Which is better – Azure or AWS? - IT Emerging Technologies

Cloud computing has been around for a long time now, and every year there are countless innovations and developments in the field. 2020 has been no exception either. This year, cloud adoption has been on a steady rise, fueled in part by the demand generated from remote working requirements in organizations. Cloud computing has helped bridge the geographical gaps between teams spread across the globe and has proved to be extremely useful.

Many players offering a host of cloud computing services, however, there are three most popular ones. These are –

Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Microsoft Azure
Google Cloud Platform (GCP)

Of these, AWS has had the first-mover advantage in the market and has been holding the highest market share among all cloud platforms. Microsoft Azure comes a close second in market share. Azure vs. AWS is a popular debate and comparisons galore. However, both AWS and Azure have their unique features, benefits, and limitations, and based on what one requires, they can choose what would best fit their requirements.

Here’s a quick comparison across key points between these two platforms:

	AWS	Azure
Compute Power	Users can configure their own VMs or choose pre-configured machine images or customize MIs	Users choose Virtual Hard Disk (VHD) equivalent to a machine instance to create a VM, while a VHD can be pre-configured by Microsoft, a third-party, or a user
Storage	Has temporary storage for instances, which is then destroyed once the instance is terminated There is also a provision for block storage that can be separate or attached to instances Fully supports relational and NoSQL databases, as well as Big Data	Offers temporary storage through the D drive Offers block storage through Page Blobs for VMs Supports relational databases, NoSQL, and Big Data through Azure Table and HDInsight Also offers site recovery, Import-Export, and Azure backup for additional archiving and recovery
Networks	Offers a Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) enabling users to create isolated networks, subnets, route tables, private IP address ranges, and network gateways within the cloud	Offers Virtual Network (VNET) enabling users to create isolated networks, subnets, route tables, private IP addresses, and network gateways within the cloud
Pricing Models	Pay-as-you-go model that charges per hour Instances are priced based on three models from which user can choose their preferred one: · On-demand · Reserved · Spot	Pay-as-you-go model that charges per minute Offers short-term commitments with an option to choose between a prepaid or a monthly charge model
Support Plans	Pricing based on a sliding scale tied to the monthly usage	Pricing on a flat-rate basis
Integration and Open-Source	Has a great relationship with the open-source community Lots of open-source integrations available including Jenkins and GitHub Very friendly to Linux servers	Offers native integration for all Windows development tools Is an excellent option for .Net developers Not very open-source friendly, but is catching up gradually
Containers and Orchestration Support	Has more mature analytics offerings Offers machine learning tools Offers features targeted at IoT Offers support for Docker Allows users to build apps or high-performance computing environments according to their requirements	Offers excellent Hadoop support Provides integration with Docker Can run on both Windows and Linux containers
Compliance	Compliance offerings include certifications like ITAR, DISA, HIPAA, CJIS, FIPS, etc. Offers great security measures for access management, and makes a great fit for enterprises that handle sensitive information	Claims to have more than 50 compliant offerings including ITAR, DISA, HIPAA, CJIS, and FIPS. Has comparable security offerings to AWS for access management
User-friendliness	Offers a wider range of features and configurations Offers power, flexibility, and room for customization Offers support for multiple third-party integrations	Is easier to use out-of-the-box for Windows admin Easy to integrate with on-premise Windows servers to create hybrid environments Works very well for tools like SQL database and Active Directory
Licensing	Users can purchase new licenses or bring their previously purchased licenses	Offers license mobility for qualifying application servers
Hybrid Cloud Capabilities	Offers tools for moving workloads between its cloud and client’s data centers Has a partnership with VMware Hybrid cloud support is a work-in-progress	Offers strong support for hybrid cloud services Offers tools like Azure StorSimple, Hybrid SQL Server, and Azure Stack
Training and Certification	Offers official AWS training and certification programs across a host of roles and skills	Offers official Microsoft AZ104 training and certification programs across various roles

In a nutshell, both AWS and Azure have many similarities and some differences, and your final choice would depend solely on your business requirements and what is the best fit for you. And if you are planning to train and learn new skills, both AWS and Microsoft Azure offer cutting edge training and certifications spread across different roles and skills. Depending on how you want to shape your career, and what roles you find your interests and aptitude in, you can choose the AWS Cloud Computing Certification and Microsoft certification that you would like to pursue. Both the certifications hold very high value in the global market and would make very impressive entries to your resume. Overall, cloud computing certifications are seeing very high demand, and irrespective of which platform you choose a cloud training and certification would improve your job prospects and earning prospects significantly.