AWS vs Azure: Which Service Is Best for Your Business

AWS vs Azure, Azure or AWS? When you’re trying to decide which cloud computing services to use for your business this will often be the first question you ask yourself. At A1 Technologies, we’d know – we have been asked this question time and again by our clients. And, as these things usually go, we have to answer, “It depends!” (You might want to check out our previous post on AWS vs Azure for Cloud Migration).

So with that caveat in mind, let’s take a look at these two giants of cloud computing, how they’re covering the market, and where they can take you with their services.

What is AWS?

AWS is Amazon Web Services, Amazon’s umbrella arm for their cloud computing services and platforms. AWS is also the leading cloud service provider with a worldwide market share of 33% as of Q3 2020, according to research by Canalys. While Amazon certainly wasn’t the first company to offer cloud services, they were the first company to start offering a wider range of infrastructure services in a neat package – services that worked easily together, and with an attractive pricing structure. In 2021, they lead the market due to name recognition, maturity in products, large userbase, and a very wide suite of products.

What is Azure?

Similar to AWS, Azure is a cloud services provider, however this brand name belongs to Microsoft. While Microsoft were a little later to market with their offerings, their products and userbase have grown surely and steadily from their start in 2010. They now claim 17% of the market share, according to the same research from above. Microsoft has recently been putting in a lot of effort into bringing together Microsoft 365, their work and productivity tools, and Azure, which has resulted in greater interest and uptake among clients.

Which is better for business: AWS or Azure?

To determine which suite of services (AWS vs Azure) will be better for your business, you’ll need to ask yourself some key questions first. Let’s take a look.

What do I want to achieve with cloud services?

While it’s all well and good to say “I want cloud,” you need to have a business case to put forward that cloud can address. We are not in the business of helping people roll out services they definitely don’t need. So, what would you like cloud to do for you?

• Help with extra processors when you’re doing a lot of data processing
• Replace your on-site servers due to physical space concerns
• Increase reliability by replacing your own VPN
• Reduce the need for manual repairs on hardware
• Transition to a remote-first workplace

There are plenty of other reasons why you might be thinking about trying out cloud services. You might not just have the one use case – you might have many, depending on your current and future business needs.

And that’s another thing to note. It’s not just about what you want to do in the short term, but where you see your business going in the next 5-10 years. By having an idea of where you’re going, it’ll be easier to scope whether AWS vs Azure will be best over time. While it’s possible to swap between cloud providers, migration can often be a little tricky and time-consuming.

Do you already have some cloud services?

Some businesses are already running a couple of cloud services for their business, whether it be with AWS or Azure or another cloud service provider. You may have S3 buckets with AWS, or use Azure Backup, or be using Dropbox for client collaboration. 

Think about the service that you currently have with your cloud service provider. Are you happy? Do you feel like the platform is intuitive? Are you happy with their pricing? (Note: There may be other pricing options with your provider if you’re unhappy with current costs)

If you are relatively happy with the service you currently receive, it can save time and effort to stay with the same provider and simply expand the services you use with them.

AWS vs Azure: It’s not always AWS or Azure, sometimes it’s both

While it’s definitely easier to choose all services with just the one cloud provider, it’s not always the best way forward. There are some services that are exclusive to just the one provider. There are some services that businesses find they can get much better savings or efficiency with a different provider.

In fact, in Flexera’s 2021 State of the Cloud report, enterprises reported that they are now using an average of 2.6 public clouds.

While you may not be an enterprise company, you might find that you need there are services with one provider you prefer over your primary provider. That’s perfectly okay and there’s no need to roll over all services to one provider. All you’ll need is the right management in place to use both at once.

A1 Technologies can help you choose

It’s our business to know the best-fit products and providers for your business. We pride ourselves on finding optimal cloud solutions to fit organisations of all sizes business cases. And we won’t try and sell you a cloud solution if we believe there’s a better on-site option that you’ll be happy with.

We’re experienced in both AWS and Azure’s suites of services, so we can find the best-fit for you. While it’s not always one or the other, we make sure that when there is a multi-cloud solution that it’s easy to operate and manage. And if you want someone to manage your cloud infrastructure for you? We can do that too.

Drop us an email or give us a call and we can get started in sorting out your new cloud solution.

Ken Mendiola

Marketing Operations professional with expertise in content marketing, growth strategy, and customer analytics. Writes about emerging technologies, AI, analytics, and marketing. Former contributor to HackerNoon, e27.co, TechinAsia, and TechWireAsia.