Which Cloud Platform Should You Choose in 2024?

March 27, 2024

40 18 minutes read

Cloud service providers like Microsoft Azure and AWS have more in common with superheroes than one might think. Cloud storage companies touch the lives of millions; often making the world a better place.

In the battle of AWS vs Azure, Azure and AWS are superheroes in their own rights—but, who is on the top of the cloud?

A superficial glance might lead you to believe that AWS has an unprecedented edge over Azure, but a deeper look will prove the decision isn’t that easy. To determine the best cloud service provider, one needs to take multiple factors into consideration, such as cloud storage pricing, data transfer loss rate, and rates of data availability, among others.

From elementary schools to NASA, clouds have touched every sphere of our lives. Who said superheroes are just found in comic books?

Let us begin with to know the winner of the AWS vs Azure battle.

What is AWS?

All data scientists are assumed to be familiar with Amazon Web Services (AWS). Its original purpose after its 2006 introduction was to manage Amazon’s e-commerce activities. Amazon Web Services (AWS) is a cloud computing platform created and operated by Amazon. Amazon Web Services has a wide range of global cloud-based products for business use. The pay-as-you-go pricing model is used for storage, databases, analytics, networking, mobile, development platforms, and enterprise applications.

What is Azure?

On February 1, 2010, Azure was officially released as Windows Azure. However, by the end of March 2014, it was officially known as Microsoft Azure. Microsoft Azure is a cloud computing service that allows users to create, modify, test, deploy, and maintain applications. It also provides free access for the first 12 months. It makes our work easier by giving us virtual machines, fast ways to process data, tools for analysis and monitoring, and so on. Azure’s pricing is also easy to understand and less expensive. People often say, “Pay as you go,” which means that you only pay for what you use.

AWS vs Azure: The Origins of AWS

In the early 2000s, Amazon was forced to re-examine its development platforms as they catered to their third-party clients. Over the years, they had created a jumbled mess of IT infrastructure where multiple teams worked in silos—often performing the same tasks—with no thought given to efficiency. In an effort to improvise, Amazon’s software team detangled the mess that was their infrastructure and replaced it with well-documented APIs. All was quiet until 2003 when, during a retreat, Amazon executives realized that they had the skills necessary to operate and execute scalable, effective data centers. The rest is history.

AWS is the world’s leading provider of cloud solutions, providing IT infrastructure solutions on an as-needed basis for companies of all sizes. Prominent companies that utilize AWS include Netflix, Expedia, Hulu, Spotify, and Ubisoft. AWS is a complex and highly customizable platform that works best for companies that run non-Windows services.

Difference Between AWS and Azure

Here are some points mentions the difference between AWS vs Azure

Documentation and simplicity of use

The AWS interface is feature-rich and simple to use, and the service comes with extensive, informative documentation. Azure organizes all of your account details and stores them in one place. However, its documentation is more challenging to understand and locate.

Licensing and license mobility

The licenses offered by AWS are more flexible and come with a greater variety of features. Microsoft Azure is more convenient for Windows administrators to set up and offers more SaaS options.

Networking and content delivery

Using AWS virtual private cloud, users may create secure, private networks in the Cloud (VPC). Azure uses a virtual network instead of a VPC. A VPN gateway that enables the communication between different networks.

Logging and monitoring

AWS SageMaker uses Cloud-Watch to record model metrics and data over time. For capturing and tracking data, Azure ML Studio uses ML-Flow.

Open-source development

AWS supports Linux and has connectors for open-source apps, and it is ideal for developers working on open-source software. Microsoft Azure is just now opening its doors to open-source developers.

Processes for deploying applications

AWS has services like Elastic Beanstalk, Batch, Lambda, and container services but only needs some to host apps. Azure has many ways to deploy apps, such as cloud services, container services, functions, batches, and app services.

Cloud market growth

Amazon made $13.5 billion in the first quarter of 2021, much more than the $10.33 billion it made in the first quarter of 2020. Azure’s Q2 2021 revenue rose 50%, surpassing experts’ predictions of 46% but falling short of last year’s 59%.

Why Do We Fall? AWS and Cloud Domination

In the AWS vs Azure battle, AWS had an unprecedented upper hand. AWS was first launched in 2002 and its earliest competitor, Google, didn’t arrive until 2009. Microsoft didn’t step into the cloud market until 2010. Microsoft believed that the cloud infrastructure was just a trend that was soon going to fade away. However, after Amazon’s success, Microsoft had to play catch up.

When Azure first launched, it was not received well and faced many challenges, especially when compared to AWS. AWS had been running for almost 7 years and as a result, they had more capital, more infrastructure, and better and more scalable services than Azure did. More importantly, Amazon could add more servers to its cloud infrastructure and make better use of economies of scale—something that Azure was scrambling to do. This was a setback for Microsoft—not only was Microsoft dethroned as the leader in software infrastructure, but it was now being shown the door by a non-IT newbie.

Mind If I Cut In? Azure’s Redemption

The tide soon changed for Azure. Microsoft quickly revamped its cloud offering and added support to a variety of programming languages and operating systems. They made their systems more scalable and made peace with Linux. Today, Azure is one of the leading cloud providers in the world.

AWS vs Azure: Making the World a Better Place

Both Amazon and AWS technologies have, in their own way, contributed to the welfare of society.

For example, NASA has used the AWS platform to make its huge repository of pictures, videos, and audio files easily discoverable in one centralized location, giving people access to images of galaxies far away.

Similarly, People in Need, a nonprofit organization, uses AWS to scale an early warning system that alerts about 400,000 people in Cambodia when floods threaten. This technology has not only helped save hundreds of lives but has also made available a cost-effective method that can be replicated by other at-risk regions.

The Azure IoT Suite was used to create the Weka Smart Fridge, which keeps vaccinations properly stored. This has helped nonprofit medical agencies ensure that their vaccinations reach people who otherwise don’t have access to these facilities.

Azure is also used to find solutions to the world’s looming freshwater crisis. By working with Microsoft Azure, Nalco Water, the main water operational unit within Ecolab, uses cloud computing and advanced analytics to create solutions to help organizations reuse and recycle water.

Aggressive Expansions – AWS vs Azure: Which is Better?

Azure and AWS are both well-respected members of the cloud domain. They fight for a larger piece of the cloud pie and take the world by storm while doing so. Azure holds about 29.4% of all installed application workloads while AWS stands at 41.5 percent and Google holds just 3 percent of all installed application workloads.

In 2017, AWS’s market share featured at 47.1 percent with Q4 revenue of $3.66 billion, while Azure’s market share didn’t rise above 10 percent with a revenue of $6.9 billion (of course, Microsoft’s revenue figures are higher because their cloud division includes both Azure and Office 365).

However, in its recent Q1 FY 2018 earnings report, Microsoft’s revenue from Azure grew over 90% this year, doubling the growth rate of AWS.

The Game Has Changed – The Cloud is the Future: Are You Ready?

Cloud computing allows companies to get new products on the market faster, increase efficiency, lower operational costs, improve interdepartmental collaboration, reduce capital expenditures, and increase innovation.

Companies that are ill-equipped to handle these changes could run the risk of falling behind.

However, to make the move to the cloud, organizations must have trained professionals on the job who are certified in cloud computing. Certified professionals can easily address the concerns that may arise during the transition to the cloud and are familiar with the nuances of cloud-based computing.

Due to this need for certified professionals, a huge demand for skilled employees has been largely unmet. LinkedIn reports that cloud and distributed computing topped the list of sought-after skills in both 2016 and 2017. Dice reports that job listings for the AWS cloud platform increased by 76 percent between 2015 and 2016. In 2015, 3.9 million jobs were affiliated with cloud computing Bootcamp in the United States and over 18 million worldwide. For qualified professionals, salaries are very high and competitive. According to Forbes, jobs in cloud computing are well compensated with an average salary of $125,591 for AWS certified professionals.

With the onset of cloud computing, several major cloud providers quickly rose to dominance but today, AWS and Azure lead the industry. These two cloud hosting platforms drive much of the job growth in the cloud computing space which leads to a dilemma for job seekers. With both AWS and Azure as dominant players in the market, which cloud certification makes the most sense for your career path? Should you pursue AWS certification or Azure certification? There are benefits and drawbacks to each certification which should be considered before choosing which one to pursue.

The Awakening – AWS vs Azure: The Certification Game

When it comes to the differences between AWS vs Azure, there are plenty. Both come with their own advantages and disadvantages. AWS and Azure are the two top players in the cloud technology space because both are very good at what they provide in different ways. In order to narrow down which platform is the right one to become certified in, an evaluation of the benefits of each certification is warranted.

The Benefits of AWS Certification: Although Azure is rapidly gaining market share, AWS is still by far the largest cloud computing service provider in the world today. AWS certification carries extra weight because of additional marketability due to the number of companies utilizing the platform. In addition, AWS certification grants access to the AWS Certified LinkedIn Community and other AWS certified professionals.

There are several AWS certifications for Developers and professionals to choose from, including AWS SysOps Associate, AWS Developer Associate, gcp certification, and Cloud Architect Certification.

The Benefits of Azure Certification: An Azure certification is backed by the Microsoft brand, giving the added benefit to candidates familiar with the in-house data platforms. Azure is used by over 55 percent of all Fortune 500 companies and gaining Azure certification increases the possibility of candidates finding a job in one of these companies. In addition, about 365,000 new companies adopt Azure every year, regularly increasing the need for Azure-certified professionals. Several Azure certifications are available to choose from, including Cloud Solution Architect, Developing Microsoft Azure Solutions, Architect Microsoft Azure, Implementing Microsoft Azure, and Cloud Architect.

Both AWS and Azure are considered to be adaptable, reliable, and resolute—much like the superheroes, we all admire. They help us solve global problems and make our lives easy. They adapt to the needs of their customers and lend a hand to governments and companies in solving various social and logistical issues. Sure, superheroes have helped their citizens and kept them safe, but cloud service providers like AWS and Azure have helped professionals revolutionize their industries without having to break the bank. Cloud systems have made it possible for companies like Uber, Salesforce, and Facebook to exist—all services we take for granted today.

Comparison of AWS vs. Azure

Pricing – Azure and AWS cater service and pricing based on requirements. However, AWS is rated on an hourly basis and Azure on a minute basis. Azure offers higher flexibility in short-term subscriptions.
Compute and computation services – With so much data being generated these days, there is always a demand for speedier processing methods. Compute services ensure that instances can be spawned in minutes and scaled up instantaneously if necessary. Both AWS and Azure deliver services to meet these requirements.
Development tools – AWS includes two serverless tools, AWS Fargate and Lambda. Azure Function is a serverless platform that, when combined with Azure DevOps pipelines, allows you to streamline and manage complicated workflows. Azure Bot Service, Time Series Insights, IoT Edge, Stream Analytics, and more IoT and AI capabilities are available.
Storage services – Long-lasting and reliable storage services are offered by both AWS and Azure. Moreover, Azure caters to storage services such as Blob Storage, Disk Storage, and Standard Archive, whereas AWS caters to services such as AWS S3, EBS, and Glacier.
Database services – Nowadays, data is created in a variety of formats, therefore the databases that store data must remain updated. AWS and Azure offer different database services to manage both structured and unstructured data. Azure has Azure SQL Server Database, and AWS has Amazon RDS.
Networking services – The Amazon Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) makes it possible to build private networks within the Cloud. Similar to VPC, Microsoft Azure Virtual Network enables you to do all of VPC’s functions. Both clouds offer firewall options as well as options to expand the on-premise data center into the cloud.
Container and Orchestration Support – AWS offers Big Data and analytics solutions that are more advanced. Depending on requirements, it can offer a wide range of services in the areas of IoT, mobile app development, or building a computing environment. They also provide Docker support. Microsoft competes in this space and may go a step further by providing Hadoop support through services such as Azure HDInsight.
Compliance – Amazon has excellent relationships with government agencies, resulting in enhanced government cloud offerings. They also give excellent security features to ensure that individual users have proper access. Microsoft provides over 50 compatible products.
Security Features – AWS caters a brilliant job of selecting secure alternatives and default settings to provide enhanced privacy. Azure relies on Microsoft’s Cloud Defender service for security and data privacy, which is powered by artificial intelligence and safeguards against new and existing threats.
Machine Learning – AWS and Azure both feature machine learning studios for developing machine learning models. Unlike Amazon SageMaker, Azure’s studio does not necessitate a thorough understanding of data engineering, Python coding, and open-source libraries.
Job Opportunities and Salary – AWS experts make an average of 6.3 lakhs per year, whereas Azure professionals earn approximately 6.1 lakhs per year. These being the two most common clouds, there is a plethora of job opportunities for AWS and Azure professionals.
Market Share – Amazon reported revenue of $13.5 billion in the first quarter of 2021, exceeding analyst projections of $13.1 billion. When Amazon reveals AWS revenue, Microsoft discloses Azure growth rate. This resulted in a 50% increase in revenue over the preceding quarter in Q2 of 2021, exceeding the 46% growth projected by analysts.
Establishment – AWS launched public in 2006, offering services such as Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) and Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3). Microsoft Azure, formerly known as Azure, was founded in 2010 to provide businesses with a reliable Cloud Computing platform. Azure was rebranded ‘Microsoft Azure’ in 2014, however, the term ‘Azure’ is still frequently used.
Availability Zones – The supported regions and availability are the first things to consider when choosing a cloud space provider. Amazon Web Services is organized into 22 geographical areas and 14 data centers. Over 114 edge sites and 12 Regional Edge Caches are available. Microsoft Azure is divided into 54 regions, each of which has at least three availability zones and 116 edge locations.

Who Uses Them?

Azure and AWS provide users with similar capabilities, and both cloud systems are extremely comprehensive. The availability of the greater Microsoft ecosystem, including numerous productivity tools, business apps, and, of course, Windows, influences the majority of Azure adopters. AWS, on the other hand, can be less expensive and is frequently the preferred choice for first-time adopters.

Key Differences Between AWS and Azure

Customers of AWS EC2 can configure their VMS or pre-configured images, whereas Azure users must select a virtual hard disc to construct a VM that has been pre-configured by a third party.
AWS provides temporary storage that is assigned when an instance is launched and destroyed when it is terminated. In contrast, Azure provides temporary storage via block storage with page Blobs for VMs and Block Blobs for object storage.
Azure accepts hybrid cloud systems, however, AWS does not accept private or third-party cloud providers.

Advantages and Disadvantages of AWS

Advantages

1. Innovation: AWS’s innovative features can benefit your cloud operations. It also aids in assessing your company’s current status, planning for the future, and solving any issues that may have arisen.

2. Easy to use – AWS is user-friendly. The platform’s design is optimized for user efficiency. AWS Management Console lets you quickly access inbuilt apps and services or add a SAAS app. The system can be used without coding or technical knowledge. Companies hire AWS-certified IT professionals for smooth operations.

3. Cost-effective – Small businesses like AWS because of its affordability. No upfront payment is required. The versatile technology lets users extend space to meet corporate needs. Launching a product is difficult. AWS clients can start with a basic package and upgrade as needed.

Disadvantages

1. Limitations on security: The availability of AWS resources varies by area. The controls for Amazon EC2 and Amazon VPC administer these limits. This is done to prevent users from squandering resources and unnecessary costs. In addition, it serves as a preventative step, making it less likely that those with ill intentions will use its facilities to carry out attacks.

2. Cloud computing issues – Although Cloud Computing has caused a stir in the IT sector, it has its share of issues. Millions of users could experience disruptions in service owing to power outages or network problems. Backup security, data leakage, and user privacy have all been mentioned as points of contention.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Azure

Advantages

1. Improved scalability -With Azure, you can build apps that function smoothly, without interruption, and expand from 10 to ten million clients without further coding. The cloud storage services offered by Azure are robust, secure, and efficient in terms of both performance and cost. Adding more processors to the application and adjusting its settings is without hassle.

2. Business sustainability – Businesses prefer Azure because of its rapid reaction time and short development cycles, encouraging curiosity about the platform’s lesser-known capabilities.

3. Higher availability and redundancy – There are three hallmarks of Azure’s service offerings. Access to its cloud services is simple, safe, and expandable, and it gives all three. As a storage system, it is unparalleled in both speed and efficiency.

4. Hybrid capabilities – Azure offers hybrid capabilities that make it unique. Azure offers seamless mobility and a stable uniform platform across on-premise and public clouds. Azure offers hybrid connections to boost usability and speed, including VPNs, caches, CDNs, and Express-Route.

5. Security and disaster recovery – No other cloud service can compare to Azure regarding data security. Azure SQL databases and virtual machines may be backed up with only a click. Microsoft Azure’s data recovery time is 66% faster than an on-premise IT solution in service interruption or data loss.

Disadvantages

1. Requires management – You’ll still require data management even though you’ll save on IT hardware and upkeep locally. Microsoft Azure doesn’t manage cloud data centers. It means you’ll require ground staff that knows about using Azure, which involves server management and upgrading. It would be best if you learned that talent or found another way.

2. Requires expertise – Business computing power is one of Azure’s main challenges. Moving from being on systems to the Cloud may mean losing processing power. This cloud-based platform may cost several thousand dollars annually to generate the same computing power.

Rise or Fall?

The article has explained, the pros and cons, and the differences between AWS vs Azure. So who’s to say what will come next? In 2015, no one thought Azure could catch up; but they’ve proven the naysayers wrong. The cloud wars are unpredictable and exciting. Who would you count on – AWS or Azure? Will Azure overtake AWS? Will Google Cloud be the underdog that will disrupt the cloud domain? Only time will tell. But one thing is certain – the battle between AWS vs Azure may continue, but the cloud is here to stay.

In the ongoing debate between AWS and Azure, the AWS Solution Architect Certification stands out as an important player in the professional world. While both AWS and Azure provide a diverse set of cloud computing services and capabilities, AWS is frequently praised for its extensive service offerings, robust global infrastructure, and pioneering role in the cloud industry.

A Note from the Illustrator

I love “Raiders of the Lost Ark” like many people out there and so we structured the story based on it. The way the heroes in the comicographic take punches, that’s Indy. The comicographic does not have a definite conclusion and curiosity is maintained with the rat at the end, that’s all Raiders! The film’s soundtrack was the real power-booster for me while I illustrated the comicographic for 2 months, I even dreamt about the music after I was done working on it! It is the finest popcorn movie ever made, the only reason it’s not the greatest blockbuster film ever made is that it wasn’t the 1975 movie with a certain Shark named Bruce dying in the end.

AWS vs Azure

It’s a real thrill paying homage to some of my favorite comic book artists through the comicographic like–Jack Kirby, Alex Ross, Jim Lee, Frank Cho, and many more. – Chetan Ramesh

Become an AWS Wizard with our in-depth Cloud Architect Master’s Program. Enroll now!

FAQs

1. Why is AWS popular than Azure?

Microsoft Azure and AWS both offer comparable services, but both are trying to take the top spot. It is clear from the AWS vs. Azure comparison that AWS is more well-known than Azure, yet the market share and revenue growth figures show that Microsoft Azure entered the market more quickly.

Due to its almost 7-year operating history, AWS has greater resources, infrastructure, and superior, scalable services than Azure. More significantly, while Azure was attempting to catch up, Amazon could expand its cloud infrastructure by adding more servers and utilizing economies of scale more effectively.

2. What is the difference between Azure and AWS?

Azure is regarded as a Platform as a Service (PaaS) as well as an Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) provider. Because of its parent business, Azure is a very potent offering. Microsoft offers an infrastructure support level that is comparable to a few other businesses. On the other hand, AWS has a big toolkit that is expanding exponentially, much like Amazon itself. AWS has more than 10 years of experience in the cloud computing sector, making it the market leader and has been for some time. Platform as a Service (PaaS), Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), and Software as a Service are the three categories under which AWS services fall (Saas).

3. Is Azure the same as AWS?

No, AWS cloud platform was introduced by Amazon in 2006, whereas Azure cloud platform was launched by Microsoft in 2010. Despite having similar use cases and being widely used in the Big Data community, both platforms are owned by different companies.

4. Is Azure easier than AWS?

Both Azure and AWS may be difficult to learn if you don’t know what you’re doing, or they can be quite simple if you’re well instructed. Many IT experts, however, argue that AWS is far easier to learn and obtain certification in. Again, more AWS learning materials (blogs, eBooks, video lessons) are available online.

5. Is AWS better than Azure?

Pay-as-you-go pricing is available from both Azure and AWS. Azure is billed per minute, whereas Amazon Web Services is billed hourly. Azure provides greater flexibility in short-term subscription arrangements. When the two are compared, Azure is more costly. Azure is the finest alternative for a robust Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) provider and even a Windows integration. If a company needs infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) or a wide range of tools, AWS may be the ideal option. It will be determined by the needs of the users.

6. Is AWS bigger than Azure?

Amazon Web Services (AWS), Amazon.com’s cloud computing business, is the world’s largest cloud service provider. The company offers over 200 fully featured services from its data centers, including computing, storage, and database. Azure’s income has increased by 50%, but the figures are not public. AWS now has a 40% market share, whereas Azure has a 30% market share. AWS looks to be the market leader in terms of market share and revenue.

7. How do I choose between AWS and Azure?

Ask yourself the following five questions to find out: What kind of computing power will I require?, How Much Storage Do I Need for My Company’s Infrastructure?, What Kind of Database do I Require?, What Network Capabilities Does My Business Require? And What Am I Able to Afford?

8. Which is high paying, AWS or Azure?

When comparing the incomes of AWS and Azure certified experts, we can observe that AWS certified professionals are more likely to be paid than Azure certified professionals.

9. AWS vs Azure – Which is better for your career?

Amazon Web Services certainly wins the popularity game. Despite having nearly a third of the market, AWS is still ahead by more than 10%. According to market data, more than 41.5% of apps and services are used by Amazon Web Services.

10. What are the advantages of Microsoft Azure?

Microsoft Azure’s notion of speed is altogether different, although they do place a focus on locating data centers across the world to provide consumers the best chance of receiving their data when they need it. One of the primary advantages of adopting Azure is how flexible it is due to its easier scaling. It merely takes a single click to increase service levels, and businesses are free to drop these higher service levels when they no longer want the extra storage, computation, or support. Microsoft Azure has thought of almost everything, including a whole end-to-end array of services.

11. Is Azure easier than AWS?

12. AWS vs. Azure: which certification should you choose?

Finally, the decision is yours. If you want to get certified in the most popular cloud technology today, choose AWS. It has a larger market share than any other cloud service provider and will most likely continue to do so.

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March 27, 2024

40 18 minutes read