Azure vs AWS vs GCP

Organizations may host and manage their apps and services in the cloud with a variety of services and tools from the three major cloud computing providers: Azure, AWS, and GCP. You may select a cloud platform depending on the demands of your business because each one offers a variety of services. 

Here's a brief summary of each:

Azure is a cloud computing platform developed by Microsoft that provides several services, such as computation, storage, networking, and analytics, among others. It also provides several tools for creating, deploying, and maintaining cloud-based applications. Because Azure seamlessly interacts with Microsoft's software and tools, it is a good fit for enterprises that employ Microsoft technology.

AWS stands for Amazon Web Services, a platform for cloud computing that provides a wide range of services, including computation, storage, databases, networking, and machine learning, among others. Scalability, flexibility, and dependability are hallmarks of AWS. It is perfect for organizations of all sizes and sectors since it provides a wide range of tools and services.

GCP stands for Google Cloud Platform, a platform for cloud computing that provides several services, including networking, storage, computation, and machine learning, among others. It also provides tools for creating, deploying, and maintaining cloud-based applications. Due to its many cost-optimization capabilities, GCP is a good choice for companies searching for cost-effective solutions.

These are a few key distinctions between Azure, AWS, and GCP:

1. Market Share - With over 33% of the market, AWS has been the industry leader for a while. Azure is second with 22% of the market share, and GCP is third with 10%.
   
2. Pricing - Pay-as-you-go models are available from Amazon, GCP, and Azure, although reserved instance models are also available from AWS and GCP. However, prices might differ based on the services you use, so you should carefully consider the price for your specific case of use. It's important to keep in mind that the costs of the services offered by each provider might vary depending upon the region in which you use them as well as other elements like network bandwidth, data transmission, and storage. Also, there are various degrees of help offered by each provider, and some support solutions could be more expensive than others. You might wish to utilize one of the numerous cloud cost calculators accessible online to get a better idea of which cloud provider is the most cost effective for your particular needs. Based on your consumption habits and the services you intend to use, these calculators can help you determine your monthly cloud expenses.
3. Services - The most comprehensive service offering is provided by AWS, followed by Azure and GCP. All three companies, nevertheless, provide comparable services such as computing, storage, databases, analytics, AI/ML, and networking. The following table only contains a few of the most popular services provided by Amazon, Azure, and GCP and is not intended to be comprehensive. Also, these services might change as these cloud service companies continue to develop and introduce new services.
   
   
4. Platform Maturity - With the most experience, AWS is the most established platform, followed by Azure and GCP.
5. Hybrid Cloud - Azure has a competitive advantage in the hybrid cloud market since it works well with Microsoft's on-premises goods and services.
6. Security - The three platforms are all quite safe, and each supplier has a separate set of security certifications. Compared to GCP, AWS, and Azure have more certifications.
7. Support - The most extensive support options are provided by AWS, followed by Azure and GCP. Yet, each of the three suppliers offers a wealth of documentation, alternatives for community support, and customer service.

In general, organizations should take into account aspects like their unique use cases, the amount of integration they need, their budget, and their support needs when deciding between Azure, AWS, and GCP.

What is Cloud vendor lock-in & how to avoid it?

When an organization becomes overly reliant on one cloud service provider and finds it difficult to transition to another, the condition is referred to as cloud vendor lock-in. It may be difficult to switch to another platform because of this reliance if you use vendor-specific proprietary software, infrastructure, or services.

Organizations must avoid cloud vendor lock-in to maintain their independence and flexibility to move to a new cloud provider as needed. These are several justifications for why it's critical to prevent vendor lock-in:

1. Cost savings - Avoiding vendor lock-in allows organizations to compare costs on the best cloud services and infrastructure without being restricted to a single vendor's pricing structure.
2. Innovation - Organizations may keep ahead of the curve and benefit from new trends and breakthroughs in cloud computing by switching to new providers with the newest services and technologies.
3. Security and Compliance - Because various suppliers could have varying security standards and compliance requirements, using numerous vendors helps lessen a company's exposure to possible security threats and concerns with regulatory compliance.
4. Redundancy and Disaster Recovery - By utilizing redundant infrastructure across several cloud providers, a business may assist guarantee that its crucial applications and data are safeguarded against unplanned outages and downtime.

Avoiding vendor lock-in can be difficult, though, particularly if an organization has already made a sizable investment in a specific cloud provider. Organizations might think about the following strategies to minimize the risks of vendor lock-in:

1. Use Open Standards - Using cloud services that adhere to open standards will make switching between suppliers easier for the organization.
2. API Compatibility - Make sure the company's apps and data are compatible with the APIs of different cloud suppliers to lower the danger of vendor lock-in.
3. Containerization - Applications may operate on several cloud platforms by utilizing containerization techniques like Docker.
4. Plan for Portability - Plan for portability from the beginning to establish an exit strategy that will allow the company to swap vendors with little to no impact.

In conclusion, organizations must avoid vendor lock-in if they want to be flexible and competitive in the ever-changing cloud computing market. Organizations may reap the benefits of using several cloud providers by using the appropriate methods and technology, avoiding the dangers of vendor lock-in.