Although cloud technology is still evolving, there is no denying the fact that the technology is here to stay. Its services and platforms have changed the way businesses operate. Most businesses have embraced the distinct benefits of moving to the cloud. If you wish to harness the power of cloud, i2k2 Networks can help you make the transition. We, however, first help you consider your options. Although there are various players in the cloud market, this blog post gives an overview of two prominent cloud options, IBM Bluemix and Microsoft Azure. Read on to learn more.
What are IBM Bluemix and Microsoft Azure?
Before we discuss the nits and grits of cloud services, it’s crucial to understand what IBM Bluemix (now known as IBM Cloud) and Microsoft Azure actually are. For starters, these are two of the most popular cloud computing platforms currently in the market. Both platforms offer a wide range of services for building, deploying, and managing applications and services in the cloud. IBM Bluemix and Microsoft Azure cloud services, both are powerful cloud computing platforms. Which of these should be your choice depends on numerous factors such as the following:
- Specific organizational needs
- The size of your organization and
- Your preferred programming languages and tools
Let us now have a quick overview of Microsoft Cloud Services and IBM Bluemix.
IBM Bluemix
IBM’s Bluemix is a popular open standard cloud platform that allows you to build, manage, and run applications and services of all types. The platform provides instant environments, which allow developers to work on any run-time language of their choice. It also offers an integrated set of tools that helps developers and operation teams develop, monitor, deploy, and log an entire application collaboratively. Integrate an application as a team hassle-free by creating toolchains that include Bluemix services, open source API services, and third party tools. IBM prioritizes security through tools to provide layered security to your apps, platform, and infrastructure. The platform also allows you to build hybrid cloud environments to suit your business requirements. You also get flexible pricing options through pay as you go and different subscription models.
Microsoft Azure
Microsoft Azure is also a cloud platform that offers a growing collection of integrated services that are broadly categorized into three types, IaaS(Infrastructure-as-a-service), PaaS(Platform-as-a-service), and Saas(software-as-a-service). Azure’s virtual machines give developers various choices, from Linux, Windows Server, SQL Server, Oracle, SAP, to IBM, for a range of computing solutions. Its Single Sign-On (SSO) feature gives users easy access to all applications and resources through a single user account. Once signed in, you can access all apps that you may require to conduct your business without the need to authenticate again. It also allows users to log-in using their credentials from platforms such as Google, Microsoft, Facebook. Azure storage offers plenty of standard storage options, such as Blob, Queue, and Table storage. Microsoft Azure storage account replicates your data within the same data center or a different one to protect your data and apps up-time, in the event of hardware failure. Local, Zone, and Geo Redundancy 3-9s availability are the replication options users can choose from to preserve their data and applications. For those who wish to sample any combination of Azure services on a 30-day trial, you may use certain Azure services for free, if your organization is less than 5 years old. Microsoft has other attractive discount offers and benefits for schools and other educational institutes.
Related read – Microsoft Windows Azure Platform: A Brief Overview
A Comparison of the Features and Capabilities of IBM Bluemix and Microsoft Azure
In order to make the right choice, it’s crucial for you to understand the similarities and differences between Microsoft Azure cloud services and IBM cloud services. Let’s look at a detailed comparison of the features and capabilities of both platforms:
- Infrastructure: Both IBM Cloud and Azure offer Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) capabilities, allowing users to create and manage virtual machines, storage, and networking.
- Platform: Both providers offer Platform as a Service (PaaS) capabilities, providing a high-level environment for building, deploying, and managing applications. IBM Cloud offers support for multiple programming languages, including Java, Node.js, Ruby, and Python, while Azure supports all of the above and many others.
- AI and Data Analytics: When it comes to offering a range of AI and data analytics services, including machine learning, natural language processing, and data warehousing, both platforms have been playing on the front foot. While IBM Cloud has Watson AI services and IBM Cloud Pak for Data, Azure managed services come with Azure Machine Learning and Azure Data Factory.
- DevOps: Azure and IBM, both provide tools for DevOps. These tools include source control, build and release management, and continuous integration and delivery.
- Security: Each of these platforms offers robust security features, including multifactor authentication, access control, and encryption.
- IoT: If you are looking for Internet of Things (IoT) capabilities, including IoT device management, analytics, and visualization, both IBM Cloud and Azure have got options for you.
That said, certain unique features and capabilities of Azure differentiate it from IBM Cloud. Here is how Microsoft Azure services are more robust and efficient in comparison to IBM’s cloud platform.
- Azure has a larger global network of data centers, with over 60 regions worldwide, compared to IBM Cloud’s 60+ locations.
- It has a wider range of services for building and deploying mobile and web applications, including Azure App Service, Azure Functions, and Azure API Management.
- It offers a broader range of options for managing and deploying containers, including Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) and Azure Container Instances.
- Azure has a larger ecosystem as compared to IBM Bluemix when it comes to third-party software integrations and partners. This includes popular software like SAP, Oracle, and Red Hat.
- Microsoft Azure offers more options for hybrid cloud deployments than IBM. Its offerings include Azure Stack, which allows users to run Azure services on-premises and in the cloud.
Final Word
Although IBM is one of the biggest IT players to push cloud in the market, Microsoft has taken the IT market by storm despite being relatively new. Despite the differences between Bluemix and Azure, both cloud players have contributed immensely towards nurturing the cloud technology that we all know today. Whether you choose Bluemix or Azure, ensure it fits your business requirements. In case you are looking for Microsoft Azure hosting services and aren’t sure where to start, consider i2k2 Networds. Our IT experts are always ready to help you with the best customized cloud computing solutions.Our decades long experience and industry expertise have enabled us to emerge as one of the top data center companies in India. Your search for a premier web hosting company in Noida ends here. To learn more, ‘request a call back’ or call us at +91-120-466 3031.