Functions are two examples, as is Cloud Run.

Other AI/ML and IoT tools include:

• Cloud Machine Learning Engine
• Cloud Natural Language
• Cloud Speech API
• Cloud Translation API
• Cloud Talent Solution
• Cloud Video Intelligence, and
• Dialogflow

AWS vs Azure vs Google Cloud: Pros and Cons

Here are some pros and cons of each cloud platform.

AWS

Pros: It is pointless to argue that AWS is the dominant player in the cloud computing industry. It also covers roughly a third of the market. As a result, its popularity can be measured by AWS’s 200+ managed services. Furthermore, it provides a broad range of operations and a comprehensive network. With the ability to provide scalability and holistic security to its users. AWS cloud solutions are a mature, enterprise-ready service provider.

Cons: It is pricing, on the other hand, is a deal breaker. While organizations see Azure as a good fit, they are perplexed by the pricing strategy. Many businesses find it challenging to comprehend AWS’s cost structure. And effectively manage those costs while running high-volume workloads on the service.

Microsoft Azure

Pros: With its on-premises services, Microsoft entered the game. Windows Server, Office, SQL Server, Sharepoint, and so on. This strategy also assists Microsoft Azure development in carving out its competitors. As Azure integrates with well-known business applications. Furthermore, Microsoft offers significant discounts to its customers on service contracts.

Cons: Some of its shortcomings include the platform’s maintenance requirements and the high level of expertise. However, the platform’s numerous advantages frequently outweigh its drawbacks. And businesses rely on Azure for their on-cloud needs.

Google Cloud

Pros: Then there’s Google Cloud, which provides stiff competition in the cloud services market. When Google created Kubernetes, it began with containers. Google Cloud platform specializes in high-performance computing services like big data, analytics, and machine learning. It also has significant scaling and load-balancing capabilities.

Cons: Google does not have a traditional relationship with corporate clients. However, it is rapidly expanding its offerings and global data center footprint. Google Cloud will become a more formidable competitor to Amazon and Azure in the future.

Hybrid and Multi-Cloud Options

Many businesses opt for a hybrid of private and public cloud services. A hybrid cloud combines multiple public clouds, existing infrastructure, and a private cloud. As a result, it is a mix of environments where you can run applications. Eventually, it became a popular option for many businesses that have invested in IT infrastructure. Hire a dedicated developer in India for more guidance.

Combining computing, storage, and service environments benefit businesses. There is also explicit coordination between the various platforms.

AWS Hybrid and Multi-Cloud

• Amazon ECS Anywhere
• AWS Snowball
• AWS Snowcone
• AWS Outposts
• AWS Local Zones
• VMware Cloud on AWS
• AWS Wavelength
• Amazon EKS Anywhere
• AWS Snowcone

Azure Hybrid and Multi-Cloud

• Azure Arc
• Azure Backup
• Azure Active Directory
• Azure Security Center
• Azure Blob Storage
• Azure Stack
• Azure Centinel

Google Cloud Hybrid and Multi-Cloud

• Authors
• Traffic Director
• Looker
• Cloud Build
• Operations
• Cloud Run for Anthos

Conclusion

Cloud computing services hold the potential to serve futuristic business operations. As it has benefits to take the organisations to next level. When it comes to choosing the most suitable cloud platform, consulting DevOps engineers is the most proven approach. Because even after understanding the top features of these platforms, you might need deeper insights from experts. Our cloud and DevOps offerings are tailored per the unique needs of your company and services.

FAQs

1. What is the primary function of cloud services?

The goal of cloud computing, whether private or public, is to provide simple, scalable access to computing resources and IT services.

2. What are the major cloud risks?

Data loss is one of the most common cloud security risks.

3. Where should you exercise caution when using cloud services? 

• Unauthorized access
• The vendor’s security risks.
• Legal and compliance risks.
• Risks associated with a lack of control.
• Availability issues.