Cloud Technology – Google, AWS and Azure

Estimated reading time: 12 minutes

The reason many businesses are turning to cloud technology is that it allows you to access information anywhere you want with any compatible device. Otherwise, your information will be stored on your computer or a server and more difficult to get at versus when it’s stored on the Internet. It’s especially critical in the current environment and when people and teams are working all over the place.

Your business likely faces many challenges on any given day and one of these is accessing information and data and finding ways to work more efficiently and seamlessly. If you’re not doing your research when it comes to using the cloud and assuming the old way will work then you’re likely missing out and may begin to fall behind your competitors as time goes on. Instead, it’s best to be proactive and get ahead of it and figure out which cloud technology service provider will be the best choice for your business and help you succeed.

The tricky part is that there are several options when it comes to cloud technology solutions. For the most part, you’re going to want to focus on the three main or top cloud services providers such as Google, Amazon Web Services (AWS), and Microsoft Azure. Continue reading to get a better idea of why you might want to choose one over the other and the benefits of each to consider. You’ll have a much better idea of which platform might be right and all the reasons why once you’re done reviewing the following information and details. Remember that you’re not only making the switch to improve the way you work currently but to set you and your business up for a bright future ahead.

Cloud Technology for Your Business

Cloud technology may be a newer concept to you and you might not realize all it has to offer your business. Instead of storing data on a hard drive, you can store and access programs over the Internet using cloud technology. Many businesses are finding this an attractive and suitable option in the workplace. It offers companies faster innovation, the ability to scale, and flexible resources, to name a few benefits. It’s one of the best and most ideal ways to improve overall team performance as well. Your business may want to think about moving to the cloud to increase productivity and efficiency and save your business time and money. It’s going to help you eliminate such tasks as data re-entry, for example. You’ll save money on equipment, get your applications to market quicker, and have greater data security too. 

If you’re not working in the cloud then you risk falling short in many areas and your competitors taking advantage of your weak spots. When you use cloud computing you have better communication and teamwork which means improved and faster results. You will be able to easily scale your business and ideas all while enjoying the benefits of stronger security and automatic updates. You’ll also like the fact that you’ll have easier mobility. It’s especially important in this day and age where employees and companies are working from various locations. Your employees will be able to access the files and data they need no matter where they are in the world. You also won’t need to worry so much about downtime because you’ll have reliable continuity with cloud technology. Downtime can be frustrating and costly and it’s an issue you want to avoid if at all possible. With cloud computing, all you need to access your data is an Internet connection. Learn more about some of the top cloud technology solutions and what each has to offer so you can determine what’s best for you and your business. 

Growth and Popularity

Before diving into the details, we have decided to show some metrics on growth. So we looked at Google Trends and compared Google Cloud, AWS and Microsoft Azure. As you can see from the charts below, AWS has been a clear winner in search activity. Microsoft Azure is closely nipping at the heels and shows a similar upward trend. Google Cloud, however, has struggled in comparison with a relatively flat and much-reduced search profile.

Of course, this does not mean that one provider is more valuable than the other. The acid test is very much what each provider can offer your business. Naturally, some of the decision-making will come down to cost. However, cost means nothing unless the features help your business.

Google Cloud (GCP)

The Google Cloud Platform is a suite of public cloud computing services that Google currently offers. A few of the advantages of using it are that you can get it at an affordable price compared to the other competitors, their dedication to continued expansion, and improved performance is guaranteed. Not to mention, Google cloud technology also has state-of-the-art security which makes it a very enticing choice. It’s not only affordable but easy-to-use and is rich in functionality. Adopting the Google cloud services will give your business access to some exclusive services such as Live Migration in the Google cloud, which isn’t currently available in Azure or AWS.

It has several core cloud computing products you may be interested in or want to know more about. You can use it for hosting and computing, it offers a unified object storage service, focuses on big data and machine learning, and contains the Google Cloud Virtual Network. You can also ensure productivity by using its services to build and develop your apps. It’s a very user-friendly option as it uses a simple file system and the backend is also kept simple. Furthermore, the security that’s in place is very strong and it lets administrators authorize who can take action on specific resources, along with built-in auditing.

Google cloud technology provides reliable and highly scalable Google cloud computing services to its users. It’s a very popular choice among small to medium-sized businesses. Lately, even the larger enterprises are seeing the benefits of it and are implementing it as well.

As a business owner, you likely want to know some reasons why you should use the Google Cloud Platform. For starters, employees can work from anywhere and you can all access the information you need on any device. The Google Cloud allows for speedy and effortless collaboration and higher productivity because of quick access to innovation. It also protects your data and you as a customer because Google invests a lot of time, money, and energy into security. There’s a lot of control and flexibility to you as the user and Google’s Economies of Scale allows you as the customer to spend less. You’ll also discover you have more uptime and that it’s a reliable platform to work from.

The biggest competitor of the GCP is AWS. They each have their own set of pros and cons that are worth diving deeper into and that you should compare. Google is a clear winner when it comes to cost but AWS provides managed virtual tape infrastructure for a hybrid environment, while GCP relies on partners for hybrid support. AWS specializes in the public cloud market by providing a range of cloud-based services and products and while Google provides high compute offerings like Big Data, it is comparatively new to the cloud environment. Keep in mind that they both have benefits but you should pick one based on your business needs. Google offers deep discounts and flexible contracts but also has fewer features and services.

Amazon Web Services (AWS)

AWS was launched in 2004 and its compute services are the Elastic Compute Cloud. What this means is that this cloud server can run whenever the user wants.  It provides a range of cloud-based services and products that many businesses find attractive. Keep in mind that many say it’s an expensive option for your storage and computing needs, but that doesn’t mean you should count it out. For instance, there are some volume-based discounts that will help benefit your business in the long run.

Overall, it’s known to be a scalable, reliable, and secure global computing infrastructure. The good part is that it’s easy to use and flexible as AWS enables you to select the operating system, programming language, web application platform, database, and other services you require. It’s also very reliable and secure and offers scalability and high-performance.

There are additional advantages you should know about and consider as you try to choose the best option for your business. For instance, it’s comprehensive in that due to the training and education they offer, moving from on-location stockpiling to the cloud is fairly easy to do. They’re considered a global leader in the space and their product allows you to improve productivity and speed up innovation.

Businesses big and small trust it because of its features and reputation. You may want to move forward with AWS Cloud if you’re ready to increase your competitive edge, drive business value, and modernize your infrastructure. Some of the services you’ll get with it include servers, storage, networking, remote computing, email, mobile, development, and security. You may feel more comfortable moving to it knowing that Amazon controls more than a third of the cloud market, almost twice its next closest competitor. So you can say they have a lot of experience in the area. It’s a well-known and established product-market fit that hundreds of thousands of businesses rely on. AWS is also the world’s most adopted cloud platform. It offers a pay-as-you-go model with faster innovation and more agility.

A few benefits to be aware of is that it offers enhanced security by conducting frequent audits to ensure its infrastructure remains secure and privacy remains intact. Next, AWS is a flexible solution and the services are platform-agnostic to operating systems and languages. Due to its huge global cloud infrastructure, you can innovate, experiment, and iterate quickly which allows for greater elasticity and scalability. You may use it for a variety of computing purposes such as sharing media, hosting a website, social networking, development and testing environments, and application hosting, to name a few.

You may find it’s difficult to use and that it’s not as affordable as Google and Azure. However, it offers great support for large organizations, has a global reach, and extensive, mature offerings and training. AWS not only has a notable recovery system in place but one of its biggest advantages is location. It’s available in 44 different zones in 16 geographical locations so access to it isn’t an issue. Its massive infrastructure allows for accessing computing resources as and when you need them. Many would agree that the AWS cloud business is the future and that it’s a great choice when it comes to cloud technology platforms.

Microsoft Azure

A third and final option to consider and add to your list of cloud services providers is Microsoft Azure. It’s second in market share, offers a broad feature set, and integrates well with Microsoft tools and software. If your business already uses the other Microsoft products then you’ll find this integration to be highly attractive. Two of the downsides or disadvantages are known issues with documentation and it has incomplete management tooling. However, there are some top business benefits to keep in mind including cost-effective subscription models, enterprise-level development tools, and world-class cybersecurity. Furthermore, it has advanced compliance features, there’s no on-site hardware required, and has on-demand scalability.

Overall, this cloud platform has more than 200 products and cloud services that will bring new solutions to your business and help you solve today’s challenges. One element that makes it a special platform is its unique storage capabilities. Azure has more data centers and delivery points than most other cloud services out there. You’ll have an optimal user experience because the platform can deliver content faster. In addition, on Azure, you can store any type of data in a reliable and fast environment and then share it across virtual machines. One reason you might also choose it is that it’s easy to create and globally deploy applications that are compatible on all popular web and portable platforms using Azure.

If you’re looking to explore new revenue streams and test and launch applications quickly then this cloud technology may be for you. While AWS has the longest-running storage services and is much bigger than Azure, Azure’s storage capabilities are extremely reliable too. You can meet your organizational goals by using the range of cloud services this platform offers including compute, analytics, storage, and networking. It’s very popular among businesses that use it because of its flexibility and scalability. You can easily and quickly scale up by choosing the number of processors for the applications to use. There’s an easy learning curve to using the platform and it’s also quite cost-efficient. You’ll also sleep soundly at night knowing it contains multi layered security. This particular cloud technology promises some of the best security and protection available for all your data that’s in the cloud.

There are three common ways Microsoft Azure will help your business, including:

• Platform as a service (PaaS), including development and testing of applications
• Software as a service (SaaS), therefore accessing software applications like Salesforce CRM, and Microsoft Office 365, through the web
• Infrastructure as a service (IaaS), which is where data is processed on a virtual machine

It’s a chance to be more productive and work on growing your business. Use the analytics features to dig deeper into your data and what it all means so you can make better business decisions. You can optimize your costs by taking advantage of special subscription offers too. The top five benefits of choosing Azure over the others are that there’s a fast service speed, it has enhanced flexibility, disaster recovery, enhanced security, and an integrated delivery pipeline. In case anything goes wrong, you’ll have a continuity plan and backups available to you when choosing Azure. Businesses using it already have found it to be an easy migration process. However, the reality is that you do have choices when it comes to cloud technology and solutions. When comparing it to AWS, most features are more affordable. Also, Azure has and continues to dominate the market for enterprise-level services and servicing for mega-corporations and some of the biggest global brands out there.

Conclusion

This is not an easy decision or one you should take lightly. It’s wise to not only know what’s available but how much they cost, the key benefits of each, and even to know a few of the disadvantages so you can reduce the chance of any surprises. You should now feel more comfortable making a choice between using and adopting Google Cloud, AWS, or Microsoft Azure for your business. There are many reasons why you might choose one over the other based on this information and your business needs. While there are several benefits that each has to offer, only one will be most suitable for your company and your business goals.

You now not only understand each cloud service provider in greater detail but will be able to make an informed choice about which one is the right option for you. Continue to perform more research and weigh your options until you feel confident that you’re selecting the one that will be most suitable and a good fit so you have no regrets. It’s a big decision that can make an impact on your company and how you operate and how quickly you get ahead. These details and a deeper look at what each has to offer should lead you down the right path to deciding on the cloud platform that will help deliver the most notable results at your workplace. There’s no telling how far you’ll go when you invest in your business and a cloud technology platform that will make your life and job easier.