It is no news that businesses across the globe are increasingly shifting to public cloud services, and the fact that this trend will only get bigger comes as no surprise either. According to Gartner, the world’s leading research company, global spending on cloud services is expected to reach $482 billion in 2022, indicating a sharp increase from the $313 billion in 2020. The question is, which one of the major cloud service providers will continue to dominate the scene? And which one will be right for your company?
The main factors to consider when making this decision are the goals of your company, its size, the budget available and your predictions for growth, as well as having a good understanding of specific strengths and limitations of each service provider.
Amazon Web Services (AWS), one of the first cloud computing platforms that became widely available, continues to lead the way and is considered to be the fastest growing tech company to have ever existed.
Some of the main advantages of migrating to AWS platform include its wide availability (it currently serves 245 countries), large selection of services (with new ones emerging on a regular basis), its capability to accommodate large enterprises, and the fact that it supports all major operating systems.
Although AWS offers over 100 products that users can test for free, the costs are still considered relatively high, especially if there’s a need for additional services, and its overall cost structure may not be as straightforward. Moreover, Amazon’s focus on public cloud and little development within the private or hybrid cloud areas can be a deciding factor for some businesses.
Microsoft Azure, Amazon’s main competitor, has seen a 34% increase in the demand for their cloud services this year, according to the company’s Q2 2021 financial report. Azure is widely available and is particularly well suited for organizations using Microsoft services. On top of that, Microsoft has the strongest enterprise background and offers hybrid cloud for companies that still run data centers. It continues to release products, services and enhancements based on the research and development conducted over the years.
Azure costs similarly to AWS, and whilst it’s support services are quite expensive, they do offer attractive contract discounts to their users.
Azure’s main limitations come from its lack of data management, existing issues with network management and technical support, and it can be more difficult to grasp than other platforms, whilst the general design is considered less appealing in comparison to competitors.
Google Cloud Platform (GCP), the third big player, has fairly recently emerged as a strong competitor to AWS and Azure. It is the most affordable one out of the three, but it may be less suitable for large enterprises. As a highly developer-focused cloud-based platform, GCP’s expertise lies in high-end computing, artificial intelligence, machine learning, data analytics and storage. It has superior scalability, simple setup, generous discounts and fast response time, as well as emerging hybrid cloud solutions.
Although the platform is quickly making gains in reach and diversity, weaknesses include lack of advanced features, basic storage options and fewer global data centers.
To summarise the above, AWS can be your best choice if you need a big selection of features, whilst Azure may be best suitable if your business primarily relies on Microsoft products; GCP is a definitive winner if sticking to a strict budget is your main criteria.
The 3 tech giants are followed by smaller cloud service providers, such as Alibaba (leading cloud provider in China and the Asia-Pacific region), Oracle and IBM, with new companies emerging regularly and setting their own trends. They tend to be used by the companies that require tailored support or have specific location requirements that the big players cannot meet.
At Savant, we work with thousands of candidates who specialise in the AWS, Azure and GCP domains (architects, engineers, DevOps and developers to name but a few) who could add value to your business if you already have or are currently looking to implement a cloud migration strategy. Similarly, we are connected to hundreds of companies who rely heavily on cloud services and are on the lookout for brilliant talent to make sure that they make the best use of cloud technology. Our goal is to continue building strong relationships with our candidates and our clients in order to connect them in a meaningful way that is shaped by our knowledge, integrity and our passion for quality.
For more information please visit www.savantrecruitment.com or contact the technology team directly on technology@savantrecruitment.com
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