AWS vs. Azure battle in the cloud computing industry has come a long way. The fierce battle of AWS vs. Azure has always been challenging and never-ending for enterprises.
Given the high competition between cloud computing providers, AWS and Azure stand out proudly as the top two cloud service providers that help the business scale in the competitive field.
AWS and Microsoft Azure provide similar features but differ in a few core aspects. Below are the top 6 differences you should know before choosing cloud computing services.
Key Differences Between AWS and Azure
According to the Statista report, Amazon Web Services has a 33% market share, whereas Microsoft Azure has a 22% market share. That indicates the popularity of both cloud solutions among users. Learn what AWS and Azure offer and how they differ here.
AWS And Azure: Availability Zones
AWS was the early player in the cloud domain and has successfully established and expanded its network in the competitive market.
Microsoft Azure also offers its cloud offerings in multiple locations worldwide; however, the number of availability zones differs. For example, Amazon AWS has 66 regions with 12 on the way, whereas Azure has 54 availability zones in 140 worldwide countries.
Winner – The clear winner here is AWS cloud, with more available zones and regions worldwide.
AWS And Azure: Who Uses Them?
As AWS is the oldest player in the cloud computing market, it has a large audience base and more significant community support than Microsoft Azure. Some big companies that use Amazon Web Services cloud services include BMW, Samsung, and Netflix.
On the other hand, Azure has 80% of Fortune 500 companies as its customers. Some major customers of Azure include Polycom, HP, Honeywell, Apple, etc.
Winner – It’s a tie as various high-end customers have adopted AWS and Azure cloud platforms.
AWS And Azure: Compute Services
AWS is, by far, the most evolved and functionally rich computing and database service provider.
The leading cloud computing giant, AWS, offers 200+ services, whereas Azure can provide 100+ services to its customers.
That said, large enterprises requiring some extra advanced services might choose Amazon AWS over Azure.
You can integrate AWS on DevOps to help your in-house team automate mundane tasks and manage complex environments.
Winner – AWS is the clear winner if we discuss the number of services. But Azure stands neck and neck with AWS and wins the first position as it can be easily integrated with open-source and on-premise systems.
AWS And Azure: Cloud Storage Offerings
Storage is one of the most critical defining factors describing cloud deployment’s success. AWS and Azure are equally strong in this aspect, but their offerings differ.
Some AWS services include Amazon’s simple storage service (S3), elastic block store (EBS), and Glacier. On the other hand, Azure storage services provide disk storage, blob storage, and standard archive.
When customers use AWS S3, they gain a secure, scalable, and robust storage solution for structured and unstructured data use cases. Azure files, blogs, tables, disks, and queues are storage options in the Microsoft Azure cloud.
Winner – AWS and Microsoft Azure offers a variety of cloud storage options for the end-users. So, it’s a tie between hybrid cloud systems!
AWS Vs. Azure: Security & Data Privacy
Enterprises are concerned with security and data privacy when selecting private or third-party cloud providers. Amazon AWS performs an excellent job of choosing secure alternatives to enhance the data privacy of networks within the cloud.
Providers like Microsoft Azure use Cloud defender services based on Artificial Intelligence powered solutions that protect your data and business from new and emerging threats. However, it is less secure compared to AWS.
Winner – Hence, in terms of security and data privacy, Azure services may not be 100% secure by default. That said, a cloud platform like AWS wins in this case.
Learn about the difference between AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud in our comparison blog.
AWS Vs. Azure: User-Friendly Platform
When compared to Azure, AWS is an easy-to-use cloud platform for beginners and the first choice of enterprises that move to the cloud. It features a user-friendly and feature-rich dashboard along with extensive documentation for its cloud services.
However, one downside to Amazon AWS is that adding users and accessing rules can be complex. On the other hand, Azure has a friendlier interface. A cloud platform like Azure keeps all the information and user accounts in one location, although the recommendation and documentation system is less search-friendly and intuitive.
Winner – If you’re a first-time cloud adapter, you can use the Amazon virtual private cloud platform. It is beginner-friendly compared to the Azure SQL server database!
AWS Vs. Azure: Which Is Better Cloud Computing Solution?
Azure and AWS are the two major cloud computing platforms that offer similar features to their customers. However, they are different in terms of pricing model and documentation approach.
AWS provides a flexible hourly pricing model, where you are charged for services you use in one hour. Meanwhile, when it comes to hybrid cloud like Azure, the pricing is per minute, making it a little expensive.
If you want to choose a tool for cloud Infrastructure as a service (IaaS) or high availability of services/tools, choose AWS. But if you want a good platform as a service (PaaS) and easy integration, consider choosing Azure virtual solution with flexible pricing models.
We hope our comparison between Azure and AWS guide will help you understand the differences between AWS vs. Azure and make an informed decision. However, if you are still apprehensive about it, contact Inferenz experts, and we will help you choose between AWS vs. Azure and move data from the on-premise data center into the cloud.
FAQs About AWS Vs. Azure
- Is Azure as good as AWS?
Both cloud providers, like AWS and Azure, offer a variety of features and services that make them two leading platforms. However, you should consider your specific needs before making your final choice between AWS or Azure.
- Is Azure easier than AWS?
On the surface, it might look like a yes, but service providers like AWS are more user-friendly than Azure.
- Which cloud has the highest demand?
AWS, compared to Azure, holds the largest market share in the cloud market and consists of different computing products and services, including IoT, databases, analytics, storage, mobile, networking, etc.