Choosing the Right Cloud Provider: A Quick Guide to the Big Four

Which cloud platform is right for us and what kind of talent do we need to hire to support implementation/deployment/maintenance? 

We’ve explored a high-level breakdown of the four key players in cloud infrastructure (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, and IBM Cloud) their pros, cons, and how they work best. 

Amazon Web Services (AWS) 

Pros: Amazon Web Services is the most mature and widely adopted cloud provider on the market, often regarded as the industry standard. It offers an extensive range of services from computer power and storage to advanced machine learning, database solutions, and DevOps tooling. This makes it a highly versatile platform, likely to support many of the functions you’ll need in a cloud provider.  

AWS also benefits from a truly global infrastructure, with availability zones across every major region, and a flexible pay-as-you-go pricing model that scales with your needs. Importantly, because of its market dominance and long running use, there’s a well-established pool of AWS-certified talent available to support implementation and ongoing operations. 

Cons: The AWS pricing structure is notoriously complex, which might give your finance department a headache when trying to estimate cost and manage year on year savings. The platform also has a steep learning curve and requires skilled engineers to set up, optimise, and effectively maintain service. Additionally, organisations that become deeply embedded in AWS’s native services are vulnerable to vendor lock-in, because it’s quite complex to switch providers or convert to a multi cloud solution at a later date. In short, if you love what AWS provide, and it solves all of your current and long term data problems (or integrates with your multi cloud plans), you’ll find very few cons with this service.  

Microsoft Azure 

Pros: Microsoft Azure is well-suited to enterprise environments because one of its biggest advantages is seamless integration with the broader Microsoft ecosystem. Not only does this mean the Teams and Office 365 suites that are popular with larger firms, but it also integrates with other Microsoft products like Active Directory, Azure DevOps ad Microsoft Fabric. If you’re already using Microsoft, this is a natural next step for cloud integration.  

Another benefit of Azure is its hybrid cloud capabilities, which means that businesses who are looking for part on-premise, part cloud solution will benefit from robust support by the Azure team. This approach means that you don’t have to abandon what’s working in your legacy systems, but you can still modernize some infrastructure and benefit from cloud technologies. This approach has worked in industries where compliance and government regulation is a key consideration, because Azure comes with built in security and policy management tools.  

There are great development opportunities which grow the ecosystem, too. Azure DevOps and GitHub integration mean that a talented hire could create custom developed automation workflows for your business to streamline key tasks.  

Cons: Azure’s key drawback is a lack of coherent interface design and functionality: user experience can feel confusing between the management portal and various tools. For teams unfamiliar with Microsoft products, there can be a steeper learning curve, particularly when getting to grips with profile management or setting up services. Finally, while Azure holds strong appeal for enterprise and public sector organisations, it has less traction in the startup space compared to AWS and GCP.  

Google Cloud Platform (GCP) 

Best For: GCP is a strong match for startups and SaaS companies. If you’re looking for support on your data, analytics, and AI initiatives it’s especially well-suited because they prioritise open-source tools and developer-first workflows. 

Pros: Google Cloud is usually the preference for organisations who are looking for AI powered data management. Google originally developed Kubernetes, an open source platform that helps apps to run in different environments. That means that GCP has capabilities for machine learning, analytics and container orchestration with deep Kubernetes integration. Because that platform is open source, there’s a bigger pool of talent who are familiar with using it, too, even if they don’t have full GCP experience. The open source friendliness doesn’t stop there either, with strong support for tools like TensorFlow and BigQuery, making GCP the top choice for data driven and development heavy environments.  

Other plus points for GCP include its user-friendly interface, easy to navigate documentation, and intuitive build and deploy workflows. For businesses who need high-performance computing and large scale data processing, GCP’s tailored pricing options allow you to resource efficiently for a more cost effective solution.  

Cons: It’s important to note that GCP’s plug and play integration options are more limited because it holds a smaller share of the enterprise market. This also limits the ecosystem of community support (compared to AWS and Azure), and the talent pool in some regions.  

However, Google Cloud still holds a smaller share of the enterprise cloud market. As a result, it has fewer plug-and-play integrations and a smaller ecosystem of community support compared to AWS or Azure. Its presence in large, non-tech enterprises is still developing, and hiring GCP-specific talent can be more challenging in some regions, given its comparatively smaller user base. 

IBM Cloud 

Pros: IBM’s Cloud offer stands out for its integration with IBM’s well-established artificial intelligence platform Watson. With IBM cloud you’ll have access to a suite of private cloud tools and services designed for businesses undergoing digital transformation, where there’s existing on-premise legacy infrastructure.  

This service is designed around businesses, and you’ll have the support of IBM’s consulting arm for tailored solutions designed for banking, healthcare, and other highly regulated industries. If you’re in a more complicated business IT wise, the ability to bridge critical legacy systems with modern cloud solutions will be invaluable.   

Cons: IBM’s offer does, by design, serve a smaller segment of the market though. Anyone looking for general purpose cloud adoption, or startups with high growth projections may struggle with slow innovation. Compared to the other three solutions, IBM cloud can be slow to drive global momentum, which isn’t helped by a smaller ecosystem of third party tools.  

There’s no one-size-fits-all cloud provider. In many cases, the answer is multi-cloud, or hybrid set-ups. What matters most aligning your tech and cloud solutions with business goals, internal skill sets, and infrastructure priorities. To recap what each service does: 

AWS is best for: Startups and large enterprises looking for scalable infrastructure. It’s particularly well-suited to data-heavy workloads, eCommerce platforms, and organisations with mature DevOps practices and automation in place. 

Microsoft Azure is best for: Large enterprises, public sector organisations, and businesses in highly regulated industries such as finance and healthcare. If you’re already using Microsoft, or want to move to a multi cloud or hybrid structure, it’s a great choice to avoid vendor lock in.  

Google Cloud Platform is best for: Startups and SaaS companies. If you’re looking for support on your data, analytics, and AI initiatives it’s especially well-suited because they prioritise open-source tools and developer-first workflows.