Why I’m Moving from AWS to Azure: 5 Key Reasons

I’ve been a cloud consultant for a while now, with experience in both AWS and Azure, but I’ve recently decided to focus more on Azure. Although AWS is still the market leader, Azure has become my preferred platform for several reasons. Here’s a breakdown of why I’m making this shift and what makes Azure stand out for me.

1. Market Demand and Growth

What’s the Market Saying? While Amazon remains the leader in the cloud market, Microsoft’s Azure has been the fastest-growing player. This growth rate is visible on LinkedIn job postings, with a significant uptick in demand for Azure engineers. As more companies look to Azure for cloud solutions, the demand for skilled Azure professionals is only likely to increase. This shift represents an exciting opportunity for cloud engineers, especially those looking to advance their careers in a fast-growing ecosystem.

2. Focus on Enterprise Clients

Why Enterprise Clients Prefer Azure Many enterprises still rely heavily on Windows-based systems, so when these companies migrate to the cloud, they often choose Azure. My company, which targets enterprise clients, sees this shift firsthand. Since Azure is designed to integrate smoothly with Microsoft’s suite of software, it’s the logical choice for Windows-heavy organizations. For engineers like myself, this means gaining expertise in Azure makes us more valuable to these clients.

3. User-Friendly Naming and Resource Grouping

Clear Naming Conventions One of my major frustrations with AWS has been its naming conventions. Services like “EC2” or “Elastic Compute 2” aren’t intuitive, especially for new users. In contrast, Azure uses straightforward names, calling things as they are (e.g., “Virtual Machine”), making it easier for anyone to understand and start using these services without memorizing jargon.

Resource Grouping Simplified Azure’s concept of “Resource Groups” is another big plus. In AWS, resources are tagged, but without proper tagging, it becomes challenging to locate and manage resources. With Azure’s resource groups, I can group resources by project or function, and managing them becomes as simple as accessing or deleting a group. This structure enhances usability and streamlines project management.

4. Certifications and Learning Opportunities

Accessible Certifications Azure’s certification structure is flexible and broad, which made it appealing to me. For instance, Azure offers specific tracks for data science, security, and data engineering, all within a unified learning path. This structure not only gives a clear pathway but allows specialization without needing extensive experience in machine learning, which AWS certifications often require.

Microsoft’s Learning Platform Microsoft’s Learn platform is also far superior to AWS’s training resources. I’ve had consistent issues accessing AWS training, but Microsoft Learn is a comprehensive, user-friendly platform where I can follow learning paths and develop skills directly related to Azure projects. It’s easy to start with basics, such as Azure fundamentals, and work through different areas of interest or specialization, all on one site.

5. All-in-One Platform for Cloud Engineering

Unified Ecosystem One of Azure’s greatest strengths is its unified ecosystem. From data engineering to DevOps and cloud administration, all the tools I need are within Azure’s platform. This integration allows for smoother project workflows. For example, I can use Azure DevOps pipelines, or integrate Power BI for data analytics without needing third-party tools. This cohesion makes Azure particularly appealing for large, complex projects where consistency across tools and services is essential.

Final Thoughts

With its rapid growth, enterprise focus, user-friendly design, certification opportunities, and cohesive ecosystem, Azure has become my go-to platform. If you’re a new cloud engineer or even an experienced one looking to expand your skill set, I highly recommend exploring Azure.