AWS vs Azure: What They Are and Which Cloud Platform You Should Use

5 min readSep 28, 2024

Cloud computing revolutionized the way business operations are carried out by making them more flexible, scalable, and cost-effective. Popular cloud service providers include Amazon Web Services, commonly referred to as AWS, and Microsoft Azure. Both have grown into central players in the ecosystem of clouds that not only meet the needs of enterprises and developers but also young startups. However, for those trying to make a choice between these two, one should be able to understand what they are, what they offer, and where they differ.

In this article, we are going to compare AWS versus Azure, review some of the core services, strengths, and considerations, and learn how to determine which service best fits your needs.

What is AWS?

AWS, or else known as Amazon Web Services, is an Amazon subsidiary supplying cloud computing services online. Generally regarded as the most-used cloud platform in the world, it was officially launched in 2006. AWS delivers a really rich set of cloud services-from simple to complex-computing, storage, machine learning, analytics, and even Internet of Things (IoT).

The Key Components of AWS

Computing: Amazon EC2(Elastic Compute Cloud) enables users to run virtual servers in the cloud, while Lambda offers serverless computing.
Storage: Amazon S3(Simple Storage Service) provides infinitely scalable storage for any amount of data.
Database: AWS provides a set of various database services, including Amazon RDS(Relational Database Service) and DynamoDB, a NoSQL database.
Networking: VPC(Virtual Private Cloud), Route 53 for DNS management, and CloudFront for content delivery.
Machine Learning: SageMaker and a variety of AI services that empower developers to build machine learning models.

AWS Pros

Market Leader: AWS holds the crown for leading the cloud market. It possesses the largest ecosystem of services and integrations.
Flexibility: AWS provides a wide array of services that make it fit for both startups and large enterprises since its solution can almost fit any particular use case.
Global Reach: AWS has covered the globe with its data center coverage, featuring the most significant number of regions and availability zones across the world. AWS is organized into 22 geographical areas and 14 data centers and over 114 edge sites and 12 Regional Edge Caches are available.

Disadvantages of AWS:

Steeper Learning Curve: Because of the large amount of services offered by AWS, it is hard for beginners to grasp.

What is Azure?

Azure is a cloud computing platform launched by Microsoft in 2010. Microsoft Azure is a cloud computing service that allows users to create, modify, test, deploy, and maintain applications. It has grown to be one of the big players in the cloud space by leveraging Microsoft’s dominance in enterprise software to extend cloud services with on-premises solutions such as Windows Server, Active Directory, and Microsoft Office.

Key Characteristics of Azure:

Computing: Azure Virtual Machines and Azure Kubernetes Service(AKS) provides powerful compute capabilities to create solid and scalable applications.
Storage: Azure Blob Storage is the counterpart of AWS S3, providing secure and scalable object storage.
Database: For relational and NoSQL databases, Azure offers SQL Database and Cosmos DB respectively.
Networking: For networking capabilities around application management, Azure Virtual Network and Azure Traffic Manager are provided.
AI and Machine Learning: AI-driven tools for developers come in the form of the Azure Cognitive Services and Azure Machine Learning.

Pros of Azure.

Microsoft Integration: If you are already on other Microsoft products such as Windows, Office 365, or Active Directory, then Azure has smooth integration.
Hybrid Cloud Support: Azure is excellent in support for a hybrid set up of clouds, suitable for companies that like to combine on-premise solutions with the cloud.
Enterprise-Focused: Heavy integration of enterprise tools in Azure makes it very attractive to organizations with extended infrastructures that are Windows-based.
Pay-As-You-Go Pricing: Azure has transparent, simple pricing; this is most evident if you are already using Windows.

Cons of Azure

Smaller Ecosystem: Although Azure boasts an impressive list of services, it still cannot compete with the raw number of choices AWS has to offer.
Fewer Data Centers: As much as Azure is gaining ground around the world, it still hasn’t been able to compete with the far-reaching availability zones AWS boasts.
Learning Curve for Non-Microsoft Users: Though ideal to be used in a Microsoft ecosystem, for outsiders, Azure is a little less intuitive.

AWS vs Azure: A Feature Comparison

Source: A Screenshot of the draft of this article.

How to Choose the Right Cloud Platform

Your choice-between AWS or Azure-will depend on one or more factors: your current technology stack, business needs, and budget. Here’s how you choose:

Choose AWS if you need:

The broadest selection of services and the most global infrastructure.
You are developing cloud-native applications from scratch or need high flexibility.
Your team is experienced with the cloud technologies and can manage AWS’s complex configurations.

Choose Azure if:

Your company already uses Microsoft Windows Server, SQL Server, or Office 365.
You require support for a hybrid cloud using on-premise infrastructure along with the cloud.
You need easy pricing and prioritization of enterprise tools.

Conclusion

Both AWS and Azure provide strong, scalable, secure cloud platforms that can fit business needs of any size. While AWS leads the race with its enormous service portfolio and broad geographic infrastructure reach, Azure is simply unbeatable when it comes to hybrid cloud solutions and the type of integration that can be done with Microsoft’s enterprise products.

Ultimately, it comes back to your needs. If your use cases all relate to cloud-native applications with a wide variety of services or are expected to scale across the globe, AWS might be a better choice. Conversely, Azure may suit you best if your organization is already an enterprise deeply invested in Microsoft’s ecosystem or hybrid cloud is your top concern.

References

Written by Precious Ugwu.