When each of the four options is right: billing model, data location and privacy, management effort and the technology your team knows. Not always the cloud, and certainly not always Azure.
Short answer: If your office runs Microsoft 365 and Windows servers, Azure is usually the option with the least friction. If your application is Linux- and container-heavy or your team knows AWS, AWS comes first. If your work is analytics-heavy and you use Google Workspace, Google Cloud makes sense. For systems that run at full load around the clock, must keep working when the internet is down, or whose data must not leave the building, your own server is still the right answer. For most businesses the best result is a hybrid.
The four options in one table
| Criterion | Azure | AWS | Google Cloud | Your own server |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Billing model | Pay as you go; reservations and savings plans | Pay as you go; reservations and savings plans | Pay as you go; sustained-use discounts | Up-front hardware; power, maintenance and spares are yours |
| Strongest at | Integration with Microsoft 365, Windows Server and Active Directory | Breadth of services, mature ecosystem | Analytics, AI, Kubernetes | Predictable cost under steady load, full control |
| Identity | Entra ID; the same accounts as Microsoft 365 | IAM; federating with Microsoft identities needs extra setup | Cloud Identity; native with Google Workspace | Active Directory, managed by you |
| Data location | You choose the region | You choose the region | You choose the region | In your building |
| Management effort | No hardware; configuration and cost tracking are yours | Same | Same | Everything is yours, including hardware, backup, cooling and power |
| If the internet is down | Access stops | Access stops | Access stops | Local work continues |
This table is a general frame; providers change prices and service scopes often. The decision should always rest on measurements of your own workload.
When Azure?
- You use Microsoft 365 and your users are already in Entra ID: server sign-in, remote desktops and permissions are managed with the same accounts.
- You own Windows Server and SQL Server licences: with Azure Hybrid Benefit you can use them in the cloud.
- You want a remote desktop for a remote team where data never lands on laptops (Azure Virtual Desktop).
- You want a disaster recovery copy of your on-premises server in the cloud.
When AWS or Google Cloud?
- Your application is built on Linux, containers and serverless and your team knows the platform: AWS usually offers the widest choice.
- Big data, analytics and AI services come first and the office uses Google Workspace: Google Cloud.
- A customer or partner requires a specific cloud: no debate needed.
When your own server?
- Load is high and steady around the clock: over three to five years your own hardware is often more predictable in total cost.
- Production lines, PLCs and SCADA that must keep running when the internet is down.
- Data must not leave the building because of a contract or regulation.
Data location and privacy
On all three clouds you choose the country whose data centre holds your data. In the EU the GDPR applies; for a business in Türkiye, transferring personal data abroad falls under Article 9 of the KVKK, which since 2024 provides tools such as standard contracts. Decide on the region with your legal adviser; on the technical side encryption, access logs and backup location should be documented.
For most businesses the right answer is hybrid
Email and office apps in Microsoft 365, production systems on site, backups and the disaster recovery copy in the cloud. The cloud is not a "move everything" decision; it is decided workload by workload.
Four questions before you decide
- How many hours a day, and at what load, does this workload run?
- What must happen when the internet goes down?
- In which country may the data reside, and does it include personal data?
- Who will run this platform, and which technology does the team know?
With the answers to these four questions we make a concrete proposal for Azure Cloud Infrastructure, Cloud Architecture & DevOps or servers, virtualisation and backup. We are not tied to any provider; our recommendation depends on your workload.