Cloud platforms

Azure, AWS or Google Cloud: which fits an Australian business?

All three run in Australia and all three can host your servers. The right choice comes down to what you already run, who looks after it, and whether you need a cloud server at all. Here is how they compare, what a server costs in AUD, and a quick picker for your situation.

Azure prices from Microsoft's retail price list in AUD, checked 30 October 2026.

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Australian regions
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Cloud fit picker

Reviewed by Blake Bath, General Manager, on 30 October 2026.

An IT consultant sketches a simple diagram on paper for a managing director and finance manager at a meeting table overlooking the city. — **Ask this first**If it is only file shares, SharePoint or Google Drive may replace the server entirely.

In short

What each cloud is best at.

They all do servers, storage and databases. These are the differences that matter at small business scale.

Microsoft Azure

The natural home for Microsoft 365 businesses running Windows Server, SQL Server or Azure Virtual Desktop.

Same identity as Microsoft 365
Azure Hybrid Benefit for licences
Australia East, Southeast and Central

Cloud fit picker

Which cloud fits the way you work?

Three questions. The answer ranks the three clouds by fit, or tells you if you can skip the cloud server altogether.

Three questions about how you work today. The answer ranks the three clouds by fit, and tells you if you need one at all.

Which email and office suite do you use?

What do you want to run in the cloud?

Who looks after IT?

Best fit

Azurefor how you work today

Azure is the most natural fit.

AzureSame identity (Entra ID) and admin tools as your Microsoft 365. Windows Server and SQL Server licences can carry over with Azure Hybrid Benefit. Easiest for a managed provider to run alongside Microsoft 365.
AWS
Google Cloud

A starting point, not a quote. The right answer also depends on your applications' vendor support and where your data must stay.

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In Australia

Australian regions.

Provider	Regions in Australia
Azure	Australia East (NSW), Australia Southeast (Victoria), Australia Central and Central 2 (Canberra, for government and critical infrastructure)
AWS	Asia Pacific (Sydney), Asia Pacific (Melbourne), plus a Perth Local Zone
Google Cloud	australia-southeast1 (Sydney), australia-southeast2 (Melbourne)

All three have services assessed under ASD's IRAP program. Check the specific services and classification for government work.

What it costs

What a cloud server costs, and what changes the bill.

Commitment discountsOne or three-year reservations and savings plans cut the rate a lot for servers that run all the time.
Licences you already ownAzure Hybrid Benefit lets eligible Windows Server and SQL Server licences carry over, removing the Windows premium above.
Switching offA server that only runs business hours uses roughly a third of the compute hours of one that runs all month.
Data leaving the cloudAll three charge to send data out. Factor it into backup and recovery designs.
Storage and backupDisks, snapshots and backup are billed separately from the server itself.

Azure D2s v5, 2 vCPU, 8 GB, Australia East	Per hour	About a month (730 hours)
Linux, pay-as-you-go	A$0.171	A$125
Windows, pay-as-you-go	A$0.302	A$220

Prices from Microsoft's Azure retail price list in AUD, before GST and discounts. AWS and Google publish similar instance sizes. Price the same workload in all three before deciding.

Our view

Start from the workload, not the brand.

Before choosing a cloud, list what actually needs to run. Files often belong in SharePoint or Google Drive. Line-of-business apps may have a hosted version from the vendor. What is left, often a database or an old application, decides whether you need a cloud server at all.

For Microsoft 365 businesses that do, Azure is usually simplest because sign-in, device management and licensing all line up. It is still worth pricing the alternatives when the workload suits them.

Moving

Moving to the cloud in five steps.

Step 1Inventory
Every server, what runs on it and who uses it.
Step 2Decide each workload
Retire, move to SaaS, rehost or keep on-site.
Step 3Price it properly
Same workload, all three calculators, with discounts and backup.
Step 4Secure the landing zone
Identity, networking, backup and monitoring before servers move.
Step 5Move in stages
Least critical first, with a tested way back.

Related guides

Choosing the cloud is one decision. These are the ones around it.

Storage, backup and the on-site server question.

Get help your way

Six ways to reach us. Pick whichever suits you.

Helpdesk hours are Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm AEST. On Advantage and above, emergencies get a response within 1 hour and outages within 2, with 24/7 best-effort escalation.

Questions

What people ask about Azure, AWS and Google Cloud.

Which cloud is best for an Australian small business?

If you run Microsoft 365 and Windows servers, Azure is usually the most natural fit, because identity, management and licensing line up. If you build your own software on Linux, AWS is often already in play. Google Cloud suits data and analytics work, and businesses on Google Workspace. Many small businesses do not need any of them once files move to SharePoint or Google Drive.

Do all three have Australian data centres?

Yes. Azure has Australia East (New South Wales), Australia Southeast (Victoria) and Australia Central regions in Canberra for government and critical infrastructure. AWS has Sydney and Melbourne regions, plus a Local Zone in Perth. Google Cloud has Sydney and Melbourne regions.

Which is cheapest?

It depends on the workload. Compare like for like: the same server size, storage and backup on each. Then commitment discounts, licences you already own, data leaving the cloud and switching off idle servers all move the bill.

What does AWS hosting in Australia cost?

AWS publishes on-demand prices per region for Sydney and Melbourne, and they change often. For a fair comparison, build the same server size, storage and backup in each provider's calculator. As a reference point, Microsoft lists a 2 vCPU, 8 GB general-purpose Azure server in Australia East at A$0.171 an hour on Linux and A$0.302 on Windows, before any discounts.

Are they approved for Australian government work?

All three have services assessed under ASD's IRAP program. Check which specific services and classification levels are covered for the work you are doing.

Next step