AWS GovCloud vs Azure Government Cloud – What’s the Top Government Cloud Provider

If you’re ready to leap to the government cloud, you’re likely looking back and forth between Amazon and Microsoft, wondering which is the best (and safest) bet. We’ve got you covered! 

Learn all you need to know from our cloud experts about which government cloud offering will work best for you – and it may come as a surprise, but there are other options outside of AWS and Azure… get into the details below!

What is AWS GovCloud?

 

First things first, AWS GovCloud (U.S.) is a cloud offering designed for the needs of the U.S. federal, state, or local government. AWS GovCloud enables users to adhere to conditions like ITAR (International Traffic in Arms Regulations), FedRAMP (Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program), and DoD (Departments of Defense) Cloud Computing Security Guide (SRG) Impact Levels 2, 4, and 5. 

Designed to securely host data and regulate workloads by meeting the strict compliance and regulatory requirements of the U.S. government agencies, AWS GovCloud is not just an option, but a top choice in the market to keep user data 100% secure. Its robust security features will give you peace of mind about the safety of your data. 

AWS GovCloud regions

 

AWS GovCloud offers specific regions geographically isolated from other AWS areas, ensuring all data is protected from anything ranging from natural disasters to downtime during updates. 

There are two GovCloud regions, U.S.-West and U.S.-East. Each region operates independently to offer the highest levels of security, data locality, and compliance. 

Though AWS GovCloud houses the data only within specific regions, it can be accessed globally so long as the user is a vetted U.S. entity. 

AWS GovCloud compliance

 

AWS GovCloud supports FedRAMP JAB P-AT (Joint Authorization Board Provisional Authority to Operate) at a High baseline. This government-wide program ensures you get all the security you need while monitoring cloud performance. 

Other compliance standards supported include: 

• IRS (Internal Revenue Service) Publication 1075 
• EAR (Export Administration Regulations) 
• DOJ (Department of Justice) 
• CJIS (Criminal Justice Information Systems)
• Security Policy FIPS (Federal Information Processing Standard) Publication 140-2

What is Azure Government?

 

 

Azure Government is Microsoft’s answer to AWS CloudGov. Similar to CloudGov, Azure Government is a cloud service designed for U.S. government agencies and their related partners. Azure Government offers a cloud entirely dedicated to government cloud to ensure maximum security and to reduce downtimes. 

It also uses a data center strategy similar to AWS GovCloud, with Azure Government isolating its data centers and networks to select areas of the U.S. via regional pairing. You can choose from Regional Pair A (Arizona and Virginia) or Regional Pair B (Texas). 

AWS GovCloud vs Azure Government – which is best?

 

AWS GovCloud and Azure Government have both been designed to do the same thing: provide cloud services made for government agencies. But not all things are created equal… and we’re here to walk you through the biggest pros and cons of each service to make it easier for you to pick the best offering for your needs. 

Before we get into all of the meaty details, keep this important thing in mind: if you’re already using Azure or AWS, the cons of cloud migration are unlikely to outweigh the pros of starting at a new provider. 

First, the main things these cloud services have in common: 

• Both offer physically isolated databases located in different regions of the U.S. for maximum natural disaster and redundancy protection. 
• Both meet compliance standards for a wide range of requirements (ex: FedRAMP, IRS 1075, etc.). 
• Both offer AI, IoT, analytics, and cloud security services. 

Here’s how the two differ in terms of pros and cons: 

AWS GovCloud and Azure Government also differ in terms of how they charge you for cloud services. Where AWS GovCloud has on-demand and reserved pricing models the same as traditional AWS cloud services, Azure pricing has four tiers to choose from for a monthly support plan (Basic, Developer, Standard, and Professional Direct).

AWS GovCloud pros

 

AWS GovCloud has been on the market longer than Azure Government. This comes with a laundry list of pros, including: 

• AWS offers more GovCloud services than Azure Government. 
• GovCloud has more customers, which means they’ve addressed more GovCloud-related issues. 

AWS GovCloud cons

 

The main AWS GovCloud cons are: 

• Poor feature parity between commercial AWS cloud and AWS GovCloud (AWS ChatBot doesn’t exist in GovCloud yet). 
• Additional costs and latency when transferring data between GovCloud and non-GovCloud accounts. 
• Access to both services is restricted to U.S. individuals who comply with U.S. export control laws. 

Azure Government pros

 

The following are the pros you can expect from Azure Government: 

• Azure Government is a completely separate section of Microsoft Azure to ensure maximum security. 
• Easy integration with other Azure services. 

As we’ve mentioned above, if you’re already working on Microsoft, you’re likely best off staying on Azure Government since you won’t have to worry about migration.

Azure Government cons

 

Azure Government’s biggest con is its lack of experience. This means that it: 

• Lacks the extensive cloud services that AWS offers, though. 
• Has a weaker market share and adoption rate, though it has been gaining traction. 
• Is slower to receive updates due to weaker market share and deprioritization. 

While AWS GovCloud and Azure Government are the leading government cloud providers, it’s smart to consider other options before making a final decision. These providers may offer unique features or better suit your organization’s specific needs. 

 

What are other major government cloud providers? 

 

Still unsure if you want to use either AWS or Azure services? No sweat. There are plenty of other options. Amazon launched their first government cloud option thirteen years ago and Microsoft eight years ago, so there’s been time for other providers to catch up. 

The best place to find other options is the FedRAMP website, which provides a list of compliant and authorized vendors and services. These vendors have been heavily vetted by technical and security reviews and audited by accredited third-party assessors before they were granded the right to operate. 

We’ve listed the other top government cloud providers below. 

Something you should know is that all of these providers are using the same data hosting system as their commercial offerings. The biggest difference between the government cloud offerings versus the commerical cloud offerings for these providers is the added level of security. Otherwise, these providers are all known for their trustworthiness and their tailor-made products.

IBM SmartCloud for Government

 

 

IBM’s SmarCloud for Government allows for improved communication, encrypted mail services, and BlackBerry-specific collaborative document creation and customer support. 

IBM SmartCloud also makes working in a multi-cloud environment easy, enabling you to integrate variations of other cloud-enabled IBM or Lotus products. 

Salesforce Government Cloud

 

 

Salesforce launched their government cloud solution back in 2014, so they’ve had plenty of time to perfect their service offerings. Favored by government enterprises like the Department of Defense and the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, you’d be hard-pressed to go wrong with Salesforce, as it’s one of the most popular government solutions on the market. 

Google Distributed Cloud Host (GDCH)

 

 

 

GDCH (Google Distributed Cloud Hosted) is Google’s government user infrastructure offering. As opposed to AWS GovCloud or Azure Government, GDCH offers a private cloud solution that a government customer can host on their own premises. 

GDCH is designed for a bit of a different purpose. It focuses on providing data residency, operational continuity, and soverentiy. Users will have access to standard Google Cloud services and scalability through the Google Anthos hybrid cloud solution. 

Should you switch to a government cloud service?

 

Now that we’ve covered all of the different government cloud service providers and you have a better idea of which company might be best for you, it’s time for the real question: is it worth you even starting with a government cloud service in the first place? 

As much as we hate to say it… it depends. 

If you’re a government agency, you certainly don’t need to use AWS CloudGov or Azure Government or another government cloud serivce. You can stick to the standard cloud or multi-cloud experience (it’s usually a little cheaper!) and not have to worry about migration. Since most government cloud services require separate account IDs and user access credentials and, in the name of security, can make it very difficult for you to add new users to the cloud platform, things are often slow-moving and inconvenient. 

With that said, if you’re looking for support for enterprise-sized applications (ex: Oracle, SAP) or workloads, or need help with storage, disaster recovery, or hgh performing computing, or even if you just want an additional boost for your cloud security, government cloud services might appeal. Government cloud services mean you don’t ever have to worry about data leaks, and you can manage all of your user and customer information with that peace of mind. 

If you are ready to bite the bullet of transition to a government cloud service, you’ll just need to be prepared for the migration, which can seriously inflate your bills. 

We do have good news on that front though, because there’s an easy way you can address inflated cloud service prices.

Considering AWS GovCloud? Stay 100% Secure and Gain Multicloud Visibility with Anodot

 

AWS GovCloud offers a dependable solution for securely storing classified US government and federal information. However, when operating in multi-cloud environments, achieving complete visibility of all your activities in a single location can significantly reduce the back-and-forth involved in calculating costs and gaining insights into your expenditures.

Using Anodot, you can solve the ever-worsening mystery of why is my cloud budget so high? Our dashboard is able to integrate your cloud data  like AWS, GCP, and Azure,onto one dashboard. You can get up to a 24-month lookback with data down to the hour, making it easy to spot everything from season trends to all of your cloud spend inefficiencies. 

With Anodot you’ll be able to visualize where costs are generating wether they be in the public or government controlled cloud.

Want a proof of concept? Talk to us to learn how much you can save with Anodot’s tools.