Data Backup Digest

With cloud computing competition growing as of late, it can be difficult to decide which service is the best for you. Although there are plenty of options to choose from thus far, two of the most popular seem to be Amazon Web Services and the Google Compute Engine, or Google Compute Platform. While both are likely able to accommodate or personal needs, there are some pros and cons associated with each service.

Market Longevity and Industry Reputation

As Amazon Web Services was launched in 2006, it's easy to see why they enjoy such a large portion of the cloud computing user base. Moreover, the fact that their carry the name of the eCommerce giant Amazon certainly gives them some additional staying power.

However, the reputation of the Google brand cannot be denied, either. Unfortunately for the Google Compute Engine and the Google Compute Platform, they were introduced slightly later than AWS. In fact, GCE is only four years old at the time of this writing, which might explain why they're lagging behind AWS as much as they are.

Pricing Plans and Service Offerings

There is also some differentiation between the pricing plans of GCE / GCP and AWS. Whereas Amazon Web Services offers three separate pricing models, including on-demand, service reservation and capacity bidding, GCP actually bases their price on the total number of minutes used. Note that there is a 10-minute minimum associated with each charge.

However, Google does offer a sustained pricing option for those who require frequent or extended access to their account. While this does offer some amount of flexibility in terms of service charges, GCP still comes up a little bit short when compared to AWS and their multi-tiered payment options.

Regional Coverage

Furthermore, Google has already pledged to develop 12 brand new cloud-centric data centers between March 2016 and September 2017. With that kind of drive, it's difficult to say how much of the market share Google will take over in the coming months and years. While this will certainly expand their regions of operation, which only includes four as of this writing, they are far behind Amazon when it comes to regional coverage.

In contrast to the dismal coverage of Google, Amazon Web Services currently boasts coverage in 12 different regions around the globe. As if this wasn't enough, they've already unveiled plans for an additional five regions in the coming months. With this kind of coverage by AWS, as well as the lack of coverage by Google, some consumers may have no other choice than to go with Amazon.

Growing Competition Within a Fast-Paced Industry

As you can see, the cloud computing industry is a fast-paced and highly competitive one. While there are certainly alternative options to Google and Amazon's services, they have been the most popular choices as of late.

To find out more information about the Google Compute Engine, please visit their website at cloud.google.com/compute. Conversely, those who are interested in finding out more information about Amazon Web Services can do so by visiting aws.amazon.com.