Comparing Microsoft Azure to AWS (Amazon Web Services) For Non-Profits
In the past I have written about Amazon Web Services (AWS) and how they are winning over programmers and 
developers. We also recently published a Microsoft Azure resources center page with the most relevant and up to date Microsoft Azure information on the web. In this post I am going to compare both cloud services from Azure and AWS for non-profits. My goal is to help non-profit organizations reach their goals by having a better understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of these different cloud services.
AWS has officially been operating since 2006, so they have been around longer than most cloud services. Microsoft Azure on the other hand is more of the “new kid on the block” only being in the market since 2010. Even though AWS has a big head start with their cloud service, it hasn’t stopped Microsoft Azure from going full steam ahead with their Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) offerings.
Comparing Main Services:
Both AWS and Azure have similar core features that fall under four different categories or functions:
AWS: Amazon’s four core features consist of Compute, Storage & Content Delivery, Databases, and Networking. These features are under Amazon’s extensive admin controls, which also include identity management, auditing, encryption key creation/control/storage, monitoring and logging, and more.
AWS also has powerful analytics (Amazon EMR uses Hadoop as their framework, and Kinesis which can do data stream processing in real time) and many other application services and deployment options.
Azure: Microsoft Azure’s core features/functions are: Build infrastructure, Develop modern applications, Gain insights from data, and Manage identity and access. Azure also has Hadoop implementation, HDInsight, and Apache Storm which can do real-time stream processing as well.
Microsoft Azure also offers virtual machines (VMs) that you can get off the ground quickly and give your organization’s developers what they need to build and deploy your non-profit’s apps. Storage and database options are available as well.
IaaS Resources Compared:
Compute
| AWS | Azure |
| General Purpose (T2, M3) | General Purpose (A-series) |
Compute Optimized (C3, C4)
|
Compute Optimized (A11)
|
Memory Optimized (R3)
|
Compute Optimized (D-series)
|
Storage Optimized (I2)
|
Storage Optimized (DS)
|
Dense Storage (D2)
|
Performance Optimized (G-series)
|
Storage
| AWS | Azure |
S3 Object Storage
|
Standard Storage Account
|
EBS Block Storage (Volumes)
|
Premium Storage Account
|
| Glacier Archival | Azure Backup |
| Import/Export Methods | Import/Export Methods |
Network
| AWS | Azure |
| Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) | Virtual Network |
| VPN | Point-to-Site, Site-to-Site |
| Direct Connect | ExpressRoute |
| Elastic Load Balancer | Traffic Manager/Azure Load Balancer |
| Route 53 | Bring your own |
Databases/Data Warehouse
| AWS | Azure |
| RDS | Azure SQL |
| DynamoDB | Azure Tables |
| ElastiCache | Azure Cache |
| Redshift | SQL Server Data Warehouse |
| Aurora |
Comparing Pricing:
| AWS | Azure | |
| Pricing |
Pay for EBS volume |
|
| Models | On-demand, Reserved, Spot | On-demand, short term commitments (pre-paid or monthly) |
| Discounts |
|
|
Neither AWS or Azure currently have a non-profit discount.
Microsoft Azure primarily targets Platform as a Service (PaaS) customers, and is focusing on Software as a Service (SaaS) with Office 365. Azure is growing their IaaS each year but are second as far as their current market share.
If your non-profit is mostly in need of PaaS, you want seamless hybrid cloud, and you’re already using Microsoft services, Azure is the sure winner for your organization. Having all or most of your cloud services under “one roof” can help to streamline your non-profits efficiency.
Calculate your costs:
If you need any help with getting started, let us know.
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