With the rapid pace of technological advancements, the importance of cloud computing is growing. Just in case you do not know what cloud computing is, we have got you covered. Cloud computing is an on-demand delivery of database, storage, computing power, and applications. Users can gain access to this through cloud services platforms via the internet. Cloud services providers enable users to store files and use applications on remote servers. They can then access their data anytime over the internet. Generally, users pay for these services on a pay as you go basis. This technology is known as cloud computing because the data gets stored on ‘the cloud.’ The user does not need to be in a particular region to access it.
The most popular model in cloud computing is Infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS). In the IaaS model, these companies host the core infrastructure. They maintain hardware, software, servers, and storage on behalf of the customer. Typically, this includes hosting applications in a highly scalable environment. The customers only pay for the infrastructure they use. The shift to the cloud environment has fueled the IaaS market to grow even more. According to research firm Gartner’s latest figures, it is estimated to be worth $49.1 billion in 2020. The Three biggest public cloud vendors are:
Experts recommend that organizations choose their cloud service on a case-by-case basis. This helps them match the applications and workloads with the vendor that best fits their needs. Analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of leading vendors instead of sticking to the same vendor all the time is the way to go.
Amazon is the oldest player in the public cloud services market. Their application services, combined with computing power and database infrastructure, are the most critical components of a successful enterprise. According to Gartner, AWS has been the market share leader in cloud IaaS for over ten years. It also has the most comprehensive network of worldwide data centers. AWS is the most mature, feature-rich, and enterprise-ready service provider. It has the best capabilities for governing a lot of users and data.
Amazon’s cloud platform offers almost every feature that the cloud computing industry has to offer. With their services, you can gain easy access to computing power and storage. They also provide developer tools, management tools, mobile, and application services.
It has the highest computation and storage options available in the market. They also have the broadest range of VM types. Their VM types enable users to run small or big workloads. It also provides the highest configurations of GPU enabled VM types. Hence, it is ideal for machine learning and AI workloads. AWS also has a variety of services for network and data security. The depth of services it provides makes it suitable for an extensive number of enterprises.
Since Microsoft came late to the market, they used some strategies to differentiate themselves from AWS. They focused first on software and platform instead of infrastructure. This was a good move for Microsoft since its key strengths lied in both enterprise and consumer software. Initially, their target customers were developers. Later they expanded focus to IaaS services.
It primarily offers solutions for app developers. It allows the user to process and compute at a high capacity in just a few minutes. Azure allows users a lot of flexibility with virtual machines and can even run large-scale parallel batch computing. It offers more power and capacity for enterprise development.
This platform would be most preferred by users who are already using some Microsoft products. While Azure offers a breadth of features, the Microsoft portfolio on cloud sets it apart. It can efficiently run high-end HPC and SAP workloads. It also has a set of services for ML/AI workloads. The license mobility of Microsoft products is relatively easy. Therefore, if you have existing licenses for Windows OS or MS-SQL, Azure is the cloud service for you.
Google’s cloud service platform has a robust offering to containers. It specializes in high compute offerings like Big Data, analytics, and machine learning. It also offers significant load balancing and scaling. As Google was late to the game, it has the lowest market share. Their current market share is 4%. Like Azure, even Google started with platform services. Recently, they have begun expanding to offer IaaS services.
Although GCP offers fewer services than its competitors, it has all the requirements for mobile app development. Google makes up for its lack of features with cost-efficiency. It provides significant discounts for long term usage. Google’s competitive pricing puts pressure on other service providers to keep prices low.
VM startup times in GCP are extremely fast compared to other competitors. They also have the best networking with a global low latency network. Google bills users based on the memory used rather than VMs used. This minimizes wastage of unused storage. Though it might lack in features, it is a price leader.
Each cloud provider has a specific area of focus. AWS was once a startup and has built with a startup mindset, while Azure inherited its enterprise-focus from the Windows Server and sysadmin tools days, making it ideal for established, existing companies. Google comes in at a different side due to its user-focused days, working on high-level APIs and AI training. I find it is typically best to pick the cloud provider which has built for your company/product stage, so AWS for a startup, Azure for enterprises transitioning to cloud, and GCP for high-level APIs.
FEATURES | AWS | AZURE | GCP |
---|---|---|---|
Maximum Processors in VM | 128 | 128 | 96 |
Maximum Memory in VM | 3904 | 3800 | 1433 |
SLA Availablity | 99.95% Annual Uptime | 99.90% Annual Uptime | 99.95% Annual Uptime |
Operating Systems Supported | Windows, SLES, CentOS, CoreOS, OpenSUSE, RHEL, Cloud Linux, Debian, FreeBSD, Ubuntu, Oracle Linux | Windows, SLES, CentOS, CoreOS, OpenSUSE, RHEL, Debian, FreeBSD, Ubuntu, Oracle Linux | Windows, SLES, CentOS, CoreOS, OpenSUSE, RHEL, Debian, FreeBSD, Ubuntu |
Marketplace | AWS Marketplace | Azure Marketplace | G Suite Marketplace |
Cloud Services with Protection | Shield | DDoS Protection Service | - |
Backup | Object Storage, Cold Storage, Archive, SnowMobile | Backup | - |
Database Migration | Database Migration Service | Database Migration Service | - |
Dedicated Network Connection | Direct Connect | Express Route | - |
Developer Tools | Developer Tools | Developer Tools | - |
Protection with Data Encryption | Key Management Service | Storage Service Encryption | - |
Firewall | Web Application Firewall | Application Gateway | - |
Pricing | Per Hour | Per Minute | Per Minute |
The features of the best cloud service providers are listed in this article. We hope our analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of these services will help you choose the right cloud for you. When comparing AWS, Azure, and GCP, there are many features and costs to consider. Each platform offers a different catalog of facilities. You must pick the one that best fits your development needs. Remember, it does not have to be the same provider every time. You can even combine services from two or three clouds. It is most crucial to find the right fit for your requirements every single time.
Get the answer to frequently asked questions by founders for founders!
Download NowThe Mindbowser team's professionalism consistently impressed me. Their commitment to quality shone through in every aspect of the project. They truly went the extra mile, ensuring they understood our needs perfectly and were always willing to invest the time to...
CTO, New Day Therapeutics
I collaborated with Mindbowser for several years on a complex SaaS platform project. They took over a partially completed project and successfully transformed it into a fully functional and robust platform. Throughout the entire process, the quality of their work...
President, E.B. Carlson
Mindbowser and team are professional, talented and very responsive. They got us through a challenging situation with our IOT product successfully. They will be our go to dev team going forward.
Founder, Cascada
Amazing team to work with. Very responsive and very skilled in both front and backend engineering. Looking forward to our next project together.
Co-Founder, Emerge
The team is great to work with. Very professional, on task, and efficient.
Founder, PeriopMD
I can not express enough how pleased we are with the whole team. From the first call and meeting, they took our vision and ran with it. Communication was easy and everyone was flexible to our schedule. I’m excited to...
Founder, Seeke
Mindbowser has truly been foundational in my journey from concept to design and onto that final launch phase.
CEO, KickSnap
We had very close go live timeline and Mindbowser team got us live a month before.
CEO, BuyNow WorldWide
If you want a team of great developers, I recommend them for the next project.
Founder, Teach Reach
Mindbowser built both iOS and Android apps for Mindworks, that have stood the test of time. 5 years later they still function quite beautifully. Their team always met their objectives and I'm very happy with the end result. Thank you!
Founder, Mindworks
Mindbowser has delivered a much better quality product than our previous tech vendors. Our product is stable and passed Well Architected Framework Review from AWS.
CEO, PurpleAnt
I am happy to share that we got USD 10k in cloud credits courtesy of our friends at Mindbowser. Thank you Pravin and Ayush, this means a lot to us.
CTO, Shortlist
Mindbowser is one of the reasons that our app is successful. These guys have been a great team.
Founder & CEO, MangoMirror
Kudos for all your hard work and diligence on the Telehealth platform project. You made it possible.
CEO, ThriveHealth
Mindbowser helped us build an awesome iOS app to bring balance to people’s lives.
CEO, SMILINGMIND
They were a very responsive team! Extremely easy to communicate and work with!
Founder & CEO, TotTech
We’ve had very little-to-no hiccups at all—it’s been a really pleasurable experience.
Co-Founder, TEAM8s
Mindbowser was very helpful with explaining the development process and started quickly on the project.
Executive Director of Product Development, Innovation Lab
The greatest benefit we got from Mindbowser is the expertise. Their team has developed apps in all different industries with all types of social proofs.
Co-Founder, Vesica
Mindbowser is professional, efficient and thorough.
Consultant, XPRIZE
Very committed, they create beautiful apps and are very benevolent. They have brilliant Ideas.
Founder, S.T.A.R.S of Wellness
Mindbowser was great; they listened to us a lot and helped us hone in on the actual idea of the app. They had put together fantastic wireframes for us.
Co-Founder, Flat Earth
Ayush was responsive and paired me with the best team member possible, to complete my complex vision and project. Could not be happier.
Founder, Child Life On Call
The team from Mindbowser stayed on task, asked the right questions, and completed the required tasks in a timely fashion! Strong work team!
CEO, SDOH2Health LLC
Mindbowser was easy to work with and hit the ground running, immediately feeling like part of our team.
CEO, Stealth Startup
Mindbowser was an excellent partner in developing my fitness app. They were patient, attentive, & understood my business needs. The end product exceeded my expectations. Thrilled to share it globally.
Owner, Phalanx
Mindbowser's expertise in tech, process & mobile development made them our choice for our app. The team was dedicated to the process & delivered high-quality features on time. They also gave valuable industry advice. Highly recommend them for app development...
Co-Founder, Fox&Fork