28-Sep-2021
AWS and Azure are two biggies in the world of Cloud computing. Both the firms are major players and are tough contenders for each other. It will be a tough face-off between the two giants. Even as a customer if you have to choose the winner between AWS and Azure then it will be a difficult job. But don’t worry, we are going to ease the AWS vs Azure debate and will try to find a conclusion.
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Cloud computing, as you may know, is a major software revolution. It is client-server architecture at the next level. In this, the server is the cloud service provider and the client is anyone who subscribes to the server’s services.
You can ask why do we need the cloud at all? The answer would be very simple it is the cost. It is the cost to the consumers which is low due to the reason that the client is thin and they don’t have to worry about expensive changes in the software and computer hardware which is a continuous process.
The software and the hardware keep developing for betterment. If you see a computer from the old times you would know what we intend to say. Maybe betterment and growth hold good for every sphere of life, not just computers. But getting a thin client means the client-side hardware and software is cheaper and low-powered and the server-side hardware and software is high powered.
The benefit is that you as a consumer do not have to spend much on hardware and software changes. And you still can get the benefits from the cloud for your computing and storage and other requirements.
Cloud companies take the brunt of updating the high-powered computing from time to time in return for a small price paid to them by a large number of users which should suffice for updating.
So let us just dive into and see which is better AWS or Azure?
Azure is a Microsoft service and provides a handsome package to its employees. AWS on the other hand is well known to be the best in the business as far as salary packages go. Besides that AWS has been in the business of cloud computing for more time than Azure and the technology is way better. As a result of which AWS provides better opportunities for employees. Also, AWS has a bigger user base than Azure and is much more popular. Therefore, it is better to join AWS certification as compared to Azure.
Both Azure and AWS are good. However, Azure is gaining ground in popularity against AWS particularly with the larger enterprises.
The services provided by both AWS and Azure are similar. However, some services are better for a particular service and some others for a different set of services.
For example, AWS is a better option if you are interested in PaaS (Platform as a Service) whereas you can go for Azure if you are looking for IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service). For tools, AWS again may be the correct option to go for.
AWS is way bigger than Azure. In terms of total spending towards cloud services, AWS has a maximum share of about 31% (source: ZDNet). In terms of revenue as well, it grew 28% in the Q4 of 2020.
If you see the market share of AWS then you will notice that it is better than that of Azure and GCP combined.
AWS also has more services as compared to Azure due to its size. They naturally have the largest data centers around the world as compared to Azure.
The answer to that question is yes. Azure is relatively easier than AWS. That is because AWS is much larger and is considered to be one of the most difficult in the entire business.
That is what makes AWS attractive to many developers and architects because of the challenges that it throws across to them. Also, the security and reliability of the software and the hardware are highly robust in AWS.
Here as well AWS has a clear edge over Azure in terms of job opportunities as AWS is way bigger than Azure and a few other companies collectively. And if the company is big then the opportunities are also galore.
AWS provides better salary increments as well. And the growth graph is a steeply growing curve in AWS. The AWS cloud platform also has many certification courses which can leverage you in the cloud platform and help you quickly grow as a solutions architect, or as a developer, etc.
The question of Who pays better AWS or Azure also goes in the favor of AWS. As per Payscale, you can earn up to 25 lakhs per annum as a solutions architect in AWS however, at Azure, again, a solutions architect earns about 20 lakhs per annum.
AWS |
Salay p.a. |
Azure p.a. |
Salary p.a. |
Software development Engineer II |
$147,657/- |
Software Engineer |
$120,000/- |
Senior Product Manager |
$149,126/- |
Program Manager |
$122,722/- |
Area Manager |
$54,500/- |
Director |
$195,049/- |
(source: Glassdoor)
The difference between Azure and AWS pricing is not much big. The pricing is neck to neck with the two service providers. AWS may lead by an edge at some places, but more or less the pricing is similar.
It is always cost-effective to go for either of them. However, the design philosophies are quite different from what they use. So, if you are looking for the best option then probably you should decide on the design and usage parts and not on pricing that much.
AWS is definitely in more demand. The reasons are that they have been in the business for a long long time and they are pioneers in this field. They have good solutions for consumers and they are liked by people as well.
Other players are just trying to level up the game. AWS was the first with their IaaS way back in 2006 to enter the cloud computing era.
However, market share is not the most important thing to consider it is the technology and innovation that count, and both the players, i.e. AWS as well as Azure are giving a tough fight to each other in the same game.
Azure is not more popular than AWS for general consumers, however, Azure is more popular among large enterprises.
AWS does lead in terms of revenue and market share, but as per a survey of Goldman Sachs, it was revealed that Microsoft Azure is more popular among large enterprises than AWS.
Yes, Azure is gaining on AWS fast. Azure, as well as AWS, are seeing year-over-year growth in their revenue. The growth rate of AWS increased from 28% to 32% but the growth rate of Microsoft Azure remained constant at 50% in the last quarter.
When we compare AWS with Azure we will see that Azure has had a higher growth rate in the past few years. Azure’s pricing and technology are fast gaining ground on AWS.
Another thing about growth is that although Azure is growing faster, the revenue of Azure is not gaining that much as compared to AWS.
All things said about Azure is well enough, however, in the current scenario AWS is still the market leader.
If you were to choose between the two then probably market share and revenue etc. are not the decisive factors. You need to look into the various pricing that is available for each of the services that you require and then choose the cloud which suits you most.
For example, if you need IaaS or PaaS or any other service then you need to check the pricing compare it, and then make a decision regarding which cloud to choose.
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