AWS vs Azure vs GCP: Comparison of Cloud Managed Services & Platforms

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Businesses are migrating to cloud platforms to become more agile, cost-effective, and imaginative in their processes. According to the report of MarketsandMarkets, in 2025, the cloud technology services industry will be worth $832.1 billion. In fact, it is no longer an option to decide whether cloud computing should be done or not., Cloud computing includes providing on-demand computing services like processing power with the internet and application storage. There are several big cloud platforms, from Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud Platform (GCP), and Azure. So these platforms are locked in a frantic war regarding cloud supremacy. So, what makes cloud managed services distinguishable from each other? And how do you choose which cloud computing platform is perfect for your business?

So if you have to choose one, you must make a detailed comparison of AWS vs Azure vs Google Cloud. In this blog, we'll discuss the top 3 cloud managed services to determine which one's the winner.

Cloud Managed Services: An Overview
Rather than investing in computing equipment, having access to cloud based services is much more beneficial. For instance, the user is only charged for what they are using. The resources depend on a pay-per-use basis. In addition, cloud managed service providers gain an advantage as they get comparable services for innumerable clients.
The benefits of moving to cloud platforms include the following:

  • Flexibility
  • Innovation
  • Loss Avoidance
  • Cost-Cutting
  • Agility
  • Quality Control
  • Sustainability
  • Scalability
  • Reduced Infrastructure Maintenance,
  • Increased Efficiency.

Undoubtedly  cloud platforms have evolved how organizations work and move forward to a new technological era. Several enterprises are choosing cloud environments to avail the benefits of cloud computing platforms. Amazon web services, Google Cloud Platform, and Microsoft Azure are the top 3 dominant cloud platform service providers.

Cloud Managed Services

These top 3 platforms possess the expertise to provide feature-rich cloud services. Nonetheless, before selecting a cloud platform for your business, , you must compare all prominent platforms to understand the differences and capabilities fully.

Now let us see how these cloud managed services models stack over the others.

  1. Amazon Web Services (AWS)
    AWS is the leader of all cloud computing platforms. In fact, it is the most mature platform and offers a broad range of cloud managed services to enterprises, governments, and developers. AWS began with an internal cloud offering. By 2006, it started evolving and became a publicly available platform. It provides Amazon S3 cloud storage as well as elastic compute cloud services. Moreover, AWS provides more than 200 services to fulfil the demands of several users.
    Customers of AWS include:
    - Netflix
    - Coinbase
    - Coca Cola
    - Expedia
    - Food and drug administration

  2. Microsoft Azure
    Azure is the second most renowned cloud platform. This platform has more than 200 services and products. Azure allows developers to build, deploy, and manage applications using various programming languages, tools, and frameworks. It supports many applications, including web and mobile applications, data analytics, and machine learning models.
    Azure offers various pricing and payment options, including pay-as-you-go and subscription-based pricing, and provides various tools to help users manage their costs. It also offers a range of security and compliance features to help protect users' data and applications.
    Azure customers include:
    - Starbucks
    - McKesson Group
    - Asos
    - HP
    - 3M

  3. Google Cloud Platform (GCP)
    This platform is offered by none other than Google itself. It became public in 2010 and delivered more than 100 services, including networking, big data, etc. The services of GCP include google workspace, android, chrome OS, and enterprise. However, it is the smallest compared to the other two cloud platforms. But offers a broad range of services to support all kinds of applications.
    GCP customers include:
    - Unilever

    - Toyota
    - Spotify
    - PayPal
    - Target

AWS, Azure, & GCP: The Key Features

Features Amazon Azure GCP
Age 11 years 5 years 6 years
Pricing Per second (60-second minimum) Per minute basis Per minute basis
Compute Elastic compute cloud (EC2) Create virtual machines and scale sets for virtual machines As a part of GCP, google compute engine performs a similar function
Storage Apportioned transient stockpiling, demolished as the case ends Uses ID drives, and page blobs VM-based volumes are stored in block storage Stockpiling and brief constant circles have to google cloud storage

 

AWS, Azure, & GCP


Pricing Comparison
There are two things common in the three platforms providing cloud-managed services. First is that there is a no-cost tier with limited choices and a per-on-demand pricing structure for each resource. Though the pricing can vary as per the usage of the resource and service type, the comparison of pricing can be tough.
Below we have summarized the free tier features and a basic comparison of the services pricing structure.

  • AWS: The pricing structure of Amazon is quite complex and requires a third-party application to manage it. Nonetheless, AWS offers 12 monthly stints of 750 hours per month of EC2 services and a 75 percent discount for a commitment duration of 1 to 3 years.

  • Azure: The complicated pricing calculation is similar to AWS and requires a third-party cost management application. Plus, it is similar to AWS due to 12 monthly stints of 750 hours per month of machine usage and a 75 percent discount for a commitment duration of 1 to 3 years.

  • GCP: It is obvious that Google is following and adopting the strategy of its competitors to avoid mistakes and implement a straightforward model. Additionally, it has a free micro-instance/ month for one year with a free tier. Plus, $300 credit for one year of service and a discount of 30% for sustained usage.
Cloud Platform AWS Azure GCP
Minimum Instance 2 virtual CPUs, 8 GB RAM: $69/mo 2 virtual CPUs, 8 GB RAM: $70/mo 2 virtual CPUs, 8 GB RAM: $52/mo
Maximum Instance 3.84 TB RAM,128 vCPUs: $3.97/hour. 3.89 TB RAM, 128 vCPUs: $6.79/hour. 3.75 TB RAM, 160 vCPUs: $5.32/hour


AWS Vs Azure Vs GCP: Pros & Cons

AWS

Pros Cons
  • Several services are available

  • Most mature cloud platform

  • Gold standard in cloud security and reliability

  • Higher compute capacity vs other cloud platforms

  • Software vendors make their programs compatible with AWS

  • Enterprise, and Dev support has to be purchased

Azure

Pros Cons
  • Several services are present, including AI, ML, and Analytics services

  • Cheaper than AWS and GCP

  • Support for hybrid cloud strategies

  • Migration and integration for current Microsoft services

  • Less services than AWS

  • Particularly for the enterprise customers

GCP

Pros Cons
  • Global fiber network

  • Great support for containerized workloads

  • Fewer services as compared to AWS and Azure

  • Less support for enterprise

  • Low compute capacity

Summing Up the Big 3!
AWS is a market leader due to its services and capacity. Besides, Microsoft and Google are exponentially growing to beat AWS. Microsoft is close to AWS due to its robust emphasis on the company. In contrast, Google is continuously evolving and innovating the integrations with the 3rd party services and other open-source projects. In the end, of course, it all depends on your usage case. As the market grows, businesses opt for multiple cloud managed services to leverage a cloud service provider's strengths without restraining one provider.
Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform (GCP), all three major cloud platforms, offer a range of cloud computing services. They also offer tools for building, deploying, and managing applications. Below are a few key factors to consider when comparing these platforms:

Cloud Managed Services:
Each platform offers a wide range of cloud managed services, but they may not be available in every region. It's worth comparing each platform's specific services to see which meets your needs. AWS has the most comprehensive and mature services, followed by Azure and GCP.

Pricing:
Pricing for cloud managed services varies based on factors such as the type and volume of resources you use, the length of time you use them, and the region in which they are deployed. All three platforms offer free tiers and pricing calculators to help you estimate the cost of your usage.

Ecosystem:
Each platform has its ecosystem of partners, integrations, and tools that can make it easier to build and manage applications. AWS has the largest and most established ecosystem, followed by Azure and GCP.

Support:
All three platforms offer various levels of support, ranging from free community support to paid premium support. AWS and Azure offer 24/7 support, while GCP provides 24/7 support for its highest-tier customers.

Why Choose Us For Taking Cloud Managed Services?
We are a cloud-native company offering various services. However, we are proficient in implementation, monitoring, governance, storage, computing, management, and virtual networks in Azure and AWS cloud environments. It would be quite helpful if you use the free tiers and have more knowledge of their capabilities and see which suits best for your business. Eventually, your best choice depends on your requirements. Visit Beaconhouse Technology to get top-tier cloud managed services from the top cloud computing platforms. Visit us for more information!