Last week, a client asked us something we hear often: “If AWS and Azure offer the same services, does it really matter which one we choose?”

The answer depends on more than just price or popularity. Both of these cloud giants offer a variety of services; however, their strengths and performance vary in areas like hybrid cloud, enterprise integration, and networking, and that difference matters when you are thinking of building cloud environments for scale and resilience.

This blog will help you understand differences between AWS and Azure across areas like computing, storage, customer support, and many more. This way, you can align your cloud decisions with real-world priorities.

Let’s get started!

What is AWS?

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is a cloud computing platform developed by Amazon. It offers scalable and reliable cloud services like cloud storage, compute power, databases, and machine learning. Initially, Amazon developed it to handle its own infrastructure but later scaled it into a platform for global users. It now supports millions of workloads across industries, helping businesses build faster and operate more efficiently in the cloud. 

What is Azure?

Microsoft Azure was initially designed to offer scalable computing resources and services, and later it evolved into a comprehensive cloud platform that offers solutions like infrastructure as a service (IaaS), platform as a service (PaaS), and software as a service (SaaS). It has become a trusted environment for running business applications, storing data securely, and supporting digital transformation goals.

Factors to consider when choosing between AWS and Microsoft Azure

Since you have got the idea about AWS and Microsoft Azure, let’s discuss some pointers that can help you pick the right cloud solutions provider as per your business needs:

1. Integration with the business tools 

When you use Amazon Web Services in cloud computing, you can integrate different third-party tools and services with it. On the other hand, Microsoft Azure cloud computing integrates well with Microsoft products only.

2. Hybrid cloud solutions 

When it’s about hybrid cloud capacity, Azure leads the battle of AWS vs. Azure. With services like Azure Stack, it helps businesses extend their on-premise infrastructure to the cloud, all while maintaining the flexibility of private and public clouds. AWS also offers hybrid cloud solutions through Outposts, but it is less flexible in overall hybrid deployments.

3. Pricing model 

Both AWS and Azure services come with a pay-as-you-go pricing model, with saving options for long-term usage. However, AWS has complex pricing because of its multiple services. On the other hand, you can get a straightforward pricing structure with Azure virtual machines.   

4. AI and machine learning 

If you need AI and machine learning models, both the AWS and Azure services can help you with that. However, AWS, with its SageMaker services, stands out, as it can build, train, and deploy machine learning models. And if you have Microsoft-centric AI solutions, you can use Azure Machine Learning and Azure AI Bot Service.

5. Networking and security 

AWS has more networking capabilities as it offers services like VPC and Direct Connect. It is preferred by the businesses that need low-latency performance across different regions. Azure also provides network services with ExpressRoute, but it comes with fewer networking capabilities as compared to AWS cloud computing.

AWS vs. Azure: comparison of computation power 

Compute is the engine behind cloud applications, as it powers the processing of apps and workloads in the cloud. In the battle of Microsoft Azure vs. Amazon AWS, both the service providers offer different compute options, which we will explore through this below-given comparison table:

With these different approaches to computation powers, both AWS cloud computing and Microsoft Azure cloud computing work differently. As per your computing requirements, you can choose your preferred platform. Now, let’s move to the cloud storage options provided by Azure and AWS services. 

Cloud Storage Options For AWS And Azure

Cloud storage is the second-most used service for which businesses compare Microsoft Azure vs. Amazon AWS. Both Azure and AWS services come with different storage options, ranging from object, archival, block, and file.

1. Object storage 

Object storage is used for the purpose of storing large amounts of data like images, videos, and different backups.

For object storage, AWS has Amazon S3 services that offer durable, scalable, and flexible storage options. It also offers different storage classes for archiving, like Glacier, Infrequent Access, and Standard, to manage the costs of storage as per the frequency of data access

Azure also offers object storage facilities with its Azure Blob Storage that offers the same tiers, namely hot, cool, and archive, to adjust cost on the basis of data access frequency.

However, AWS S3 has been offering these services for a long time and also has more features compared to Azure. 

2. Block storage

Block storage is used for databases and virtual machines. Amazon Elastic Block Store offers a high-performance storage option, backed by a high-performance SSD. On the other hand, Azure has Azure Managed Disks that offers Standard HDD, Ultra Disk, and Premium SSD options for virtual machine storage.

Both Amazon EBS and Azure Managed Disks offer scalability and resilient storage options. However, Ultra Disks of Azure has more granular control over throughput and IOPS (Input/Output Operations Per Second).

3. File storage 

File storage organises data in a hierarchical way with the help of files and folders. AWS offers Amazon Elastic File System that supports scalable file storage for Linux-based workloads and shared file systems. On the other hand, Azure offers Azure Files that support both Windows and Linux workloads. It also comes with sync features, helping businesses sync their on-premise data with Azure storage. 

4. Archival storage

AWS, with Amazon Glacier and Glacier Deep Archive, offers long-term archival solutions with low-cost options. On the other hand, Azure has Azure Archive Storage that offers similar cost-friendly solutions for large volumes of infrequently used data. With high scalability and durability, AWS stands out in terms of archival storage.

That’s how AWS and Microsoft Azure differ in terms of storage service options. As per your usage requirements, you can select any option for your business. Let’s move to another important aspect that can impact your choice of cloud solution providers.

AWS vs. Azure: details of customer support and documentation

The service features, documentation, and customer support of AWS and Azure differ minimally. 

In terms of support plans, AWS offers four different plans, ranging from basic, developer, business, and enterprise. Here, the enterprise plan offers 24/7 support, a dedicated account manager, and prioritised response times. Just like that, Azure offers basic developer, standard, and professional direct plans, in which the professional direct plan offers 24/7 support, faster responses, and a dedicated Azure team.

In terms of documentation, AWS offers detailed documentation by including guides, tutorials, and troubleshooting documents for every service. Azure also has well-structured documentation that offers integration instructions for Windows Server, Power BI tools, and SQL Servers.

Now, if you have gone through all the important pointers for Microsoft Azure vs. Amazon AWS and need a short recap on which cloud computing platform can be good for you, let’s move to the next section.

AWS vs. Azure: quick comparison

To make things easier, here is a to-the-point comparison table that covers the major features offered by both AWS and Azure.

How PatternBots Can Help

If you are planning to choose between AWS and Azure or need help setting up a reliable cloud environment from the start, PatternBots is here to support you. Our cloud consultants will work closely with your team to assess current systems, understand compliance needs, and map out a solution that actually works for your business. With more than 15 years of experience across different industries, we can help you design, implement, and optimise cloud setups that are ready for scale and day-to-day performance.

Conclusion

As you have seen, both AWS and Azure offer a proper mix of services for different business needs. But just knowing what each platform provides is not enough. What really matters is how well the cloud environment aligns with your infrastructure, your way of working, and the direction your business is heading. If you are comparing both platforms and still not sure which one would fit better, work with a team that understands the strengths and limitations of each.

Frequently Asked Questions