In the previous article, we took a close look at Microsoft Azure together. But Azure isn't the only player in this space — AWS and Google Cloud are serious competitors too. If you want to know which platform fits your situation better, this article was written exactly for that.
A quick recap of cloud computing
Before comparing, a quick reminder: cloud computing means renting computing infrastructure (servers, storage, networking) from a large company, instead of buying and maintaining your own hardware — exactly the concept explained in more detail in the Azure introduction article.
Amazon Web Services (AWS): the pioneer and biggest player
AWS was the first major cloud platform (since 2006) and still holds the largest market share. Its biggest advantage is the widest range of services and the most mature documentation and user community in the world. For startups and tech companies building from scratch on the cloud (with no prior Microsoft dependency), it's usually the first choice.
Microsoft Azure: the best choice for the Microsoft ecosystem
As we saw in the previous article, Azure offers the most integrated experience for organizations already working with Active Directory, Windows Server, or Microsoft 365. Many large traditional organizations (banks, government entities, older institutions) that have invested in Microsoft infrastructure for years naturally gravitate toward Azure.
Google Cloud Platform (GCP): strong in data and AI
Google Cloud comes from Google's deep experience managing enormous amounts of data (the same infrastructure that runs Google Search and YouTube). Its main strength is in big data analytics and machine learning tools — Kubernetes itself was originally built at Google, which is why GCP usually has the best native support for it.
A quick comparison by need
If you're a tech startup building from scratch: AWS usually offers the most flexibility and documentation.
If you're an organization that's invested in Microsoft products for years: Azure is the most natural path for expansion.
If your work revolves mostly around big data, analytics, or AI: Google Cloud offers stronger specialized tools.
Do you have to pick just one?
In practice, many large organizations run a multi-cloud strategy — using multiple platforms simultaneously for different parts of their work, or to avoid full dependency on one company (vendor lock-in). But for getting started with learning or a specific project, focusing on one platform (matching your organization's actual needs) makes more sense.
Why does knowing these three platforms matter?
In today's job postings, skill in at least one of these three platforms has become almost a standard — much like a networking certification (like CCNA) was a few years ago. Starting with Azure (especially if you have a Microsoft background, exactly like the MCSA path covered in my courses) is a logical entry point into this whole world — the concepts you learn (VMs, storage, identity management) transfer almost one-to-one to AWS and GCP as well.
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