AWS vs. Azure: Which is Best?

Are you looking for the perfect ‘Software as a Service’ (SaaS) for your business? There are many on the market, each with their own pros and cons. Here at ICT Solutions, two of the marketing-leading packages that we offer are Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure. We’re going to take a look at both of them, which should help you determine the best option for your organisation.

What is Software as a Service (SaaS)?

Software as a Service is a distribution model for software. Instead of downloading the software to run locally on your computer, the programme is hosted by a third-party provider and accessed by users over the internet.

AWS vs. Azure

Features and Services

AWS and Microsoft Azure offer largely similar capabilities around flexible storage, commute and networking. Both share the common elements of a public cloud: autoscaling, self-service, security and compliance. 

At present, AWS offer the largest amount of services – there are currently 165 available across storage, database, compute, analytics, management tools, mobile and more. AWS have been around the longest, which means they have had more time to grow and develop. 

Microsoft Azure still has a sizeable offering, with over 100 services available to users. Although they don’t have quite as many as AWS, they have more global regions than any other cloud provider, and offer unmatched artificial intelligence (AI) models which can be custom-built and deployed.

Hybrid Options

A growing trend amongst public cloud providers is the increasing focus on serving a customer’s hybrid and multi-cloud requirements. This is for customers who aren’t quite ready to fully move their businesses onto the cloud, and those who still want some applications on their premises. 

Microsoft Azure is most frequently associated with hybrid deployments, especially with its well-established Azure Stack. This particular software allows you to run Azure services in your own data centre, which suits certain businesses more than others. 

Last year, AWS finally embraced hybrid deployments with its launch of AWS Outposts. It’s a fully-managed hybrid cloud solution that brings the same infrastructure, APIs, services, management tools and operating model (that customers are already familiar with) to any data centre or on-premises facility.

Customers

It’s unlikely that you would choose a cloud provider based solely on it’s customer list, but knowing the kinds of companies that have benefited from the software can be helpful for your organisation.

AWS Customers: Netflix, Channel 4, Lonely Planet, Airbnb, Nike, the Royal Opera House, Dow Jones, the Financial Times and more.

Azure Customers: Pearson, NBC News, Adobe, EasyJet, HP, ASOS, TalkTalk, Harper Collins and others.

ICT Solutions Can Help

We hope this has provided you with an overview of Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure, which we offer to businesses in Liverpool and the rest of the UK. Find out more about ICT Solutions’ range of IT services, and get in touch today.