Google Cloud Platform vs Microsoft Azure

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Google Cloud Platform

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Google Cloud Platform vs Microsoft Azure: What are the differences?

# Key Differences between Google Cloud Platform and Microsoft Azure

Google Cloud Platform and Microsoft Azure are two of the leading cloud computing platforms in the market, both offering a wide range of services and features. Below are some key differences between the two platforms:

1. **Pricing Model**: Google Cloud Platform generally offers a more simplified and predictable pricing model compared to Microsoft Azure. While Azure provides a pay-as-you-go pricing structure with various discounts and commitments, Google Cloud Platform follows a per-second billing model with sustained use discounts, making it easier for users to estimate costs.

2. **Service Offerings**: Microsoft Azure tends to have a more extensive list of services and products compared to Google Cloud Platform. Azure covers areas such as Virtual Machines, AI & Machine Learning, IoT services, and more, offering a broader range of solutions for diverse requirements. On the other hand, Google Cloud Platform focuses more on data analytics, machine learning, and big data processing.

3. **Global Presence**: Microsoft Azure has a wider global presence with data centers in more regions compared to Google Cloud Platform. This global footprint allows Azure to provide better coverage and lower latency to users in different parts of the world, making it a preferred choice for organizations with a global presence.

4. **Developer Tools and Ecosystem**: Google Cloud Platform is known for its integration with popular developer tools and frameworks, particularly in the Open Source community. Google's strong support for Kubernetes and other open-source projects makes it a favorite among developers. On the other hand, Microsoft Azure offers a more comprehensive set of development tools like Visual Studio and Azure DevOps, tailored towards enterprises and Windows-based environments.

5. **Market Penetration**: Despite being newer in the cloud market, Google Cloud Platform has been gaining traction and is popular among startups and tech companies. On the other hand, Microsoft Azure has a significant market share in the enterprise sector due to its long-standing presence and integration with Microsoft products and services.

6. **Compliance and Security**: Both Google Cloud Platform and Microsoft Azure adhere to stringent security and compliance standards. However, Microsoft Azure has a more robust set of compliance certifications and regulatory approvals compared to Google Cloud Platform, making it a preferred choice for organizations in highly regulated industries.

In Summary, Google Cloud Platform and Microsoft Azure differ in pricing models, service offerings, global presence, developer tools, market penetration, and compliance & security standards, catering to different business needs and preferences in the cloud computing space.
Decisions about Google Cloud Platform and Microsoft Azure
Craig Finch
Principal Consultant at Rootwork InfoTech · | 6 upvotes · 183.2K views

We first selected Google Cloud Platform about five years ago, because HIPAA compliance was significantly cheaper and easier on Google compared to AWS. We have stayed with Google Cloud because it provides an excellent command line tool for managing resources, and every resource has a well-designed, well-documented API. SDKs for most of these APIs are available for many popular languages. I have never worked with a cloud platform that's so amenable to automation. Google is also ahead of its competitors in Kubernetes support.

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Pros of Google Cloud Platform
Pros of Microsoft Azure
  • 5
    Good app Marketplace for Beginner and Advanced User
  • 4
    1 year free trial credit USD300
  • 3
    Premium tier IP address
  • 3
    Live chat support
  • 3
    Cheap
  • 114
    Scales well and quite easy
  • 96
    Can use .Net or open source tools
  • 81
    Startup friendly
  • 73
    Startup plans via BizSpark
  • 62
    High performance
  • 38
    Wide choice of services
  • 32
    Low cost
  • 32
    Lots of integrations
  • 31
    Reliability
  • 19
    Twillio & Github are directly accessible
  • 13
    RESTful API
  • 10
    PaaS
  • 10
    Enterprise Grade
  • 10
    Startup support
  • 8
    DocumentDB
  • 7
    In person support
  • 6
    Free for students
  • 6
    Service Bus
  • 6
    Virtual Machines
  • 5
    Redis Cache
  • 5
    It rocks
  • 4
    Storage, Backup, and Recovery
  • 4
    Infrastructure Services
  • 4
    SQL Databases
  • 4
    CDN
  • 3
    Integration
  • 3
    Scheduler
  • 3
    Preview Portal
  • 3
    HDInsight
  • 3
    Built on Node.js
  • 3
    Big Data
  • 3
    BizSpark 60k Azure Benefit
  • 3
    IaaS
  • 2
    Backup
  • 2
    Open cloud
  • 2
    Web
  • 2
    SaaS
  • 2
    Big Compute
  • 2
    Mobile
  • 2
    Media
  • 2
    Dev-Test
  • 2
    Storage
  • 2
    StorSimple
  • 2
    Machine Learning
  • 2
    Stream Analytics
  • 2
    Data Factory
  • 2
    Event Hubs
  • 2
    Virtual Network
  • 2
    ExpressRoute
  • 2
    Traffic Manager
  • 2
    Media Services
  • 2
    BizTalk Services
  • 2
    Site Recovery
  • 2
    Active Directory
  • 2
    Multi-Factor Authentication
  • 2
    Visual Studio Online
  • 2
    Application Insights
  • 2
    Automation
  • 2
    Operational Insights
  • 2
    Key Vault
  • 2
    Infrastructure near your customers
  • 2
    Easy Deployment
  • 1
    Enterprise customer preferences
  • 1
    Documentation
  • 1
    Security
  • 1
    Best cloud platfrom
  • 1
    Easy and fast to start with
  • 1
    Remote Debugging

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Cons of Google Cloud Platform
Cons of Microsoft Azure
    Be the first to leave a con
    • 7
      Confusing UI
    • 2
      Expensive plesk on Azure

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    What is Google Cloud Platform?

    It helps you build what's next with secure infrastructure, developer tools, APIs, data analytics and machine learning. It is a suite of cloud computing services that runs on the same infrastructure that Google uses internally for its end-user products, such as Google Search and YouTube.

    What is Microsoft Azure?

    Azure is an open and flexible cloud platform that enables you to quickly build, deploy and manage applications across a global network of Microsoft-managed datacenters. You can build applications using any language, tool or framework. And you can integrate your public cloud applications with your existing IT environment.

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