What's the Difference Between AWS vs. Azure vs. Google Cloud?

What's the Difference Between AWS vs. Azure vs. Google Cloud?

Amazon Web Services (AWS) dominates infrastructure, including scalable storage, networking, server, mobile development, and cybersecurity solutions. Microsoft Azure, its chief rival, provides some of the most scalable and efficient software solutions. Google Cloud Platform GCP offers high-end big data analytics solutions and allows easy interaction with other vendor products.

Many people in India believe that cloud computing will play an essential role today and in the future. Microsoft India’s president, Anant Maheshwari, noted the critical role cloud computing plays in reimagining and enabling inclusion, business, and governance throughout the country. Experts additionally believe that the country’s adoption of cloud computing services will help position India amongst the leaders on the global stage, necessitating a skilled workforce. 

Indeed, certified cloud computing specialists are in demand, outperforming the disruptive move away from in-house servers and computing capacity toward the flexibility and scalability of cloud-based systems. Explore below how the three can shape your IT career path.

What exactly is cloud computing?

Cloud computing defines the supply of computing services—including servers, storage, databases, networking, software, analytics, and intelligence—via the internet ("the cloud") to provide fast innovation, flexible resources, and economies of scale. Users pay-as-you-go, which helps cut operating expenses, run infrastructure more efficiently, and scale as business needs change.

Benefits of cloud computing

The cloud provides many options for storing, serving, and processing data. Cloud networks enable everything from Netflix and India Premier League to IoT sensors and machine learning applications. The following are some ‌benefits of cloud computing:

Decreased CapEx

Cloud computing replaces upfront capital infrastructure expenses with low variable costs that scale with your organisation. Thanks to the cloud, businesses no longer need to prepare for and purchase servers and other IT equipment weeks or months in advance. Instead, they may whiz up hundreds or thousands of servers in minutes and deliver results faster.

Reduced infrastructure maintenance

Cloud computing removes the need for physical storage and maintenance, allowing IT professionals to focus on more critical business goals. Instead, the resources get pooled to provide service to many consumers simultaneously, providing location independence.

Increased availability

With cloud computing, IT resources are just a click or tap away. This on-demand availability allows you to minimise the time developers can access those resources from weeks to minutes. The reduced cost and time to experiment and innovate lead to a dramatic boost in organisational agility.

Scalability

The capacity to scale elastically is a big plus for cloud computing services. It allows organisations to enjoy greater agility by receiving the needed resources, including bandwidth, storage, and computing power. Additionally, users get IT resources in the cloud language when required and from the right geographic place.

What exactly is AWS?

Amazon Web Services (AWS) offers computer resources and services that may construct applications in minutes at pay-as-you-go prices. For example, you can rent a server on AWS to connect to, configure, protect, and run just like a physical server. The distinction is that the virtual server runs on top of an AWS-managed planet-scale network.

Notable users of Amazon Web Services (AWS)

• Coursera

• Expedia

• SonyLIV

• Zerodha

• Razorpay

• Airtel 

• HDFC Life

• Freshworks

What exactly is Azure?

Microsoft Azure is a public cloud platform that provides infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Software as a Service (SaaS) solutions for analytics, virtual computing, storage, networking, and other services. It can enhance or replace your on-premise servers.

Notable users of Microsoft Azure

• Bosch

• Audi

• ASOS

• HSBC

• Starbucks

• Walgreens

• 3M

• FedEx

• Walmart

• HP

• Mitsubishi Electric

• Renault

What exactly is Google Cloud?

Google Cloud, originally App Engine, is a cloud computing services suite established by Google in 2008. GCP offers enterprises all around the world infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS), platform-as-a-service (PaaS), and software-as-a-service (SaaS). GCP, for example, is primarily a service for developing and maintaining original applications that can get published from its hyper-scale data centres. 

Notable users of Google Cloud Platform (GCP)

• Toyota

• Equifax

• Prudential

• Wipro

• ICICI

• Cleartrip

• Nobroker.com

• Sharechat

AWS vs. Azure vs. Google Cloud: the key differences

AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform are sweeping the new digital world with a storm of technology based on remote servers. Competition remains fierce in the public cloud market, and here is what sets each platform apart [1]:

Establishment

Understanding the history of each platform is the first step in evaluating different cloud service providers. Each service began in another place, influencing how providers focus their offers.

Amazon Web Services

AWS became public in 2006, with services like Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) and Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3). Elastic Block System (EBS) went public in 2009, and Amazon later added services like Amazon CloudFront and Content Delivery Network (CDN). It has an extensive user base and higher levels of trust and reliability as one of the first cloud providers.

Microsoft Azure

Microsoft Azure, known initially as Azure, was established in 2010 to provide enterprises with a capable Cloud Computing platform. In 2014, the company renamed it “Microsoft Azure”, although “Azure” is still widely used. Microsoft Azure has made significant progress compared to its competitors since its debut. 

Google Cloud Platform

Google Cloud Platform launched in 2008, and in less than a decade, it has established a strong foothold in the cloud business. Google Cloud strengthened Google's products, including its hugely popular search engine and its video-sharing platform, YouTube. However, they have now launched enterprise services, allowing anyone to access Google Cloud Platform, which shares the same infrastructure as Google Search or YouTube.

Regions and availability

The supported regions and availability are the first things to consider when selecting a cloud provider. Because of issues such as latency and compliance regulations, especially when dealing 

with data have a direct impact on your cloud performance.

Here is the Big Three as of March 2023:

• Amazon Web Service covers 30 global regions, including two in India (Mumbai and Hyderabad), with 96 availability zones and more than 410 Points of Presence. 

• Microsoft Azure operates in 54 regions, including several in India (Pune, Chennai, Mumbai, and a planned region in Hyderabad), each with at least three availability zones and 116 edge locations.

• Google Cloud Platform comprises 35 cloud regions, including the Delhi National Capital Region, 106 zones, and more than 200 edge locations.

Compute Services

Compute is a term that describes how computers work. Connecting many nodes is simple for a good cloud provider. Here is a look at each platform's computational capabilities individually:

Key cloud tools

The three cloud providers are currently in a state of high competitiveness. All three suppliers offer essential tools and services and are likely to extend them in the future based on current trends and customer wants.

AWS key tools

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning: AWS has released Gluon. This open-source deep-learning library allows developers and non-developers to build neural networks without prior knowledge of AI. DeepLens is an AI-powered camera that may create and implement machine learning algorithms for optical character recognition, image identification, and object recognition.

SageMaker to Serverless: SageMaker is another AWS service used to train and deploy machine learning models. It also includes the Lex conversational interface, enabling Alexa services, Greengrass IoT messaging, and Lambda serverless computing.

Azure key tools

Cognitive Services: Bing Web Search API, Face API, Computer Vision API, and Custom Vision Service are amongst the cognitive services available. Microsoft offers many IoT management and analytics services and functions, as well as a serverless computing solution.

Supporting MSFT Software: Azure includes several solutions that support Microsoft products installed on-premises—Windows Server Backup in Windows Server 2012 R2 and Windows Server 2016 linked to Azure Backup. Visual Studio projects are hosted on Azure by Visual Studio Team Services.

Google Cloud key tools

IoT to Serverless: Google Cloud includes APIs for natural language, speech, translation, and other advanced technologies. It also offers IoT and serverless services. However, these are still beta versions.

Big On AI: Google Cloud is now the frontrunner in AI advancement. TensorFlow, an open-source software library for creating machine learning applications, deserves credit. Many developers love TensorFlow.

Hybrid and multi-cloud options

The optimal cloud option for many enterprises is a public and private cloud combination. A hybrid cloud allows you to combine one or more public clouds with existing infrastructure and a private cloud. It’s a mix of environments where you can run applications, making it a popular option amongst organisations that have already invested much money into IT infrastructure.

An organisation benefits by employing a mix of computing, storage, and services environments (on-premises infrastructure, private cloud services, and a public cloud). You’ll find explicit coordination amongst the various platforms with the hybrid cloud.

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

• Anthos

• Traffic Director

• Looker

• Cloud Build

• Operations

• Cloud Run for Anthos

Pricing

The IT community believes Microsoft Azure has the lowest on-demand cost, while Amazon is somewhere in the centre. All three systems provide all users with competitive price plans and extra cost control features (reserved instances, budgets, and resource optimization). Several factors determine the cost of the cloud platform, including:

• Customer specifications

• Usage

• The services utilised

The following table compares the pricing structures of AWS, Azure, and GCP based on the machine type that each provides: [2]

Pros and Cons:

Amazon Web Services

Pros

• Provides most services, from networking to robots.

• Most mature

• Considered the best for reliability and security

• More computational capacity than Azure and GCP

Cons

• All major software providers that make their applications available on AWS Dev/Enterprise support must be paid.

• The sheer quantity of services and options available can be overwhelming for newbies.

• You have relatively few hybrid cloud alternatives.

Microsoft Azure

Pros

• Integration and migration of current Microsoft services are simple.

• Many options are accessible, including best-in-class AI, machine learning, and analytics services.

• Services are typically less expensive when compared to AWS and GCP.

• You have access to ample support for hybrid cloud strategies.

Cons

• Fewer service choices compared to AWS

• Specifically designed for business customers

Google Cloud

Pros

• Works well with other Google services and products.

• Excellent containerised workload support

Con

• Limited services compared to AWS and Azure Limited support for enterprise use cases

AWS vs. Google Cloud vs. Azure: which cloud platform should I choose?

Every business has unique demands, and each service provider responds to those needs uniquely. For example, software developers, financial institutions, and e-commerce companies use cloud services differently.

They are subject to distinct regulatory compliance obligations. Cloud service providers may offer similar services as any other business but frequently carve out their niche that works well for prospective buyers. Understanding how AWS, Azure, and GCP fit into your firm's larger cloud strategy goals may give you an advantage.

What are the career prospects for AWS, Azure, AND GCP cloud developers?

Experts predict rapid growth of the global cloud discovery market, which research suggests will expand at a compound annual growth rate of 16.2 percent between 2023 and 2033 [3]. A recession will likely slow but not stop its growth. Programmers and developers are in demand now and in the coming months and years. You'll be much more appealing to current or potential employers if you learn a programming language.

AWS cloud developer

Average of ₹6,10,603 per year [4]

Azure cloud developer

Average of ₹12,87,350 per year [5]

Google cloud developer

Average of ₹21,91,699 per year [6]

Ready to start a career as an AWS, Azure, and GCP cloud developer?

Certified cloud computing specialists are on-demand, outperforming the disruptive move away from in-house servers and computing capacity toward the flexibility and scalability of cloud-based systems. Learning the requisite cloud computing abilities opens up fantastic chances for you in the IT world. 

Get started learning the fundamentals with a course like IBM’s Introduction to Cloud Computing or a Professional Certificate like the AWS Cloud Solutions Architect option—both on Coursera.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)