In this article
The short answer
If your team already works in Microsoft 365 and runs Windows Server or SQL Server, Azure is usually the easiest fit. If your business lives in Google Workspace and wants analytics and AI on its own data, look closely at Google Cloud. If you want a very wide choice of managed services and a large pool of engineers who know them, AWS is a safe default.
“Which cloud is right for my business?” is the right question to start with, but it rarely has a one-word answer. All three run data centres in India, so for most Indian businesses the choice comes down to the tools you already use, the skills in your team, and the credits you can get. The rest of this post sets out the facts, so you can see which way your own business leans.
AWS, Azure and Google Cloud side by side
| AWS | Microsoft Azure | Google Cloud | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Data centres in India | Asia Pacific (Mumbai) and Asia Pacific (Hyderabad), three Availability Zones each. Hyderabad has to be switched on (opt-in) before you can use it. | Central India (Pune), South India (Chennai), West India (Mumbai) and India South Central (Hyderabad, open since 6 August 2026). Pune and Hyderabad have three availability zones. | asia-south1 (Mumbai) and asia-south2 (Delhi). Cloud Storage can also use the two as one India dual-region. |
| Pricing and free credits | Pay as you go. India-based accounts are billed by AWS India in rupees. New accounts get US$100 in credits on sign-up and up to US$100 more for trying key services, on a 6-month free plan. More than 30 services have an always-free monthly allowance. | Pay as you go. The free account gives US$200 of credit to use within 30 days, free monthly amounts of 20+ popular services for 12 months, and 65+ always-free services. | Pay as you go. The free trial gives US$300 of credit for 90 days, and the Free Tier gives monthly allowances on selected products, for example 1 TiB of BigQuery queries a month. |
| Commitment discounts | Savings Plans, up to 72% off pay-as-you-go. | Reservations, up to 72% off; savings plan for compute, up to 65% off. | Sustained use discounts of up to 30%, applied automatically, plus committed use discounts. |
| Strengths | A very wide range of managed services, from servers and databases to generative AI on Amazon Bedrock, and two India regions with three zones each. | Works hand in hand with Microsoft 365 and Windows: the same Microsoft Entra ID sign-ins, and Windows Server and SQL Server licences you own can be reused through Azure Hybrid Benefit. | Data and AI: BigQuery for analytics and Vertex AI for models, and it uses the same accounts as Google Workspace. |
| Startup programmes | AWS Activate: up to US$5,000 in credits for self-funded startups, and up to US$200,000 for pre-Series B startups with an Org ID from an Activate Provider. | Microsoft for Startups: US$2,000 for 90 days, then US$4,800 for 180 days after business verification. Startups referred by an investor or accelerator most often start with US$100,000. | Google for Startups Cloud Program: up to US$200,000 over two years, or up to US$350,000 for AI startups, for funded startups from Pre-Seed to Series A. |
| Compliance in India | Mumbai and Hyderabad regions empanelled by MeitY. | Azure, Microsoft 365 and Dynamics 365 accredited by MeitY since November 2017. | Mumbai and Delhi regions empanelled by MeitY. |
Figures from each provider’s own pages, checked on 29 October 2026. Credits and programmes change, so check the current terms before you sign up.
What Indian rules ask of you
- DPDP: the Digital Personal Data Protection Rules were notified on 14 November 2025, with an 18-month phased timeline. They apply to your business as the one handling personal data, whichever cloud you choose. The government’s summary does not set a general rule that personal data must stay in India; localisation applies to Significant Data Fiduciaries for the categories the government specifies.
- RBI: payment system operators must store the entire data relating to their payment systems in a system in India (RBI circular of 6 April 2018).
- SEBI: SEBI’s cybersecurity FAQs say regulated entities should store and process data, including logs, in data centres of MeitY-empanelled cloud providers with valid STQC certification, and keep encryption keys within India.
All three providers let you keep data in India by choosing India regions. Whether you are compliant still depends on how the cloud is set up: encryption, access, logging and backups.
Choose AWS if… Azure if… Google Cloud if…
Choose AWS if…
- you want a large choice of managed services and a big pool of engineers who know them;
- you want two India regions with three zones each, for example Mumbai for production and Hyderabad for recovery (see Mumbai or Hyderabad);
- you are a funded startup that can use AWS Activate credits;
- you plan generative AI on Amazon Bedrock.
Choose Azure if…
- your staff sign in with Microsoft 365 and you want one login for both;
- you run Windows Server or SQL Server and own licences with Software Assurance (reuse them on Azure);
- you want a choice of four India regions;
- you are weighing AWS or Azure for a small business that already pays for Microsoft 365: Azure usually means less for your team to learn.
Choose Google Cloud if…
- your team works in Google Workspace and you want to use the same accounts;
- analysing your data and using AI on it are the main reasons for moving;
- you want to run containers with very little upkeep (see Cloud Run or GKE);
- you are a funded or AI startup that qualifies for Google for Startups credits.
You don’t have to pick one for everything. Many businesses use Microsoft 365 for email and AWS or Google Cloud for their applications. What matters is that each bill has an owner and that the identities are joined up, so people leaving are removed everywhere at once.
What moving between them involves
Moving from one cloud to another is a migration like any other, with a few extra traps.
- Servers, containers and standard databases move most easily. Each provider has its own tools for this: AWS Application Migration Service and Database Migration Service, Azure Migrate, and Google Cloud’s Migration Center.
- Provider-specific services take rework. Anything built on one provider’s own database, queue or AI service has to be redesigned or replaced on the other side.
- Identity and networking are rebuilt, not copied. Users, roles, firewalls and VPN links are set up again in the new cloud.
- Data transfer out can cost money, but all three waive it when you leave, with conditions. AWS asks you to contact support and finish within 180 days. Google Cloud asks for an exit notice before you start, and you must move everything from the service and end your agreement for it. Azure’s bandwidth pricing page says it offers free egress for customers leaving Azure.
- Check commitments first. Savings Plans, reservations and committed use discounts run to their end date, so time the move or you pay for two clouds.
- The new provider may help pay. See MAP, Azure migration funding and RaMP.
We plan these moves app by app, using the 7 Rs of migration. Our cloud migration service covers the assessment, the move and the first weeks after.
Keeping the bill down on any cloud
- Right-size first. Turn off what isn’t needed and shrink what is oversized before you commit to anything.
- Commit for the steady part. Savings Plans, reservations and committed use discounts cut the price of servers that run all the time. Read how commitment discounts work on all three clouds.
- Know when credits end. Free credits and startup credits expire, and the first full bill is often a surprise. See why your cloud bill went up this month.
- Watch data transfer. Traffic out to the internet and between regions is charged after a free allowance; on Azure the first 100 GB a month out to the internet is free.
- Set budgets and alerts on day one, and tag every resource with an owner.
To see what you could save, try our cloud savings calculator.
How DevOps TechLab helps
We are partners for all three, so we can advise without pushing one:
- AWS Advanced Tier Services Partner, with the SMB and Generative AI Software Competencies
- Microsoft Solutions Partner for Modern Work
- Google Cloud Partner (Select tier) and Select partner for Google Workspace
Our story starts in 2017. We help Indian businesses choose a cloud, move to it and run it. We start by looking at what you run today, the tools your team uses and any rules you must follow. Then we recommend one cloud, or a mix, in writing, with an estimated monthly cost and the credits you may qualify for. After the move, our managed cloud team can run it for you, billed in rupees on a GST invoice.
More on each partnership: AWS, Microsoft and Google Cloud. Or write to sales@devopstechlab.com.
Questions people ask
Which is right for a small business in India, AWS or Azure?
It depends on what you already use. If your team works in Microsoft 365 and runs Windows Server, Azure usually means less to learn. If you want a very wide choice of services, or you qualify for AWS Activate credits, AWS is a strong option. Both have data centres in India.
Do AWS, Azure and Google Cloud have data centres in India?
Yes. AWS has two regions (Mumbai and Hyderabad), Azure has four (Pune, Chennai, Mumbai and Hyderabad) and Google Cloud has two (Mumbai and Delhi), as listed on each provider’s own pages on 29 October 2026.
Which cloud provider in India costs the least?
There is no single answer. List prices are close for similar servers, and the real difference comes from commitment discounts, free and startup credits, and how well the setup is sized. Our cloud savings calculator gives a first estimate for your own usage.
Can we keep our data in India?
Yes. Choose an India region on any of the three and keep backups there too. The DPDP Rules do not set a general requirement to keep personal data in India, but RBI rules for payment data and SEBI guidance for regulated entities do ask for data to stay in India.
Are AWS, Azure and Google Cloud empanelled by MeitY?
Yes. AWS lists its Mumbai and Hyderabad regions as fully empanelled, Microsoft says Azure, Microsoft 365 and Dynamics 365 have been accredited since November 2017, and Google Cloud lists its Mumbai and Delhi regions.
How hard is it to move from one cloud to another?
Servers, containers and standard databases move fairly easily with each provider’s migration tools. Services that are specific to one provider take rework. All three waive data transfer charges for customers leaving, with conditions, and commitments should be timed so you don’t pay twice.
Can we use more than one cloud?
Yes, and many businesses do, for example Microsoft 365 for email and AWS or Google Cloud for applications. Keep one owner per bill and join up the sign-ins so access is removed everywhere when someone leaves.
Does DevOps TechLab favour one cloud?
No. We are an AWS Advanced Tier Services Partner, a Microsoft Solutions Partner for Modern Work, and a Google Cloud Partner (Select tier), so we recommend the cloud that fits your business and put the reasons in writing.
Not sure which cloud fits?
Tell us what you run today and the tools your team uses. We will recommend AWS, Azure, Google Cloud or a mix, in writing, with an estimated monthly cost.
Sources
Checked on the providers’ and regulators’ own pages on 29 October 2026.
- AWS Regions (AWS)
- List of Azure regions (Microsoft)
- India South Central region goes live (Microsoft)
- Bucket locations (Google Cloud)
- AWS Free Tier (AWS)
- AWS India FAQs (AWS)
- Azure free account (Microsoft)
- Free Google Cloud features and trial offer (Google Cloud)
- Savings Plans types (AWS)
- Azure savings plan for compute (Microsoft)
- Azure Reserved VM Instances (Microsoft)
- Sustained use discounts (Google Cloud)
- AWS Activate credits (AWS)
- Microsoft for Startups FAQs (Microsoft)
- Google for Startups Cloud Program (Google Cloud)
- MeitY empanelment (AWS)
- MeitY compliance offering (Microsoft)
- MeitY (India) compliance (Google Cloud)
- DPDP Rules, 2025 notified (Press Information Bureau)
- Storage of Payment System Data (Reserve Bank of India)
- FAQs on the Cybersecurity and Cyber Resilience Framework (SEBI)
- Free data transfer out to internet when moving out of AWS (AWS)
- Free data transfer when exiting Google Cloud (Google Cloud)
- Bandwidth pricing (Microsoft Azure)