Unmasking the Cloud War Winner: A Deep Dive into the AWS vs. Azure

Introduction

When it comes to cloud computing, AWS and Azure stand out as the top players in the industry, each offering a myriad of services tailored to different needs. This blog explores the benefits of AWS and Azure Certifications, compares their features, and delves into factors influencing their market dynamics. Additionally, we’ll discuss key differences, job opportunities, market share, establishment history, availability zones, and the ever-lingering question: Is AWS cheaper than Azure? 

AWS Certification Benefits

While Azure is gaining ground, AWS remains the global leader. AWS certifications carry extra weight due to the platform’s widepread adoption, opening doors to the AWS Certified LinkedIn Community and fostering connections with other certified professionals. Certification options, including AWS SysOps Associate, Developer Associate, and Cloud Architect, cater to diverse roles. 

Azure Certification Advantages

Azure’s affiliation with Microsoft provides a unique advantage to certified professionals. With over 55% of Fortune 500 companies leveraging Azure and a continuous influx of new adopters, Azure certification significantly enhances employability. Certifications like Cloud Solution Architect, Developing Microsoft Azure Solutions, and others cover a broad spectrum of expertise. 

Certification Options

The certification for both AWS and Azure is diverse. AWS offers certifications for Developers and professionals, encompassing SysOps Associate, Developer Associate, and Cloud Architect. Azure provides certifications such as Cloud Solution Architect, Developing Microsoft Azure Solutions, Architect Microsoft Azure, Implementing Microsoft Azure, and Cloud Architect, allowing candidates to specialize according to their career goals. 

Comparative Analysis of AWS vs. Azure

• Pricing 

AWS is billed on an hourly basis, whereas Azure adopts a minute-by-minute approach, offering greater flexibility for short-term subscriptions. 

• Compute and Computation Services 

Both AWS and Azure provide scalable compute services, ensuring instances can be spawned rapidly and scaled up as needed to handle the ever-growing volume of data. 

• Development Tools 

AWS introduces serverless tools like AWS Fargate and Lambda, while Azure’s arsenal includes Azure Bot Service, Time Series Insights, and a variety of IoT and AI capabilities. 

• Storage Services 

Azure offers Blob Storage, Disk Storage, and Standard Archive, while AWS provides services such as S3, EBS, and Glacier, catering to diverse storage needs. 

• Database Services 

AWS offers Amazon RDS, while Azure provides Azure SQL Server Database, reflecting the platforms’ commitment to managing both structured and unstructured data effectively. 

• Networking Services 

AWS features Amazon Virtual Private Cloud (VPC), and Azure employs Microsoft Azure Virtual Network, both enabling the creation of private networks within the cloud. 

• Container and Orchestration Support 

AWS excels in advanced Big Data and analytics solutions, including Docker support. Azure, on the other hand, offers Hadoop support through services like Azure HDInsight. 

• Compliance and Security 

AWS boasts strong relationships with government agencies, enhancing its government cloud offerings. Azure relies on Microsoft’s Cloud Defender service, powered by artificial intelligence, for security and data privacy. 

• Machine Learning: 

Both platforms feature machine learning studios, with AWS’s Amazon SageMaker requiring a more in-depth understanding of data engineering and Python coding than Azure’s studio. 

• Job Opportunities and Salary 

AWS professionals earn an average of 6.3 lakhs per year, slightly higher than Azure professionals at around 6.1 lakhs per year. However, the demand for both skill sets creates ample job opportunities. 

Market Dynamics: AWS reported impressive revenue in Q1 2021, surpassing analyst projections. Azure’s growth rate in Q2 2021 exceeded expectations, contributing to a dynamic market where both platforms continue to innovate and expand their offerings. 

Key Differences: Notable differences include AWS allowing EC2 users to configure virtual machines or use pre-configured images, while Azure users must select a pre-configured virtual hard disc. Azure supports hybrid cloud systems, a feature absent in AWS. 

Pricing Comparison: Determining the most cost-effective cloud provider involves nuanced considerations. While AWS proves cheaper for compute pricing on average, Azure emerges as the more economical option for object storage, showcasing the dynamic nature of cloud costs.  

AWS key tools: Artificial Intelligence and Machine learning has released Gluon. With the help of this open-source deep learning library, both programmers and non-programmers may create neural networks without any prior AI understanding. An AI-powered camera called DeepLens has the ability to develop and apply machine learning algorithms for object detection, picture identification, and optical character recognition.

Another AWS tool for developing and implementing machine learning models is SageMaker. It also incorporates the Lambda serverless computing, Greengrass IoT messaging, and Alexa services enabled via the Lex conversational interface.

Azure key tools: Cognitive Services- Among the services that are offered are Bing Web Search API, Face API, Computer Vision API, and Custom Vision Service. Microsoft provides a serverless computing solution in addition to a plethora of IoT management and analytics services and functionalities.

Supporting MSFT Software: Azure comes with some programs that help with Microsoft software that is deployed on-site. Windows Server Backup is connected to Azure Backup in Windows Server 2012 R2 and Windows Server 2016. Visual Studio Team Services hosts Visual Studio projects on Azure.

Conclusion

Cloud certification training is an educational program meticulously crafted to empower individuals with the essential knowledge and skills needed for proficient work with cloud computing technologies. These programs strategically prepare participants for targeted cloud certifications offered by industry giants such as AWS and Azure.  

CloudThat proudly presents a diverse array of cloud training programs, encompassing convenient online options, recognized cloud certifications in India, and specialized cloud certification courses. Going beyond education, CloudThat extends support with dedicated cloud training and placement services, solidifying its position as the premier choice for top-notch cloud computing courses and certifications. 

About CloudThat

Established in 2012, CloudThat is a leading Cloud Training and Cloud Consulting services provider in India, USA, Asia, Europe, and Africa. Being a pioneer in the Cloud domain, CloudThat has special expertise in catering to mid-market and enterprise clients in all the major Cloud service providers like AWS, Microsoft, GCP, VMware, Databricks, HP, and more. Uniquely positioned to be a single source for both training and consulting for cloud technologies like Cloud Migration, Data Platforms, DevOps, IoT, and the latest technologies like AI/ML, it is a top-tier partner with AWS and Microsoft, winning more than 8 awards combined in 11 years. Recently, it was recognized as the ‘Think Big’ partner from AWS and won the Microsoft Superstars FY 2023 award in Asia & India. Leveraging their position as a leader in the market, CloudThat has trained 650k+ professionals in 500+ cloud certifications and delivered 300+ consulting projects for 100+ corporates in 28+ countries.