Transitioning from on-premises infrastructure to a cloud environment comes with many benefits, some of which include improved scalability, flexibility and security as well as reductions in the cost of business operations. However, despite these benefits, businesses find it difficult to execute a quality cloud migration due to the technicalities involved.
Fortunately, cloud migration tools are designed to help businesses manage, track and transfer their applications, files and other resources to the cloud without battling with many encumbrances. But given the proliferation of cloud migrations, users may find it difficult to pick the best tool for their business. Here, we will compare two popular cloud migration tools, Amazon Web Services and Google Cloud, to help you make a great choice.
SEE: iCloud vs. OneDrive: Which is best for Mac, iPad and iPhone users? (free PDF) (TechRepublic)
Jump to:
What is Amazon Web Services?
AWS is a cloud platform offering enterprises scalable cloud computing solutions. The AWS Cloud Migration solution provides businesses with the technical and operational capabilities to lift and move workloads and entire data centers to the AWS cloud ecosystem.
With over one million users globally, the AWS cloud migration tool has features that support workloads from Microsoft, SAP and VMware along with mainframe infrastructure and .NET application environments.
What is Google Cloud?
Google Cloud is a suite of cloud computing resources. Under the Google Cloud services is a Google Cloud migration solution that offers businesses application migration, data migration and other cloud migration possibilities. Some of the cloud migration services which Google Cloud is known for are BigQuery Data Transfer Service, Database Migration Service, Storage Transfer Service, Microsoft SQL Server, application migration service and application modernization option.
Feature comparison: Amazon Web Services vs. Google Cloud
| Feature | Amazon Web Services | Google Cloud |
|---|---|---|
| Containers | Docker and Kubernetes | Kubernetes |
| Virtual machines | Yes | Yes |
| Load balancing services | Yes | Yes |
| Network service tiers | No | Yes |
| Distributed object storage | Yes | Yes |
| Geography-based routing | Yes | No |
Head-to-head comparison: Amazon Web Services vs. Google Cloud
Security and compliance
Security and compliance are crucial in cloud computing and should make your checklist if you consider subscribing to any cloud platform. Part of the security and compliance consideration will fall around security technologies, compliance policies, encryption level and firewalls.
Both AWS and Google Cloud platforms deliver top security and compliance features for their customers. Regarding compliance, both platforms meet similar compliance standards such as STAR, HIPAA, CSA GDPR and other ISO standards.
At the encryption level, the platforms provide their customers with encryption features for data in transit and at rest using 256-bit AES. Regarding firewalls, there is a slight difference in how both allow customers to manage and configure their cloud-hosted accounts and applications. AWS provides its firewall service as a different service offering known as AWS Firewall Manager, while Google Cloud offers this service as part of its core Cloud Firewall service.
Network service tiers
Having the flexibility to optimize your network is another factor that can influence your choice of a cloud service platform. Currently, Google Cloud is the only provider that offers network service tiers to its customers. Unlike AWS, customers are offered the opportunity to choose between the network service tiers, making it easy for users to optimize their networks based on price and performance.
The two network service tiers available on Google Cloud are Standard and Premium. If you wish to connect to Google’s lower-performance network without having the opportunity to be protected by a global service-level agreement, you can consider subscribing to this option.
However, if you operate a business where performance outweighs cost considerations, the Premium tier will be a suitable option. With this option, customers have access to Google’s high-performance and low-latency network and global network load balancing and are protected by a global SLA.
File storage capabilities
Both services allow you access to file storage services that can help run your cloud resources. The AWS file storage service is called Amazon Elastic File System, and Google Cloud’s service is known as Google Filestore. With both services, customers have access to create, configure and store files using a fully managed file storage service while deployment, patching and maintenance infrastructure are managed by cloud providers.
Although both services offer similar file storage capabilities, some differences still arise. For instance, AWS’s EFS operates on version 4 of the Network File System Protocol (NFSv4) while Google’s Filestore runs its storage services on the older NFSv3.
Billing method
Both platforms offer similar billing methods. However, you stand a chance of saving more while using Google Cloud due to its per-second billing compared against AWS’s per-hour basis. Additionally, the Google Cloud platform offers more discounts for customers who opt to use them long-term with no upfront cost.
However, it’s better to bear in mind that factors like data center location, level of workloads and networking requirements will influence the pricing, and there is not much difference between the two.
Choosing between Amazon Web Services and Google Cloud
AWS and Google Cloud are both great platforms for cloud migration. However, picking one over the other should be subject to the unique requirement of your business.
If you are considering the price, remember that what you are billed depends on the instance you include in your package. For example, there are instances where AWS charges higher than Google Cloud and vice versa.
Furthermore, if you’re considering a platform that has been around for a longer time with wider reach, services and a great community, AWS might meet that need, as it’s been on the stage far longer than Google Cloud.