From the case study, we have architected a potential solution and estimated the monthly cost for each of the big 3 cloud platforms, AWS, Azure and GCP. Each platform’s service specifications and assumptions were made as closely as possible, in order for the 3 platforms to be fairly compared. Following the costing done, for this particular case study we can see that AWS is the most cost-effective platform at USD 125.07 per month, with GCP as a close second at USD 200.97 per month and Azure being the least cost-effective platform out of the three costing about USD 247.49 per month.
The cost of hosting the solution on AWS is around 38% cheaper than GCP and about 50% cheaper than Azure. However, there is a level of uncertainty with the AWS-based solution since there is no clear way of costing AWS’s Elastic Beanstalk hosting service, since it primarily depends on the other AWS services that you are using. When actually deploying the solution to AWS, we may find that Elastic Beanstalk could make up a significant amount of the costs, pushing our calculated costs up. Here is an example of AWS’s complex pricing structure which consists of many variables that can influence costing significantly. Often with AWS, third-party pricing tools have to be used to manage the costs of your projects effectively so that they do not surge unknowingly. Azure’s pricing structure is similar to AWS, in that it has complex pricing options that can make it difficult for customers to understand and optimize effectively. GCP, however, strives for a customer-friendly pricing structure that is simple, transparent and can potentially create more value for your business.
You can architect the solution to the case study in a number of ways using different services to build containers, store user data or host the website. You should choose your architecture based on your specifications, whether that is to have a highly available, high performing or low cost solution. You may find that the costs of the different services used or the total cost for your solution can change often as your business scales and new services or features are introduced into your architecture – this occurs regardless of the platform that you choose. When you are choosing a platform to host your projects cost-effectively, consider the features you require, the scale of your project and your performance requirements. AWS can be cost-effective for large enterprise projects, where your organization requires global reach and a variety of different service offerings all managed on one platform. Azure is well-suited to organizations that are accustomed to using Microsoft products and require easy integration with the cloud. GCP is ideal for smaller businesses and startups, who require innovation and would like to be cloud-native.
It is imperative that you choose the cloud platform that is most cost-effective for your use-case, whether you are pursuing an enterprise-wide project or a smaller project. Between the big three cloud platforms, each offers its own pricing structure and various discounts that can be beneficial to your business – it is up to you to choose the cloud platform that is right for you and your business needs.
Contact us today to assist you in making an informed decision web@piidigital.co.za
