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What CRN’s comparison actually measured
CRN’s feature, “Microsoft Azure vs. AWS: 5 Partners On Why Azure Is ‘Superior’”, combined interviews with five Microsoft-focused solution providers and findings from CRN’s Cloud Barometer. The survey ran from November through December 2020 and included 211 infrastructure-as-a-service solution providers. Respondents rated platforms with which they already partnered, so the results reflect partner experience and relationships rather than a neutral evaluation of every cloud customer’s needs.
Azure ranked first overall in the survey. It led in product capabilities, profitability and maturity of pricing; AWS led in ease of integration and support for demand generation. Google Cloud did not finish first in any of those five categories. CRN also reported that 58% of Azure providers, 43% of AWS providers and 31% of Google Cloud providers described their relationship with that provider as a highly strategic sales relationship during the preceding three months.
Those figures are about partner perceptions and commercial relationships. They do not measure customer uptime, application performance, total cost of ownership, security incident rates or developer productivity. The feature also identified the interviewees as Microsoft Gold partners that predominantly focused on Azure, a meaningful limitation when interpreting their recommendations. Its market-share figures—AWS at 32%, Azure at 20% and Google Cloud at 9%—were historical data for the first quarter of 2021, not current market shares.
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The five partner arguments for Azure
1. A partner ecosystem aligned with Microsoft customers
The partner case was that Microsoft’s existing relationships, programs and customer base made Azure a natural platform for providers already serving Microsoft environments. That can matter to a buyer choosing an implementation or managed-services partner: a provider’s Microsoft skills, certifications, sales relationships and delivery experience may be deeper than its AWS capabilities.
That is a fit argument, not proof that one partner program is categorically better. Microsoft currently lists package-specific Azure credits, product licenses, technical support and go-to-market assistance through its partner benefits program. AWS describes its AWS Partner Network as offering technical and business support, funding, co-selling, Marketplace distribution, training and profitability tools. Both vendors market mechanisms to help partners build and sell services.
Microsoft’s benefits vary by package, eligibility, geography and program type; listed credits are not general customer discounts or benefits automatically available to every partner. The current Microsoft benefits guide includes package-specific Azure credit amounts, while the comparison page displays a $4,875 price associated with a Solutions Partner designation package. That amount is a dated program signal, not a universal partner entry fee. The AWS partner page does not establish a comparable universal membership price.
2. Microsoft 365, identity and business-app integration
FMT Consultants’ Zach Saltzman pointed to the convenience of connecting Azure with Microsoft 365 identities and the wider Microsoft security and business-software stack. ProArch’s Michael Spoont similarly argued that Microsoft 365 and Dynamics 365 give Microsoft customers natural routes into Azure. For a company already using Microsoft identity, productivity tools and business applications, a more integrated operating model can reduce friction in administration and procurement.
Rank #2
The terminology has changed since the original feature: Azure Active Directory is now Microsoft Entra ID, and Azure Sentinel is Microsoft Sentinel. The broader argument remains about how well cloud infrastructure fits the identity, security and applications an organization already runs—not about whether AWS lacks identity or security services. The partners’ statements are testimony from providers with a Microsoft focus, not a comparative product test.
3. Hybrid infrastructure and centralized management
Atmosera’s Jon Thomsen emphasized Azure’s hybrid and edge portfolio, citing Azure Stack, Azure Stack Edge, Azure IoT Edge and Azure Arc. The appeal is clearest when a business needs some systems to remain on premises or near equipment and users—for example, because of regulation, latency, data-residency needs or existing data-center investment—while still seeking cloud services and centralized management.
Azure’s hybrid approach can suit Microsoft-centric environments, but Azure is not the only viable option for hybrid or edge computing. The decision should turn on the specific locations, hardware, management requirements, services and operating skills a workload needs.
4. Desktop delivery and Microsoft licensing economics
Interlink Cloud Advisors’ Mike Wilson connected Azure Virtual Desktop with existing Microsoft identities and highlighted Azure Hybrid Benefit for Windows Server and SQL Server workloads. These are distinct considerations: Azure Virtual Desktop is a desktop and application-delivery service; Azure Hybrid Benefit can reduce the effective cost of eligible Windows Server and SQL Server workloads when the customer has qualifying licenses.
Rank #3
This is not a claim that Azure is generally cheaper than AWS. In the CRN feature, Wilson said the providers’ prices were generally similar and that Microsoft licensing could change the economics for Microsoft-heavy workloads. Whether it does depends on license eligibility and terms, instance size and region, utilization, reservations or savings plans, storage, networking, support, resilience design and operating costs. A VM price alone cannot establish the cheaper platform.
5. Breadth and focus for a smaller provider
Amaxra’s Rosalyn Arntzen said Microsoft’s platform could meet nearly all of her customers’ requests and that the company had not found an AWS capability compelling enough to change direction. She also described Azure demand growth during the remote-work period. That is a provider’s business-positioning judgment, not evidence that Azure covers every customer requirement better.
For a smaller services company, concentrating on one cloud can be a rational choice: it helps focus hiring, training, sales and engineering investment. A customer should still verify that the provider has the right experience for its own workload rather than treating the provider’s strategic focus as a technical verdict.
When Azure has the stronger case
Azure deserves close consideration when several parts of the business already depend on Microsoft and the cloud choice can take advantage of that investment. The combination of Microsoft identity, productivity and business applications, eligible Windows Server or SQL Server licensing, and hybrid management may create a stronger overall fit than any single feature alone.
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- Windows Server or SQL Server licensing is material, and the relevant workloads may qualify for Azure Hybrid Benefit.
- Dynamics 365, Power Platform, Microsoft security products or other Microsoft services are central to the environment.
- Hybrid management across Azure and on-premises systems is a major requirement.
- Windows desktop delivery, including Azure Virtual Desktop, is under consideration.
- The organization’s procurement agreements, operational skills or chosen service provider are already aligned with Microsoft.
- Microsoft partner designations, specializations or co-selling routes matter to the buyer or its integrator.
Microsoft’s partner directory describes advanced specializations and Azure Expert MSPs. Those credentials can help narrow a search, but a badge is not a substitute for references, relevant delivery examples, technical validation and a clear statement of work.
When AWS may be the better fit
AWS should not be read as the loser of CRN’s comparison: it led in ease of integration and demand-generation support. It may also be the more practical choice when the organization’s applications, engineering skills, operations and partner relationships are already centered on AWS. Moving an established AWS workload to Azure solely because the company also owns Microsoft licenses can add migration, retraining, data-transfer and operational costs that outweigh potential licensing savings.
Evaluate the services and operating model required by the actual workload, rather than assuming the provider with the strongest relationship to the company’s office software must also host every application. AWS and Azure both offer extensive cloud portfolios; the relevant question is which one fits the workload and the organization’s capability to run it.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Partner economics are not the same as customer economics
A provider’s cloud recommendation can be shaped by its staff skills, certifications, existing customers, vendor incentives, Marketplace position and delivery margins. Funding, co-selling opportunities and credits can help a partner or support a project, but they do not automatically lower the customer’s long-term operating cost or risk. Ask the partner to disclose relevant incentives and explain how its commercial interests affect the proposal.
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For the customer, a meaningful comparison separates provider charges from partner margin, licensing benefits, migration effort, internal labor, support, resilience, security tooling, and future operating costs. Also consider contract discounts and commitments, Marketplace terms, data egress, observability, backup and disaster recovery, and the effort required to change platforms later.
A practical Azure-versus-AWS evaluation
1. Compare the same workload on both platforms
Document the required compute, database, storage, networking, availability, backup, security, monitoring and support architecture. Use the official Azure pricing calculator and AWS Pricing Calculator for matched assumptions. Check the relevant Azure pricing and AWS pricing terms, including licensing, discounts and commitments. Treat calculator results as estimates until a partner or FinOps specialist validates the design and assumptions.
2. Build a three-year, fully loaded cost model
Include migration, staff time, training, support, recurring service charges and the cost of required security and operations tooling. For Microsoft workloads, model Azure Hybrid Benefit only where the licenses and workloads qualify; compare the eligible case with the alternatives rather than applying a blanket discount.
3. Test the workload, not the sales claim
Run a proof of concept against agreed requirements for performance, resilience, security controls, operational workflow and deployment effort. Record acceptance criteria in advance so a preferred vendor does not get an easier test.
4. Check the partner’s relevant delivery record
Ask for references from customers with comparable workloads, scale, industry and compliance needs. Review the proposed team’s experience, responsibilities, escalation arrangements, service levels, ongoing support and exit assistance. Evaluate specialist credentials alongside demonstrated outcomes, not in place of them.
5. Review portability and concentration risk
Identify services that create platform-specific dependencies, data-transfer costs and the work required to move or rebuild an application. If the organization needs workload-by-workload placement, negotiating leverage or protection from concentration risk, a multicloud approach may be appropriate—but it adds complexity in skills, security, identity, networking, governance, observability and cost management.
What the 2021 partner case means in 2026
The CRN feature remains useful for understanding why Microsoft-oriented providers chose to lead with Azure: ecosystem fit, Microsoft identity and applications, hybrid infrastructure, licensing economics and a focused partner business. Its survey is historical, its interview sample was not balanced between Azure and AWS advocates, and it did not publish a reproducible total-cost model. The evidence supports a conditional conclusion: Azure can be strategically superior for Microsoft-centric enterprises, while AWS can be the better choice for AWS-native organizations or workloads whose requirements align more closely with AWS.
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