Preface
People are no strangers to the third wave of cloud computing brought about by the digital revolution. Enterprises need to understand these cloud services and understand whether there are more market opportunities.
Digitalization is being embraced, especially cloud computing technology. Whether because of its scalability, security or ability to reduce costs, cloud computing has exploded in popularity over the past decade. Gone are the days when enterprises were confused about whether to choose a cloud service. Now the confusion is mainly about which cloud service provider to use. AWS, Azure and GCP have now become the three major cloud service providers in the world.
A recent article on AWS Lambda vs Azure Functions is very detailed and well-structured and covers all the aspects that are essential when comparing Lambda vs Azure.
The overall scenario of cloud computing
Industry experts looked at track records over the past five years and found that seemingly every business, regardless of size, has jumped on the cloud computing bandwagon. So one thing is for sure: the impact of cloud computing is here to stay. There was a time when computers were considered a luxury but now they have become a necessity. Exchanging critical data through these devices has become the new norm today.
Cloud computing is the common practice of managing, storing and processing data with the help of an interconnected network of remote servers. Additionally, cloud service technology enables users to operate virtually compared to the traditional way of processing data using on-premises facilities.
According to multiple sources, approximately 69% of enterprises use cloud computing technology in an optimal manner. In fact, many people are already using cloud services without realizing it. For example, Gmail, Google Drive, TurboTax, and even Facebook and Instagram are cloud computing-based applications. Furthermore, some of the benefits that cloud computing brings are reasons why businesses should consider adopting cloud services from reputable cloud service providers.
(1) Cost savings
There was a time when cost was seen as a major factor in cloud computing adoption, with cloud platforms offering widespread cost savings.
Whether you choose AWS or GCP, all the cloud services available today are enough to help you save a lot of money. After all, businesses adopting cloud services no longer need to invest in physical hardware. In addition, enterprises can choose from several reputable cloud service providers, which also means that enterprises do not need trained professionals to maintain the hardware. Everything from purchase to management and maintenance is provided by most cloud service providers.
(2) Enhance security
Businesses cannot afford to ignore security vulnerabilities under any circumstances. Therefore, more and more enterprises are paying attention to security. If businesses can easily access their data remotely, cybercriminals can do the same.
Cloud computing providers can monitor security around the clock. Additionally, it may be safer to keep sensitive information offsite. Just work with a reliable cloud service provider and trust yourself to quickly access all the advanced features associated with it.
(3)Competitive advantage
Flexibility, scalability, and reliability are often considered to be their winning aspects as everything stays organized through effective cloud management. This obviously has to be the case, as it makes cloud services such as GCP, AWS and Azure the most popular, allowing end users to focus more on their work.
Also, think about it from a competitive perspective. If an enterprise adopts cloud services such as AWS, Azure and GCP before its competitors, there is nothing stopping it from staying ahead in the market.
The following continues with a discussion of scalability, data loss prevention, deeper insights and improved collaboration, and a comparison of cloud services.
GCP vs Azure vs AWS
AWS, Azure and GCP are the three main competitors in the global cloud computing industry, or should be said to be the largest cloud service providers. Outside of Asia, the cloud computing market appears to be dominated by GCP, AWS and Azure. Therefore, the focus will be on these three major cloud platforms.
(1)AWS
AWS is one of the industry's leading cloud platforms and is often considered the leader in IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service) and offshoot segments. AWS contains three main components IaaS, PaaS (Platform as a Service) and SaaS (Software as a Service). The AWS cloud platform was launched in 2006 with the goal of providing tools and solutions for seamless development. If your business is looking for cloud services that are flexible, reliable, scalable, easy to use, and cost-effective, then AWS is the way to go.
Some of the important cloud computing applications also include website hosting, application hosting/SaaS hosting, media sharing, mobile and social applications, content delivery and media distribution, storage, backup and disaster recovery, development and testing environments, social networking, etc.
Top companies using the AWS cloud platform include Instagram, Netflix, LinkedIn, Facebook, Pinterest and Dropbox. In conclusion, the AWS platform is so huge in the computing world that it far outstrips other competitors. In fact, the AWS cloud platform is a cash cow for Amazon. Cloud management services have profoundly impacted the tech giant not only from within but also from the outside. Additionally, AWS has made a number of acquisitions:
- AWS has acquired multiple organizations, allowing them to focus on their core activities.
- AWS has acquired TSO Logic, Sqrrl and Cloud Endure.
- Not only does it provide rapid deployment, but it also supports multi-cloud deployment.
- It includes hybrid features that allow users to pay only for what they use, without any upfront investment or long-term commitment.
- It offers high-end security and performance tradeoffs.
(2)Azure
Microsoft Azure is Microsoft's cloud platform that enables users to seamlessly test, build and deploy. Azure was launched in 2008 with the goal of providing a service platform for .NET services, SQL services, and many real-time services. Many people were skeptical about cloud computing technology at the time, but are no longer so. As people's awareness and knowledge of Azure grows, the Azure cloud platform gets bigger and better.
If businesses are looking for the ideal tool to provide instant backup and recovery, Microsoft Azure is the cloud platform to consider. Some of its core aspects include flexibility, advanced site recovery, and built-in integrations. In addition to this, Microsoft Azure includes patch management, autoscaling and integration so on-premises applications can be improved in the shortest possible time.
Have you heard of Azure IoT Hub? This technology helps enterprises monitor and manage billions of devices and gain insights that help them make better business decisions, improve customer experience, reduce complexity, reduce costs, and speed up development .
(3)Google Cloud Platform (GCP)
Last but not least. If your enterprise is looking for an industry-leading hybrid cloud storage provider, GCP is the solution. GCP is a provider of computing resources for developing, deploying, and operating applications on the web.
Now, when enterprises run applications on the GCP cloud platform, all resources will automatically start tracking. Google is known for its services in machine learning, data analysis, computing, storage, and more.
Cloud Services Quick Comparison
(1)Based on market share
AWS Yunping’s global cloud computing market share is approximately 33%, Azure’s is 18%, and Google Cloud accounts for 8% of the overall market share. Azure and GCP's share of the cloud computing market is slowly but steadily growing.
(2)Based on global infrastructure
Second is global presence. Below is a chart of the number of regions launched for each cloud service.
Although the AWS cloud platform has a wider reach and provides services in more countries and regions, it is necessary to understand how the customer base support compares.
(3)Based on target audience
With the largest community support and customer base, AWS profiles stand out. For example, their clients include McDonald’s, Netflix, Samsung, Airbnb, BMW, ESPN, and more. For Azure, their customers include eBay, Apple, Pixer, HP and Honeywell. For GCP, the main customers are HSBC, Snapchat, HTC and Phillips.
in conclusion
Overall, AWS, Azure, and GCP will offer the same range of products and services, so it's a neck-and-neck comparison here. Each cloud platform offers a set of products and services to help enterprises build, deploy and manage containerized environments, and many of them offer similar services and functionality. The choice of an enterprise depends on its own situation, needs and requirements.
Reprinted from: AWS, Azure and GCP: Detailed comparison of cloud services-51CTO.COM