Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Microsoft Azure VS SoftLayer Cloud

Compare Microsoft Azure VS SoftLayer Cloud and see what are their differences

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Microsoft Azure logo Microsoft Azure

Windows Azure and SQL Azure enable you to build, host and scale applications in Microsoft datacenters.

SoftLayer Cloud logo SoftLayer Cloud

SoftLayer Cloud is an online cloud computing platform providing software that offers multiple products and services through a dedicated network connection.
  • Microsoft Azure Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-04-10
  • SoftLayer Cloud Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-08-29

Microsoft Azure features and specs

  • Scalability
    Azure offers a highly scalable environment where you can easily adjust compute resources to match your needs.
  • Global Reach
    Azure has multiple data centers around the globe, providing extensive global coverage for applications and services.
  • Integration with Microsoft Products
    Azure integrates seamlessly with existing Microsoft software like Office 365, Active Directory, and Windows Server.
  • Compliance
    Azure adheres to a broad set of international standards and compliance certifications, including GDPR, ISO, and many others.
  • Service Offerings
    Azure provides a wide variety of services, from virtual machines to databases and AI-powered functionalities.
  • Hybrid Solutions
    Azure supports hybrid cloud configurations, allowing businesses to run some resources on-premises and some in the cloud.
  • Security
    Azure employs advanced security protocols and has multiple layers of security, including data encryption and secure access controls.

Possible disadvantages of Microsoft Azure

  • Cost Management
    The pricing structure can be complex and may lead to unexpected costs if not carefully managed.
  • Learning Curve
    New users may find Azure challenging to learn due to its extensive range of services and configurations.
  • Service Limits
    Some Azure services have limitations and quotas, which can hinder performance or scalability if reached.
  • Support Costs
    While Azure offers robust support, advanced support plans can be expensive.
  • Complexity in Hybrid Setup
    Setting up and managing a hybrid environment can be technically challenging and may require specialized skills.
  • Downtime Risks
    Although rare, Azure is not immune to outages and downtime, which can impact service availability.
  • Data Migration
    Migrating data and services into Azure can be complicated and may require significant planning and resources.

SoftLayer Cloud features and specs

  • Performance
    SoftLayer Cloud offers high-performance infrastructure with options for dedicated servers, which can provide better performance for resource-intensive applications.
  • Customization
    The platform provides robust configuration options, allowing users to customize their cloud environment to meet specific needs, including choosing server specifications and network components.
  • Global Reach
    SoftLayer has a strong global presence with multiple data centers across different regions, enabling businesses to deploy their services closer to their end-users for better latency and compliance with local regulations.
  • Security
    SoftLayer Cloud includes advanced security features, such as customizable firewalls, VPN access, and encryption, ensuring data protection and regulatory compliance.
  • Hybrid Cloud Solutions
    SoftLayer supports hybrid cloud environments, offering seamless integration between private and public cloud resources. This allows for greater flexibility and optimized workloads.
  • IBM Ecosystem Integration
    Being part of the IBM Cloud, SoftLayer provides easy integration with IBM’s suite of services, such as Watson, IoT, and Blockchain, enhancing the overall functionality of the cloud environment.

Possible disadvantages of SoftLayer Cloud

  • Complex Pricing
    Users have reported that the pricing model can be complex and difficult to predict, especially with many customization options which can lead to unexpected costs.
  • Learning Curve
    The platform's comprehensive and advanced features might present a steep learning curve for new users, requiring more time and resources to effectively manage the cloud environment.
  • Limited PaaS Offerings
    Compared to other cloud providers like AWS or Azure, SoftLayer’s Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) offerings are relatively limited, which might not meet all the needs of developers looking for extensive platform services.
  • Customer Support
    While IBM generally offers good support, some users have reported variable experiences with customer service, indicating that the level of support quality can differ.
  • Integration Complexities
    Integrating SoftLayer with third-party services and tools might require additional effort and expertise, potentially complicating the setup for businesses looking to use a variety of tools.
  • Market Position
    SoftLayer faces stiff competition from major players like AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud. Its market position is not as dominant, which could impact the regularity and frequency of service updates and innovations.

Microsoft Azure videos

How does Microsoft Azure work?

More videos:

  • Review - Building your first Azure Blockchain Workbench application
  • Review - Microsoft Azure Overview
  • Review - Introduction to Azure Blockchain Workbench
  • Tutorial - What Is Azure? | Microsoft Azure Tutorial For Beginners | Microsoft Azure Training | Simplilearn
  • Review - Bots and Azure Blockchain Workbench

SoftLayer Cloud videos

No SoftLayer Cloud videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

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Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Microsoft Azure and SoftLayer Cloud)
Cloud Computing
94 94%
6% 6
Development
0 0%
100% 100
Cloud Infrastructure
100 100%
0% 0
VPS
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Microsoft Azure and SoftLayer Cloud

Microsoft Azure Reviews

Top 15 MuleSoft Competitors and Alternatives
The Azure API Management platform has over a million APIs for modernizing legacy apps to adopting API-first strategies from on-premises to multi-cloud. Thousands of the world’s largest enterprises use the solution to build, secure, and scale API initiatives.
20 Best Free Website Hosting (July 2023)
New users can usually receive a free site credit at the largest cloud services like Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services, and Google Cloud Platform to get started. However, when these free credits expire, cloud products can be quite expensive and out of the price range of many projects.
AWS vs Azure Which is best for your career?
This course provides the key knowledge required to prepare for Exam AZ-204: Developing Solutions for Microsoft Azure. You will learn how to develop and deploy cloud applications on Azure using various Azure services.
Top 10 Best Container Software in 2022
Tool Cost/Plan Details: There is no upfront cost. Azure does not charge for cluster management. It charges only for what you use. It has Pricing for nodes model. Based on your container needs, you can get the price estimator through Container Services calculator.
Top 50 Cheapest Cloud Services Providers | Affordable Cloud Hosting
With direct competitors like AWS, Microsoft Azure has been one of the most preferred and also cheapest cloud services providers. The plan that Azure submit depends on the services a business seeks to access. Azure cloud platform includes over 200 products and cloud services to assist businesses in bringing new solutions to life—to solve today’s challenges and create the...

SoftLayer Cloud Reviews

We have no reviews of SoftLayer Cloud yet.
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Microsoft Azure seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 66 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Microsoft Azure mentions (66)

  • How to Develop a Voice Chatbot
    Microsoft Azure offers a Bot Framework with built-in support for voice interactions via the Speech SDK. - Source: dev.to / 9 months ago
  • Setting Up a Windows 11 Virtual Machine with Azure on a MacOs
    The first step in creating a virtual machine is getting a Microsoft account. Once you have a Microsoft account click this link to create an Azure free trial account. Click on the "Try Azure for free" button. This takes you to the page below. - Source: dev.to / 12 months ago
  • How To Create Windows 11 Virtual Machine in Azure
    Before you start, ensure you have an active Azure subscription, if you don't have one, Click here to create a free account. - Source: dev.to / about 1 year ago
  • The 2024 Web Hosting Report
    A VM is the original “hosting” product of the cloud era. Over the last 20 years, VM providers have come and gone, as have enterprise virtualization solutions such as VMware. Today you can do this somewhere like OVHcloud, Hetzner or DigitalOcean, which took over the “server” market from the early 2000’s. Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud Platform (GCP), and Microsoft's Azure also offer VMs, at a less... - Source: dev.to / about 1 year ago
  • Deploying flask app to Kubernetes using Minikube
    Before deploying the application with Kubernetes, you need to containerize the application using docker. This article shows how to deploy a Flask application on Ubuntu 22.04 using Minikube; a Kubernetes tool for local deployment for testing and free offering. Alternatively, you can deploy your container apps using Cloud providers such as GCP(Google Cloud), Azure(Microsoft) or AWS(Amazon). - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
View more

SoftLayer Cloud mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of SoftLayer Cloud yet. Tracking of SoftLayer Cloud recommendations started around Mar 2021.

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Microsoft Azure and SoftLayer Cloud, you can also consider the following products

Amazon AWS - Amazon Web Services offers reliable, scalable, and inexpensive cloud computing services. Free to join, pay only for what you use.

Aptum - Peer1 is an online platform for hosting, cloud, colocation, and connectivity services.

DigitalOcean - Simplifying cloud hosting. Deploy an SSD cloud server in 55 seconds.

10gbps.io - DataPacket is a dedicated server provider with data centers in 20 locations worldwide. Get high-performance servers with unshared 10 Gbps ports. Multihomed network with 10 TIER-1 transit providers. 24/7 live support over multiple channels.

Linode - We make it simple to develop, deploy, and scale cloud infrastructure at the best price-to-performance ratio in the market.

Server4you - Server4you is a web hosting platform that allows many web designer and developer to get their web site to be on track with robust traffics.