AWS vs. Azure vs. Google Cloud: Which One Is the Best Cloud Computing Platform?

2020 was arguably the year of cloud computing. Of course, this assertion is not because the technology started in 2020, but it is in 2020 that it became a driving force for crucial enterprises, leading to increased adoption.
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AWS vs. Azure vs. Google Cloud: Which One Is the Best Cloud Computing Platform?

2020 was arguably the year of cloud computing. Of course, this assertion is not because the technology started in 2020, but it is in 2020 that it became a driving force for crucial enterprises, leading to increased adoption. You will agree with us that the trend will not stop in 2021, or ever. Businesses will continue to move applications out of on-premise storage centers to more secure, more scalable, and more accessible platforms. The migration also stems from the desire to stay ahead of innovation, boost efficiency, cut costs, and improve business agility. While the need to move your analytic and big data to the cloud is no longer debatable, the real nightmare comes with choosing your ideal cloud platform. The big three industry players include Amazon Web Services(AWS), Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud. Indeed, your choice of platform will depend on your needs and the workloads you intend to run. We review each of them based on their features, strengths, weaknesses, and pricing. Amazon Web Services (AWS) As it stands, AWS is the undisputed industry leader. The platform was the first entrant into the game, giving them the advantage of time, maturity, and experience. And as you would expect, they command unrivaled trust from reputable organizations. Apart from the time advantage that AWS wields, its other exciting strength lies in its functionality. It features an exciting range of over 175 integrations, which gives it an unbeatable breadth and depth. These services entail computing, analytics, mobile, database, storage, developer tools, IoT, security, management tools, enterprise applications, and networking services. Amazon Web Services continues to command a solid lead since it took the cloud vending industry by storm in 2008. Other technology experts and we, credit this to the time and resources that the vendor puts on research and case studies. Notably, it should not surprise you that despite the basic computing, networking, and storage capabilities between the three service providers, there are also glaring tech differences. For AWS, it leverages Relationship Database Service (RDS), Elastic Beanstalk, Elastic Cloud Compute (EC2), Lambda, and Simple Storage Service (S3) to deliver reliable cloud services. Today, AWS’s SageMaker remains an exciting means to simplify machine learning. Amazon Web Services comes with unbeatable advantages, which your company will find utterly enticing. These include consistent research and innovation, tremendous experience, an excellent range of technology, integrations, and reliable support for relational databases. However, look out for the following disadvantages. Firstly, they took too long without an established partner program, a feature that made it difficult for small and medium-sized businesses to identify with them. Again, while the cost is pretty close and in line with Microsoft Azure, costings for some extra services are challenging to understand. Microsoft Azure Released in 2010, Microsoft Azure takes the second spot based on its consistent growth and innovation. It capitalizes on the need to meet the growing client demands for hybrid and multi-cloud services. All its servers and applications have a connection to the cloud. Azure Stack is perfectly established and provides users with the right hardware and software needed to deploy Azure cloud services from any local data center. This feature does not compare to AWS’s Outposts or Google Cloud’s Anthos, making Microsoft Azure your pick for hybrid options. Another feature that Microsoft Azure leverage for growth and success is its elaborate partner program. Of course, this is an area that AWS did not look into in time, and it continues to hurt them. Small and medium enterprises have a partner to rely on for various IT support issues. Another advantage of Azure is that it capitalizes on other popular Microsoft products to tie in clients and deter them from 3rd party products and tools. Apart from Azure’s exciting range of products, nearly everyone is on Microsoft Teams or Microsoft 365 and wants harmony with cloud systems. And with ransomware, phishing, and other forms of cybersecurity on the rise, Azure offers data backup and recovery solutions. Predictions are rife that Azure will continue to record remarkable growth and probably beat AWS since it features continued desire and commitment for expansion. It also puts a significant amount of resources on product development. However, the platform has three cons. The changes are so fast and frequent, making it challenging to keep up to date. You may pay for products that they will not support in the long run. Finally, unlike AWS, which is compatible with nearly every software in the market, some software vendors have no Azure solutions. Google Cloud We wrap up our review with Google Cloud, an up-and-coming platform that now prioritizes cloud services after a false start a couple of years ago. It continues to receive tremendous adoption as many organizations want to learn the secrets behind its success as a search engine giant. Ideally, the company is on a catch-up mission. But Google takes pride in massive resources and services, and it is just a matter of time before they ramp up and streamline their services. At the moment, Google remains a good option for anyone who wants to branch out from the top 2 players. The platform enables users to create viable business solutions using Google-provided web services. Moreover, it features a versatile range of services, including PaaS and IaaS solutions. The multi-layered security components ensure maximum security for anything created, stored, or built on the platform. Prospective clients will likely consider Google Cloud due to its deep expertise in single-source technologies, particularly after its input in developing Kubernetes. Some of the tools that guarantee performance and user-friendliness include Big Query, App Engine, Cloud Storage, Compute Engine, and Container Engine. While the platform has various merits and is immensely promising, one of its glaring demerits is that its partner program is still underdeveloped and may not benefit businesses that need maximum tech support. Also, the fact that they do not have direct contact information is inconvenient as you have to go through electronic messaging for assistance.

Do You Want to Move Your Business to The Cloud?

If you plan to move your business or organization to the cloud, any of the above is a good option. But since every company has unique needs and cloud computing demands and preferences, choose a platform that will align well with your business. A Microsoft shop will most likely consider Azure, while anyone looking for the most established and experienced 3rd party integration will go the AWS way. Google fanatics who are so much into Google services will prefer Google Cloud. But for ultimate reliability and safety, you can go for two or all three. Contact us if you need more help with these.

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Written by Guy Baroan 
By: Guy Baroan