Microsoft Azure vs. Amazon Web Services: Cloud Comparison

Amazon Web Services overview

As an IaaS provider, Amazon groups its Amazon Web Services capabilities into the following categories.

• Analytics: Obtain remote processing and distribution of data insights, from operational analytics to visual data presentation.
• Application integration: Integrate systems and manage APIs.
• Blockchain: Use shared ledgers for secure transactions.
• Business applications: Access productivity and communication tools.
• Cloud financial management: Take advantage of functions like forecasting and budgeting.
• Compute: Rent virtual servers boosted by Amazon’s processing power. [Find out how cloud computing can benefit productivity.]
• Contact center: Communicate with customers through Amazon Connect.
• Containers: Run containers of all sizes.
• Database: Enjoy scalable, distributed database builds and maintenance.
• Developer tools: Code, build and test applications.
• End-user computing: Give employees access to the secure, agile programs they need for their roles.
• Front-end web and mobile: Build web and mobile applications.
• Games: Build, run and grow games.
• Internet of things: Connect devices and transfer useful data.
• Machine learning: Discover patterns in end-user data, and build models to create and run predictive applications.
• Management and governance: Manage resources, applications and financial impacts.
• Media services: Create videos and streaming content.
• Migration and transfer: Migrate existing data to Amazon’s cloud.
• Networking and content delivery: Provide co-workers and clients with faster delivery of content and operation of apps. 
• Quantum technologies: Use quantum computers to speed up research and development.
• Robotics: Run simulations and create 3D virtual environments.
• Satellite: Control satellites with ground station as a service.
• Serverless: Compute, integrate and store data without the need for servers.
• Security, identity and compliance: Rest easy with protection from unauthorized access and cybersecurity threats on data and workloads held on AWS servers.
• Storage: Get secure data and file storage and archiving that can be accessed by your apps to run analysis and reports. Download backed-up data to restore systems in disaster recovery scenarios.

When using Amazon Web Services, you can monitor your infrastructure resource usage through management tools like Amazon CloudWatch, AWS CloudTrail for tracking user activity and API usage, and AWS Config for tracking resource inventory and changes. Additional solutions offered by AWS include e-commerce.

Microsoft Azure overview

For IaaS, Microsoft Azure provides the following service categories. You’ll notice many similarities to AWS – and some differences.

• AI and machine learning: Create decision-making, language, speech and vision AI models with API calls. Use in conjunction with tools and open-source frameworks to create model learning models.
• Analytics: Get insights on data of any size and review real-time information.
• Compute: Rent virtual servers to benefit from Microsoft’s powerful processing.
• Containers. Run applications in multiple environments without the need for virtual machines.
• Databases: Use enterprise-grade databases with automated management. 
• Developer tools: Take advantage of science, engineering and technology tools.
• DevOps: Enjoy a centralized online environment for teams to build, collaborate on and deploy applications.
• Hybrid and multicloud: Access cloud computing features on your business’s computer network.
• Identity: Get user-identity management to protect against threats to infrastructure, apps, data and devices.
• Integration: Integrate processes, data and applications, whether on your computer network or in the cloud.
• Internet of Things (IoT): Add IoT functionality to devices and platforms.
• Management and governance: Control who can do what on Microsoft Azure.
• Media: Create and deliver video content.
• Migration: Utilize these tools to help you migrate functions you currently use on your company network to the cloud.
• Mixed reality: Create immersive experiences by blending digital and physical worlds.
• Mobile: Build and distribute native and cross-platform apps for mobile devices.
• Networking: Connect your cloud services with your computer network and services.
• Security: Receive protection from cyberattacks and other threats.
• Storage: Use cloud-based storage for workloads, apps and data.
• Virtual desktop infrastructure: Get desktop as a service (DaaS) so employees can work securely from anywhere. 
• Web: Build, distribute and scale web apps.

Azure also has a number of services and integrations for in-depth monitoring and alerting on infrastructure performance metrics and logs. Integration with Microsoft products, in general, is very good thanks to the vendor’s historic focus on its enterprise customers. Active Directory integrates particularly well, so much so that you can use the same Active Directory accounts you have now to sign in to Azure cloud offerings like Office 365 or your Azure SQL instances. Visual Studio and TFS integration is also first-class.

License mobility

If you want to run application servers like SQL or BizTalk on AWS or Azure, Microsoft offers license mobility for both cloud platforms. Before signing up with either one, inquire whether your servers are eligible for license mobility. 

If you have an on-premises Windows server with SQL Server and you run the same stack in the cloud, you will pay for two Windows server licenses, as that license is charged by usage and it is not eligible for mobility. Your SQL Server license, however, is eligible, and you can use the license you already paid for to run your SQL Server instance in the cloud.

Hybrid cloud options

Most businesses want some things running via the cloud and other operations conducted through servers in their own data centers that are fully under their own control. Fortunately, AWS and Azure provide strong support for companies that want to operate a hybrid cloud. With a hybrid cloud, you can use the public cloud to run applications and deploy infrastructure assets and applications while still using your on-premises computing resources. You can seamlessly transition between the two when appropriate.

Microsoft initially led the hybrid cloud market with platforms like Azure StorSimple, Hybrid SQL Server and Azure Stack. In recent years, Amazon has caught up, offering 21 hybrid cloud services for AWS in comparison to Azure’s 15. 

Government in the cloud

Both Amazon and Microsoft have dedicated government areas of their clouds so that strict compliance requirements, like ITAR, DISA, HIPAA, CJIS and FIPS, are met. These areas are cordoned off from all other workloads and are accessible by screened U.S. persons only.

AWS has had the lead over Azure in this department, but the gap is closing between the two providers. Azure has the same necessary certifications as AWS, and some agencies have decided in its favor. For those that have used Microsoft software historically, Azure may be easier to integrate as long as its platform offerings meet your requirements.

Open-source capabilities

For open-source needs, the first cloud infrastructure provider to come to mind would not be Azure. Microsoft’s relationship with the open-source community has never been great, which led to Amazon opening a significant lead over Azure in the open-source cloud hosting space.

Amazon has been Linux-friendly from the start, and the company has never expressed suspicion about open-source software. In addition, developers  were more likely to be comfortable with AWS and its open-source tools integrations because of the vendor’s hospitality.

However, both Amazon and Microsoft are now embracing open source in one of the biggest strategy shifts we’ve seen out of Redmond in a long time. PowerShell and .NET Core are open sourced and taking pull requests on GitHub. SQL Server runs on Linux, and Hyper-V will be running Docker. The trend continues in Azure, where you can now run Red Hat Enterprise Linux and Apache Hadoop clusters.

AWS is still likely the more attractive option, but try not to dismiss Azure until you’ve thoroughly investigated its latest open-source abilities. The gap between the two vendors is closing fast.

Costs

It’s widely agreed that shifting as much work and storage to the cloud from office-based hardware will save businesses money in the medium to long term. However, pricing AWS and Azure services is difficult. For starters, both Amazon and Microsoft allow you to bundle different products to create a custom solution that fits your organization’s needs. As a result, there is no consistent cost to advertise.

Fortuhermore, even though both vendors offer price calculators on their websites, such tools may ultimately be meaningless. That’s because some of the factors that will affect what you actually pay  have as much to do with user behavior (like shutting down virtual machines when not in use) as the actual workloads you want to run. 

Feature for feature

AWS and Azure compete across many categories, although there are often major differences between similar services. Below is a selection of the services offered by both vendors listed by category and service type, according to Google, which offers its own cloud service as well.

Alternatives to AWS and Azure

Azure and AWS aren’t the only cloud storage and infrastructure providers available. Google Cloud is probably the best-known alternative. Depending on the extent of your needs, you may also wish to check out IBM Cloud, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure and the SAP Business Technology Platform. 

If you already use other Oracle products, that may make the vendor more appealing as a cloud provider. For example, our review of Oracle NetSuite accounting software notes how easily it integrates with Oracle’s suite of business solutions, and for some companies, it’s simply more straightforward to have all services with one vendor.

Testing the clouds

Sometimes you don’t know whether a product will work for you until you actually try it. Thankfully, Amazon and Microsoft both allow you to set up free accounts. These are great opportunities to determine which platform is better for your business.

With AWS, your amount of access will vary depending on the feature you want to test – for instance, you can get a two-month trial of one of the machine learning tools. Some functions, however, are free for 12 months, while others are free forever. Similarly with Azure, there are popular services you can have access to for free for a year, while dozens more remain free indefinitely. 

So go out and give these two clouds a try and see which suits your needs better. If AWS isn’t for you, the features of Amazon Business may still be worth exploring. We’re pretty sure Microsoft won’t mind.

Nicole Fallon contributed to the writing and research in this article.