AWS vs Azure vs Google Cloud: a UK SMB comparison
If your business is choosing a cloud platform, the shortlist almost always comes down to three names: Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud. For most UK small and mid-sized businesses already running Microsoft 365, Azure is the most practical choice, because it shares the same identity, licensing and management as the tools your team already uses every day. AWS has the broadest catalogue of services and tends to suit engineering-led or product businesses. Google Cloud is strongest for data and analytics-heavy work. This guide explains the differences in plain English, written for Managing Directors, Finance Directors and Operations Directors rather than IT specialists. Lanmark is a Microsoft Direct CSP partner accredited with the Microsoft Support Service Designation, an accreditation held by only a handful of partners worldwide.
The three platforms are often called hyperscalers, which simply means cloud providers operating at enormous global scale. All three are capable, secure and used by serious organisations. The right answer for your firm depends less on which is “best” in the abstract and more on what you already run, how predictable you need your costs to be, and how much in-house technical resource you have to manage it.
What are AWS, Azure and Google Cloud?
A public cloud is computing power, storage and software that you rent over the internet instead of buying and running your own servers. You pay for what you use, and the provider looks after the underlying hardware, power and physical security.
AWS is the longest-established of the three and has the widest range of services. Microsoft Azure is built around the same Microsoft technologies most businesses already use, including Microsoft 365, Windows and Entra ID (the sign-in system formerly known as Azure Active Directory). Google Cloud is the smallest of the three by market presence but has a strong reputation for data, analytics and machine learning. The practical question for an SMB is not which has the most services, but which fits the way your business already works.
The three platforms at a glance
| AWS | Microsoft Azure | Google Cloud | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best suited to | Engineering-led and product businesses | SMBs already on Microsoft 365 | Data and analytics-led businesses |
| Headline strength | Broadest service catalogue | Tight Microsoft 365 integration | Data, analytics and machine learning |
| Microsoft 365 integration | Limited | Native and seamless | Limited |
| Identity and sign-in | Separate system to manage | Shared with Microsoft 365 (Entra ID) | Separate system to manage |
| Cost model | Consumption-based | Consumption-based | Consumption-based |
| Cost predictability for a small team | Harder to forecast without expertise | Easier when bundled with managed support | Harder to forecast without expertise |
| UK data residency | UK region available | UK region available | UK region available |
| Ease of management for a small team | Steeper learning curve | Familiar Microsoft tooling | Steeper learning curve |
| Partner support route | Reseller or in-house | Microsoft Direct CSP (e.g. Lanmark) | Reseller or in-house |
The honest summary is that all three can do the job. The differences that matter most to an SMB are integration with what you already own, how easily a small team can manage the platform, and how predictable the bill is.
Cost and predictability, the SMB question that matters most
The single most common reason a Finance Director becomes uneasy about cloud is the billing model. All three platforms charge on consumption, which means you pay for what you use. In theory that is efficient. In practice, an unmanaged cloud account can produce a bill that swings month to month, because every running service, every gigabyte of storage and every data transfer adds to the total. For a business used to a fixed monthly IT cost, that unpredictability is a genuine problem.
This is where the choice of platform matters less than the choice of how you run it. A cloud estate that is sized correctly, monitored, and reviewed regularly behaves very differently to one that is simply switched on and left. Lanmark’s per-user unlimited pricing model turns an unpredictable consumption bill into a predictable monthly cost per user, covering support for the underlying cloud environment as well as the devices that connect to it. For an SMB, predictable cost is not a luxury. It is what lets you budget with confidence and avoid the unwelcome surprise of an unexpected invoice.
Microsoft 365 integration and identity
If your business already runs Microsoft 365 for email, Teams and Office, Azure gives you a compounding advantage that AWS and Google Cloud cannot match easily. The reason is identity. Your staff already sign in to Microsoft 365 using Entra ID. Azure uses the same identity system, which means one set of accounts, one place to manage who can access what, and one set of security policies such as multi-factor authentication and conditional access (rules that decide when and how someone is allowed to sign in).
Running AWS or Google Cloud alongside Microsoft 365 is entirely possible, but it usually means maintaining a second identity system and a second set of security controls. For a small team without a dedicated IT department, that is more to manage, more to keep secure, and more that can go wrong. For a firm already invested in Microsoft, Azure lowers both cost and risk simply by reusing what is already there.
UK data residency and compliance
Data residency means where your data physically lives. For many UK businesses, particularly in financial services, legal and other regulated or client-data-heavy sectors, being able to say with confidence that client data is held in the UK is important for both compliance and client trust.
All three platforms operate UK data centre regions, so in principle any of them can keep your data in the UK. The practical difference is how easily a small team can configure that correctly and evidence it when a regulator or a client asks. Azure’s shared management with Microsoft 365 makes this more straightforward for firms already in the Microsoft ecosystem, because the same tools that govern your email and documents also govern your cloud data. The National Cyber Security Centre publishes clear guidance on cloud security that applies whichever platform you choose, and a managed partner should be able to map your configuration against it. Where data security extends to active threat monitoring, Lanmark’s managed detection and response service provides 24x7x365 cover across the cloud estate.
Which cloud is right for your business, three scenarios
Abstract comparisons only get you so far. Here is how the decision tends to play out for three common UK SMB profiles.
A professional services or finance firm on Microsoft 365. Azure is almost always the right answer. You already own the identity, the licensing and the management tooling, and Azure reuses all three. You get a single security posture, predictable management overhead, and straightforward UK data residency. Adding a second cloud platform here would create work and risk for little benefit.
A software or product business with its own engineering team. AWS deserves serious consideration. Its breadth of services and mature developer tooling are genuine strengths, and an in-house engineering team has the skills to manage the platform and control costs. This is the profile where AWS’s catalogue advantage translates into real value. Azure remains a strong alternative, especially if the business also runs on Microsoft 365, but the decision is closer and should follow your engineers’ expertise.
A data and analytics-led business. Google Cloud has a strong reputation for data warehousing, analytics and machine learning, and for a business whose core work is data, that pedigree can be decisive. In practice, many SMBs in this position run a primary platform for everyday operations, usually Azure if they are on Microsoft 365, and use a second platform selectively for the specialist data work. Running more than one cloud is a legitimate choice, provided you are clear about why and have the support to manage both.
You do not have to choose alone
Choosing a cloud platform is a commercial decision as much as a technical one, and it is easy to be steered by whoever is selling. Lanmark helps UK SMBs make the call on the evidence. We are a Microsoft Direct CSP, sourcing Microsoft licensing directly rather than through an intermediary, and we hold the Microsoft Support Service Designation, an accreditation recognising deep capability in supporting Microsoft estates.
A sensible starting point is our free Microsoft 365 licence review, which establishes what you already own and where money is being wasted before you commit to any cloud spend. If artificial intelligence is part of your cloud plan, our AI consultancy practice uses the AI Capability Ladder framework to map where your firm sits today and what a realistic next step looks like. And if Azure is the right fit, our Microsoft Azure services cover design, migration and ongoing management on a predictable per-user basis.
Frequently asked questions
Which cloud is best for a small or mid-sized UK business?
For most UK SMBs already using Microsoft 365, Azure is the most practical choice because it shares identity, licensing and management with tools you already run, which lowers both cost and risk. AWS suits engineering-led or product businesses, and Google Cloud is strongest for data and analytics work. The best platform depends on what you already own and how much technical resource you have to manage it.
Why do most Microsoft 365 firms end up on Azure?
Because Azure reuses the same sign-in system (Entra ID), security policies and management tools as Microsoft 365. A small team can govern email, documents and cloud infrastructure from one place rather than maintaining two separate systems, which saves time and reduces the chance of security gaps.
Is one cloud cheaper than the others?
Headline pricing across the three is broadly comparable, and all three bill on consumption, meaning you pay for what you use. The bigger cost factor is how well the platform is sized and managed. An unmanaged account on any platform can produce unpredictable bills; a correctly sized and monitored estate is far more predictable. A managed per-user model removes the month-to-month uncertainty entirely.
What does data residency mean and does my UK business need it?
Data residency means where your data is physically stored. For regulated firms and businesses holding sensitive client data, being able to confirm that data stays in the UK supports compliance and client trust. All three platforms offer UK regions; the practical difference is how easily your team can configure and evidence it.
Can I use more than one cloud provider?
Yes. Running more than one cloud, often called multi-cloud, is a legitimate choice, for example using Azure for everyday operations and Google Cloud for specialist data work. It only makes sense if you have a clear reason and the support to manage two platforms securely, because each adds management and cost overhead.
How do I avoid being locked in or overspending?
Start by understanding what you already own, keep your cloud estate sized to actual need, monitor spend regularly, and design for portability where it is practical. A managed partner reviewing the estate on a regular cadence is the most reliable way to keep costs predictable and avoid lock-in becoming a problem.
Does Lanmark only support Microsoft Azure?
Lanmark’s deepest accreditation and day-to-day expertise are in the Microsoft estate, including Azure and Microsoft 365, which is where most of our SMB clients run. Our advice is platform-honest: if Azure is not the right fit for your business, we will tell you so. The free Microsoft 365 licence review is a no-obligation way to establish the right starting point.
Primary action: Book a free Microsoft 365 licence review
Secondary action: Microsoft Azure services for UK SMBs
Lanmark is a Microsoft Direct CSP partner accredited with the Microsoft Support Service Designation. We help UK SMBs choose, move to and run the right cloud platform on a predictable per-user basis.