Cloud computing has been on a rise for the past 16 years since Amazon introduced AWS (Amazon Web Services) in the year 2006. In 2003, Jeff Bezos hosted an executive retreat. The idea for AWS was born. The Amazon leadership identified that its infrastructure services offered them a massive advantage over competitors.
Then and without even fully explaining the advantages, they began to formulate the idea of what AWS could be. They began to think about if there was an additional business that could offer infrastructure services for developers. This is now referred to as cloud computing.
AWS dominated the market for a few years, before competitors such as Microsoft, Google, and IBM responded by offering cloud computing services to enterprise product development.
Ray Ozzie, Microsoft’s chief software architect, announced in the past two years that AWS was in operation and that Microsoft was launching its cloud computing service , dubbed Windows Azure. Ozzie said, "It's both a transformation in our software and a change in our strategy."
The Windows Azure Platform was finally commercially made available in February 2010. Since since then, analysts have been drawing parallels between AWS and Azure. In the face of a fierce rivalry both AWS and Azure have made significant improvements over the years.
Both are leading cloud computing platforms available with many capabilities and features such as data storage, computation, autoscaling, network management, compliance management, instant provisioning and more to aid in the development of enterprise products.
In this post, we've drawn a comparative analysis of Azure and AWS from a technical perspective for business. It is crucial to remember that each service may offer different business benefits depending on your requirements and needs.
Here is a detailed comparison of AWS against. Azure based on five important criteria for enterprise product development:
App Deployment
Azure and AWS offer their customers an efficient and convenient infrastructure for the development of enterprise products which includes cloud hosting, compute power, and running applications in the cloud with various options and services. Along with core capabilities for app deployment, such as simple, flexible development, and administration of mobile and web apps.
However, in AWS you can avail microservices that are deployed through Amazon Elastic Container Service(ECS). It allows developers to develop applications as separate services that use the best technology for each service. AWS permits the development of server-less applications by using Amazon API Gateway, Amazon S3 or AWS Lambda. These computing resources permit users to run efficient applications and enterprise software within AWS cloud environments.
Azure has a wide range of features, including Azure Batch, Azure Kubernetes Service, (AKS), Virtual Machine Scale Sets and more. Azure includes Virtual Machine, a computing resource to configure app instances quickly. AWS does not include the Virtual Machine resource. Azure has a wide range of choices for app deployment, such as containers, batch deployment and more.
In this sense Both AWS and Azure offer a range of services for app deployment that can be used with various frameworks and languages of programming. While there are some differences regarding their capabilities for app deployment, both services have similar capabilities and features.
Data Storage
The storage options for data for AWS and Azure are referred to as Simple Storage Service (S3) and Blob in the respective. Both offer reliable, durable data storage as well as a wide range of options, including REST API, server-side data encryption and disaster recovery. Azure has its in-built backup and single-click support, making it more enterprise-appropriate for data storage. AWS lets you customize the cloud and offers better native operations within its cloud-based ecosystem.
Technical accessibility
Amazon is the leading provider of technical accessibility with its user training and documents and certifications for every service and module. This helps to make AWS more accessible and comprehensive to everyone compared with Azure that requires certain development skills and some Microsoft experience beforehand.
For Azure the Azure platform, additional resources and training is required for enterprise product development. To utilize platforms like Azure Store Simple, Hybrid SQL Server and Azure Stack requires extensive Microsoft-related knowledge and experience. For example, IT admins who are familiar with the environment of Windows already will find Azure particularly simple to deploy and work with.
Security
Both Azure and AWS have made significant investments in security standards to protect their users. They are both responsible for the security of the cloud. However you are accountable for your security. This means that you are in control over your security by applying security measures to safeguard your data, applications systems, networks, etc.
Since its launch, Microsoft Azure has been a leader in enterprise-grade security. It was designed with the highest security and compliance standards. You can verify the security features of Azure by reading Azure security documentation. Find useful resources, such as Azure security patterns and the best practices. According to Microsoft more than 95 percent of Fortune 500 companies are running Azure.
AWS, on the other hand is also committed to providing high security for its customers. It supports security standards and certifications for compliance more than any other offering, including PCI-DSS and HIPAA/HITECH as well as FedRAMP, GDPR, FIPS 140-2 and NIST 800-171. Access all available security standards from AWS can be found on this page. This covers the most fundamental most effective security practices.
Let's look at the security options available by both:
AWS -
Control of Access and Identity: IAM
Key Management: KMS
Network: VPC
Security Check: Trusted Advisor, AWS Inspector
Storage Security: Data Encryption for S3
Monitoring: CloudWatch
Logging: CloudWatch Logs, CloudTrail
Compliance: CloudHSM
Azure -
Control of Access and Identity: Active Directory
Key Management: Key Vault
Network: Virtual Network, ExpressRoute
Security Check: Security Center
Storage Security: Storage Service Encryption (SSE)
Monitoring: Azure Monitor, Application Insights
Logging: Log Analytics, Security Event Logs
Compliance: TrustCenter
Pricing
Prices for both are different according to the business product development services you need. The cost varies from one company to the next. AWS and Azure both offer pay-as you-go solutions that make it more convenient for businesses to avail the services they require. AWS as well as Azure both provide free trial trials. Each service is unique and there is no set price for developing products in companies.
However, you'll still be able to estimate the cost-effectiveness on both platforms. For Azure Here you can estimate the cost of enterprise-level product development using AWS Here. This can give you an idea of how much it costs to use a specific platform for a certain functionality.
Microsoft offers discounts to enterprise partners who have previously used Microsoft products. It is recommended to speak with an expert in order to help you better understand your requirements and select the most suitable platform for your needs.
Which is the best AWS or Azure?
Both AWS and Azure offer valuable cloud computing options for enterprise product development.
A Gartner's report on the Cloud Infrastructure and Platform Services market has revealed that AWS is evaluated at 4.6 stars with 2804 reviews. Microsoft is evaluated at 4.4 stars, with 1678 reviews from users.
AWS is undisputedly the leader in cloud computing and was several years ahead of the other platforms when they launched the cloud computing services. However Microsoft's Azure has garnered the attention of a number of users and is an extremely close competitor to AWS with its innovative and modern features.
Summary
Many people might have their own opinions on the AWS vs. Azure debate, experts and analysts aren't convinced in a definitive solution from the standpoint of enterprise product development. Both are continually evolving to provide the most effective features and best solutions and services. Due to such constant advancements and updates, it's appropriate to analyze the specific requirements for product development. As well as the solutions and services that are offered for both platforms.
Additionally, the product growth strategies of your business should also be considered. If mixing different cloud platforms to different stages is viable or not. It is possible to utilize Azure for testing and development and AWS for production. AWS is utilized for production.
There is no single solution for enterprise product development. It is essential to look at the diverse requirements of your product's strategy and also ensure that you're completely utilizing the cloud computing platform's potential.
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