Google Cloud vs AWS vs Azure
The three major cloud providers in the market are Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud. Each of these cloud platforms has its strengths and weaknesses, and businesses must carefully consider their needs before choosing the best one for their operations. In this post we will compare all providers so you know everything you need to know, whether you’re thinking Google Cloud vs AWS, Google Cloud vs Azure or Google Cloud vs AWS vs Azure!
Here is a comparison of the key features and services offered by AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud:
Computing:
All three cloud platforms offer virtual machines (VMs) for computing, but there are differences in the types of VMs and their configurations. AWS provides a wide range of VMs that can be customized for specific workloads. Azure offers a similar range of VMs but has a stronger focus on integration with Microsoft technologies. Google Cloud, on the other hand, offers VMs that are optimized for specific workloads such as machine learning and high-performance computing.
Storage:
All three cloud platforms offer a range of storage options, including object storage, file storage, and block storage. AWS has the largest market share in storage services, with Amazon S3 being the most popular object storage service. Azure provides similar storage options, and its Blob storage service is popular for object storage. Google Cloud’s Cloud Storage service offers features such as automatic data encryption and lifecycle management.
Database:
AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud all provide database services, including both SQL and NoSQL options. AWS offers Amazon RDS for SQL databases and Amazon DynamoDB for NoSQL databases. Azure provides Azure SQL Database and Azure Cosmos DB, while Google Cloud offers Cloud SQL and Cloud Spanner.
Analytics:
All three cloud platforms offer data analytics services, including data warehousing, big data processing, and machine learning. AWS provides Amazon Redshift for data warehousing, Amazon EMR for big data processing, and Amazon SageMaker for machine learning. Azure offers Azure Synapse Analytics for data warehousing, Azure HDInsight for big data processing, and Azure Machine Learning for machine learning. Google Cloud provides BigQuery for data warehousing, Dataflow for big data processing, and AutoML for machine learning.
Security:
All three cloud platforms offer security features such as identity and access management, encryption, and threat detection. AWS provides Amazon GuardDuty for threat detection, AWS Key Management Service for encryption, and AWS Identity and Access Management for identity management. Azure offers Azure Security Center for threat detection, Azure Key Vault for encryption, and Azure Active Directory for identity management. Google Cloud provides Cloud Security Command Center for threat detection, Cloud Key Management Service for encryption, and Cloud Identity for identity management.
Pricing:
The pricing models of AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud differ, with each offering pay-per-use pricing as well as other pricing models for some services. AWS offers a range of pricing options, including pay-per-use and reserved instances. Azure provides similar pricing models, including pay-per-use and reserved instances. Google Cloud offers pay-per-use pricing for most services, but also provides discounts for sustained usage.
Pros and Cons
AWS:
The pros of Amazon Web Service are clear; they have the most services, they are the eldest of the cloud providers, and are considered the gold standard of reliability and security in the cloud, with a greater capacity, and of course all major software vendors have AWS availability.
The cons however are that Dev and Enterprise support MUST be purchased, and with the sheer number of options and services it can be overly complex and overwhelm new users and organisations without cloud expertise. It is also comparatively limited for hybrid-cloud solutions.
Azure:
Microsoft’s venture to the cloud offers many advantages; easy integrations and migrations for Microsoft-based services, and it has MANY services, comparatively cheaper for most services in contrast with AWS & Google Cloud, with great support for hybrid cloud strategies unlike AWS.
The drawbacks however is that there are less services available than AWS, and unfortunately the focus is very clearly towards enterprise-level organisations and customers.
Google Cloud:
Despite being the youngest cloud provider, with Google’s global fibre network and the integration and interconnectivity of google products and services, it’s hard to shy away from the Google Cloud Platform. In particular with the Google Kubernetes Engine and Compute containers the Google Cloud offering has excellent containerised workload support.
The clear concerns with Google Cloud are that enterprise use cases are limited for support, and that, as the most recent to attempt cloud service providing, there are limited services available when you compare with AWS and Azure.
Summing up the Big 3
Despite the market leading capacity and service of AWS, Microsoft and Google are rapidly growing to compete with the cloud powerhouse of Amazon Web Services, with Microsoft particularly closing in, with its strong enterprise focus, however Google’s continued evolution of presence by providing excellence in third-party and open-source project integrations is allowing for market share expansion. In the end it, of course, comes down to preferences and specific use cases. As the market grows, many enterprises are looking for multi-cloud strategies in order to leverage the strengths of each cloud provider, without tying down to a provider and locking down their options.
In particular, if you’re looking to move everything into the cloud, and are not entirely locked into Microsoft services for your general work, then AWS is a solid option for your cloud strategies.
Enterprise customers are most effectively supported on Microsoft Azure as their target audience, and the vast majority of organisations find themselves using windows OS, and the Microsoft office suite making Azure a very tantalising option.
Google Cloud is therefore the best solution for speed and precision, at a smaller volume, with limited support in enterprise use cases and a stronger presence in certain services and interconnectivity with the google portfolio.
In conclusion, AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud offer similar services but differ in their pricing models, integrations with other technologies, and specialized features. Businesses must carefully evaluate their needs and compare the features and pricing of each cloud platform to determine the best fit for their operations.
If you’re looking for a cloud provider, whether that’s migrating from on-premises TO the cloud, or from one Cloud provider to another, Secure IT Consult offers migration services and cloud consultancies to ensure that you’re best-positioned in the cloud to take full advantage of the HUGE range of services on offer. We provide:
- Consultancy services to ensure you’re moving to the correct provider for your unique needs to be met and that you’re taking advantage of the provided tools and services.
- Migration services to take you TO the cloud efficiently and effectively with minimal disruption and downtime, as well as data loss prevention and ensuring business performance is not hindered.
- Optimisation services to ensure you are at your best cost-to-performance ratio, and that you aren’t spending more or less than you need for maximum efficiency.
We additionally offer Cloud Security and wider cybersecurity services you need to ensure you are well protected in the cloud, and there are no network vulnerabilities/exploits that could be used to damage you, your infrastructure, or your organisation.
For more information on the services Secure IT Consult can provide for your Cloud Computing needs, see our cloud services page, or contact us for more information.