Choosing the best cloud platform for hosting Drupal applications can be complex, especially when comparing two robust solutions like Acquia Cloud and Microsoft Azure. Both offer reliable infrastructure, but have fundamental differences that can directly impact the performance, scalability and manageability of your projects.
In this article, we explain the characteristics of each solution and provide a comparison chart between them to help you make the best choice for your business. Enjoy the read!
What is coud computing?
Before we get into the platform comparison, it's worth remembering that cloud computing is an IT service delivery model that provides computing resources on demand. It allows organizations to reduce or eliminate the need for local physical infrastructure and purchase only the space and resources they need.
The benefits of cloud computing include
- Scalability: the ability to adjust resources to meet system demand.
- Security: optimized infrastructures for data protection and regulatory compliance.
- Cost reduction: eliminates hardware and maintenance costs and optimizes resource allocation
Acquia Cloud: specialist in Drupal solutions
The hosting platform designed specifically for Drupal-based applications was developed by Acquia. Acquia Cloud offers an optimized environment ready for the development, management and scalability of Drupal sites and applications.
Acquia Cloud's main features:
- Optimizable infrastructure for Drupal workloads.
- Integrated CI/CD tools for deploys automation.
- Continuous monitoring and specialized support.
- Native features for security and compliance.
Microsoft Azure: flexible and comprehensive
The Cloud Computing platform created by Microsoft is comprehensive, and offers support for a wide range of applications, including Drupal. Precisely because of this more generalist approach, Microsoft Azure requires additional configurations to obtain an optimized environment for Drupal.
Key features of Microsoft Azure:
- Multi-technology support and integration with Microsoft services.
- Highly scalable infrastructure that can adapt to different scenarios.
- Advanced security and compliance tools.
Comparison: Acquia Cloud vs. Microsoft Azure
It's important to note that Acquia Cloud and Microsoft Azure belong to different categories of cloud services and serve different purposes.
Acquia Cloud is a platform focused on Digital Experience Platforms (DXP), offering an environment optimized for rich digital experiences, such as complex corporate websites, customer portals and applications based on the Drupal CMS. Its growth in the market reflects its specialization: it currently holds 4.6% of the mindshare - up from 4.4% last year.
On the other hand, Microsoft Azure is positioned as a comprehensive Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) solution, providing scalable infrastructure for various business applications, from databases to artificial intelligence. Its dominance in the IaaS market is significant, with a 19.3% share of mindshare, an increase of 0.3% on the previous year.
Considering this distinction is fundamental when choosing between the two platforms. If the company needs a highly specialized environment for Drupal, Acquia Cloud seems to be the best option. If the goal is a flexible infrastructure for other applications, Azure is a more comprehensive alternative.
In the table below, you can see the difference in some topics on the two platforms:
Final considerations
For organizations looking for the best experience in performance, security, and dedicated support for Drupal, the Acquia Cloud is the ideal choice.
Its optimized infrastructure ensures high performance, while its advanced security features and dedicated technical support provide peace of mind for projects that require reliability and scalability.
When choosing a platform to host your Drupal project, it is important to consider not only flexibility, but also the ability to provide an environment specifically configured to maximize the CMS's potential. Acquia Cloud is designed to meet these needs.
Need help securing the best infrastructure for your Drupal site? Dexa is a certified Acquia partner and can help you through the entire process. Take your digital experience to the next level.
