Azure vs Google Cloud Platform: 6 Reasons Why Azure is the Ideal Choice for Your Business
To remain competitive and at the forefront of digital operations many businesses are now taking advantage of the power of cloud computing. Embracing these services can help organisations to drive innovation, improve operational efficiency, and scale their business seamlessly. Two of the largest cloud computing providers are Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud Platform (GCP). Each of these providers have their own pros and cons, but for meeting the unique challenges that enterprises face, we believe Azure should be your cloud provider of choice. Our latest blog discovers why we would recommend Azure over GCP and how it’s cloud-based services can benefit your business. Read on to discover why we would recommend Azure for your business in the Azure vs Google Cloud Platform debate.
What is Azure and Google Cloud Platform?
Azure and GCP are both flexible cloud computing solutions. Both offer businesses the computing resources associated with a traditional server network, but via the cloud. These platforms provide an innovative range of services that are designed to bring new solutions to life, allowing you to solve challenges and meet your business goals. Azure and GCP provide compute, storage, database, analytics, networking services, security, AI, and machine learning. With access to these tools, you can streamline operations, oversee servers, scale cloud resources, improve decision making, boost productivity, and integrate AI through one web-based portal. All with the potential of saving both time and money.
Six Reasons Why Azure is the Ideal Cloud Platform for your Business
Azure is a powerful cloud platform that is designed to optimise your business operations, boost scalability and increase your efficiency. Its robust infrastructure and cutting-edge tools will enable you to benefit from seamless management and innovation, allowing you to remain competitive. If you are looking for a reliable cloud solution to enhance performance and drive growth, read our six reasons why Azure Cloud Services is the cloud platform for you!
1. Seamless Microsoft Integration and Support
Compared to GCP, Azure benefits from Microsoft’s existing relationship with enterprises. As Microsoft provides many organisations with tools like Microsoft 365 (M365) and Windows Server, users are already used to its essential apps. Therefore, Azure will be a familiar extension of the Microsoft ecosystem, seamlessly extending into the cloud and avoiding the complexity of an additional database like GCP. Because of this seamless integration, businesses can bring their existing licences for Windows Server and SQL Server over to Azure, providing the correct licencing is in place. Plus, if you partner with Croft, you’ll benefit from the expertise of our Microsoft engineers who can migrate your existing on-premise server to the cloud. While GPC offers innovation, in comparison it has limited support for businesses with an existing Microsoft environment.
2. Comprehensive Hybrid Cloud Solutions
If your business is unable to migrate all its data or you have critical on-premise services, Azure is an excellent option for adopting a hybrid cloud model. Having invested heavily in its hybrid cloud solutions, Azure allows businesses to manage their resources across on-premise and cloud environments from one portal. These tools give you complete agility, ensuring you can immediately scale your demand for capacity up or down. Having this ability means you can save time and money as it eliminates the need to purchase, install and maintain an unnecessary server. While GCP offers similar capabilities, it can’t match Azure’s seamless integration for businesses already invested in Microsoft products. Azure is our top choice for organisations looking for a smooth hybrid cloud deployment or migration. This can be a crucial factor for industries that need to adhere to certain compliance regulations.
3. Advanced Security and Compliance
Azure excels in providing enterprise grade security by securely replicating your data three times in the cloud, along with complete disaster recovery and backup. Its standout features also include multi-layered, integrated security that’s combined with advanced monitoring and threat detection to further protect your data. With 39% of UK businesses experiencing a cyber attack in the last 12 months1 this is an important consideration.
If your organisation has worldwide offices, it’s crucial that you choose a cloud provider that can support your operations in multiple locations while adhering to regional compliance. Trusted by 90% of Fortune 500 companies2, Azure has 60 global regions and 300 sustainable data centres across the world. In contrast, although GCP has a robust network, it has yet to match Azure’s global presence. Furthermore, Azure makes compliance with legal and regulatory standards easier. There are over 100 certifications, including ISO, GDPR, HIPPA, and more, designed for specific regions and industries. You can also be assured that while your data is in the cloud it will remain 100% yours.
4. Support for Diverse Workloads and Industry Specific Solutions
Many businesses run a variety of workloads that include legacy applications, cutting-edge AI and analytics. This makes Azure a standout choice for those who are running legacy versions of SQL Server or Office 365 integrations. Whilst both Azure and GCP offer industry specific solutions, GCP tends to offer fewer features and services in comparison. When it comes to industry specific solutions, Azure excels in industries like healthcare, finance, retail, and manufacturing. Here are some examples:
Healthcare - can help streamline health data management, accelerate research, improve patient care, and ensure compliance with regulations like HIPAA and GDPR.
Finance - it’s robust security measures offers real-time threat detection helping to manage risk and compliance.
Retail – analyse customer data to offer product recommendations, monitor stock levels, gain insights into customer behaviour, or enable virtual assistants to interact with customers.
Manufacturing - AI tools can enhance demand forecasting, product design, and inventory tracking.
5. Cost-effective Licensing
Both Azure and GCP offer flexible pay-as-you-go models to access their cloud services. This means you will only pay for the computing time you use. Azure’s pricing model allows your business to optimise its costs with a range of plans and discounts that are tailored to your specific requirements. Although GCP offers a simpler pricing model, Azure Hybrid benefit allows businesses to save on Windows Server and SQL Server licences when migrating to the cloud. These savings can be up to 36% for Windows Server customers or 28% for SQL customers3. Both platforms offer tools that help with budgeting, allowing you to monitor and control your cloud costs to find savings opportunities.
6. Enterprise-grade AI and Analytics
Azure AI empowers businesses to implement various AI-driven solutions across different departments. Here are some key areas where Azure AI can be used:
Customer Engagement – create chat bots to handle enquiries and support, analyse customer feedback with sentiment analysis or provide personalised recommendations using existing data.
Operations Optimisation – predict maintenance, manage your supply chain or inventory levels and identify fraudulent activity.
Data Analysis and Insights – process documents, analyse images or text for quality control or to discover insights or trends.
Business Intelligence – conduct risk assessments, predict future marketing trends or identify customers at high risk of leaving.
While GCP is widely recognised for its AI expertise, Azure is a formidable contender in enterprise AI and analytics. Its high-performance AI tools integrate seamlessly with other Azure services, enabling you to obtain actionable insights with ease.
Azure vs Google Cloud Platform: Why Azure and Croft are the Perfect Cloud Partners for Your Enterprise
GCP and Azure are both robust cloud solutions that offer excellent uptime. Azure, however, stands out for its excellent hybrid capabilities and smooth integration with the Microsoft ecosystem. For businesses with existing Microsoft products who are looking for a seamless and cost-effective cloud migration, it’s the perfect choice. Microsoft Azure’s commitment to security, compliance, and innovation ensures it remains a trusted partner, working together with croft.
Croft specialises in Azure cloud solutions that can help your business thrive. We simplify your Azure experience, managing everything from seamless migrations to efficient cost optimisation. Working together, our team of Azure specialists provides the knowledge and support you need to maximise your cloud investment. Let us help you realise the full potential of your Azure environment.
If your business is already using Azure, our Azure Cost Optimisation Assessment can help you identify unused resources and implement strategies to reduce or managed costs effectively.
Begin your cloud journey with Azure by contacting our experts at Croft.
- 1. Introduction to Azure - Giacom 2025
- 2. Your Guide to Microsoft Azure - Giamcom 2025
