AWS vs Azure vs Google Cloud
A neutral comparison for SMB and mid-market teams: platform strengths, cost management (FinOps), migration effort, and when a managed cloud partner earns its keep.
The platform choice is policy, not plumbing
Public cloud is now a >$1 trillion market growing about 20% a year, and most businesses end up on all three clouds eventually. The decision that matters is which platform you standardise on — because that drives your security posture, hiring, and monthly bill. We are platform-agnostic (we build and run workloads on AWS, Azure and GCP), so this guide tells you what actually differs.
The comparison table
Rankings are directional — always evaluate against your actual workload mix before committing.
FinOps: where cloud projects pay for themselves
Industry surveys consistently find that organisations waste roughly 29% of cloud spend on idle or over-provisioned resources — and cloud cost optimisation is now a top stated priority for about two-thirds of IT leaders. In practice this means a proper FinOps pass (right-sizing, schedules, savings plans, spend guardrails) frequently funds the migration project and then keeps 15-25% of the monthly bill in your pocket. Ask any partner for their cost-optimisation track record before you sign.
Single-cloud first
Most SMBs should standardise on one primary cloud: simpler security, one bill, one partner. You can still use managed SaaS on the other providers.
Multi-cloud with purpose
Adopt a second cloud only for a concrete reason — resilience, best-of-breed AI, data gravity, or regulatory requirements.
Managed partner when…
You lack 24/7 platform skills internally, your bills are growing faster than usage, or a migration must happen without business downtime. This is exactly the managed cloud service we run.
Get the audit before the commitment
We'll assess your workloads, your bill, and your compliance needs, and tell you honestly which platform (if any) you should move to — before you spend anything.
Book a ConsultationFrequently Asked Questions
Which cloud platform should a small or mid-size business choose: AWS, Azure or Google Cloud?
For SMB and mid-market companies, Azure is usually the default when you already run Microsoft 365 and want a smooth Windows/Active Directory story; AWS wins on breadth of services and maturity; Google Cloud is a strong choice for data, analytics and Kubernetes-first teams. All three are viable for most workloads.
How much does cloud migration cost?
Migration budgets depend on workload count, data volume, compliance needs and downtime tolerance. Small app migrations can run $5K-$30K; full ERP or data-centre migrations commonly range $50K-$250K+. A phased migration with rollback planning is the main cost and risk lever.
What is FinOps and why should I care about it?
FinOps is the discipline of continuously optimising cloud spend. Industry surveys show organisations waste roughly 29% of cloud budget on idle or over-provisioned resources, so FinOps is one of the fastest ways to pay for your cloud team.
Should we use multi-cloud or single-cloud?
For most SMBs a single primary cloud reduces complexity and cost; multi-cloud is worth it for specific reasons (SaaS resilience, best-of-breed AI/analytics, avoiding lock-in). Start single-cloud, reserve multi-cloud for workloads with concrete requirements.
When should we hire a managed cloud services provider?
Hire a managed provider when you need 24/7 operations without hiring a full internal platform team, when you're migrating with downtime constraints, or when cloud bills are growing faster than usage. Good providers cut waste, keep you compliant and respond in minutes.
Explore our cloud migration & managed services, read the cloud cost-optimisation guide, or see managed cloud solutions for regulated environments.