A practical, vendor-neutral decision framework you can apply this week

Selecting a primary cloud is less about who has more services and more about fit for your portfolio: integration needs, compliance, existing skills, and total cost of ownership. Use the evaluation matrix below to make a transparent, defensible choice.

Decision Matrix (Score 1–5)

Criterion AWS Microsoft Azure Google Cloud Notes
Microsoft stack integration (AD, 365, Dynamics) 2 5 2 Azure often integrates natively.
Advanced analytics & ML 4 3 5 GCP strong in data/ML; AWS broad depth.
Container/Kubernetes services 4 4 5 EKS/AKS/GKE maturity varies by region.
Hybrid/on-prem connectivity 3 5 4 Azure Arc, AWS Outposts, GCP Anthos.
Compliance & data residency 5 5 4 Check required certifications by region.
Marketplace & partner ecosystem 5 4 3 Consider ISVs you already use.
Pricing model fit (RIs/Savings Plans) 4 4 4 Run a 12-month TCO scenario.
Talent availability & training paths 5 5 3 Assess your team’s current skills.
Support model / enterprise SLAs 4 5 4 Evaluate support tiers & response times.
Regional coverage/latency 5 5 3 Map to user & data locations.

 

Quick Takeaways

Azure typically wins where Microsoft integration and hybrid management are strategic. GCP shines for data/ML-heavy workloads. AWS often leads on breadth and ecosystem. Many enterprises standardize on one and adopt a pragmatic multi-cloud for specific services.

How to Run a 10-Day Cloud Fit Assessment

  1. Inventory 10–15 representative apps (criticality, compliance, latency, integrations).
  2. Map each app to required managed services (DB, messaging, analytics, identity).
  3. Score each cloud with the matrix and document assumptions.
  4. Estimate 12-month cost (compute, storage, egress, support tier).
  5. Decide a primary cloud; note exceptions for specialized workloads.

Helpful Resources

If your team needs vendor-certified guidance to run this assessment, consider engaging an external reviewer to validate your scores and assumptions.