Azure vs AWS for Windows and SQL Server Workloads

Azure vs AWS for Windows has no single winner: the estate’s agreements, directory, skills, data location and tooling decide. This guide turns those into six questions you can answer from your own records. Then it shows which answers tilt toward one cloud, and on what basis.

The guide suits an IT head or infrastructure lead who has decided to move Windows Server hosts and their SQL Server instances to a public cloud. It also suits the CIO who signs the platform. Azure vs AWS for Windows workloads is a decision about fit, not a ranking. For the support dates behind the timing, read the support calendar for each Windows Server release. Signisys partners with both clouds, so each factor gets matching depth for each.

Azure vs AWS for Windows: How to Read This Guide

Both clouds run Windows Server and SQL Server, so the choice rests on fit with what you already have. To begin with, answer each question for your own estate. An answer tilts toward one cloud only when the table under Six Estate Questions states the condition and its basis. Otherwise, every other answer is “depends on the estate, no tilt”. The guide gives no total, because the CIO weighs the tilts. Dated facts in this guide are as of 14 November 2026.

Signisys working view: a split estate is a valid answer when the tilts divide by workload.

Azure vs AWS for Windows Starts With What You Already Hold

Start with the agreements and the directory, because both exist before any cloud is picked. Two questions follow.

Microsoft Agreements in Place

Question 1: which Microsoft agreements cover these servers today, and what does each cloud’s own documentation say about bringing them? Microsoft’s Azure SQL page covers SQL Server. It says that, with Software Assurance, you can allocate existing SQL Server licenses to Azure SQL Managed Instance through Azure Hybrid Benefit. AWS’s Windows FAQ says Windows Server licenses can be brought only to EC2 Dedicated Hosts, with conditions on when they were bought. It also says that SQL Server with Software Assurance can use license mobility on shared EC2. Your own agreement decides which of these apply. So read the current terms on each page before you rely on them. For license reuse detail, see license questions for Windows and SQL Server moves.

Active Directory and Sign-in

Question 2: where does the directory run now? Also, will it stay on site, move as servers or become a managed directory? Each cloud names a managed directory: AWS Directory Service for Microsoft Active Directory (also called AWS Managed Microsoft AD), and Microsoft Entra Domain Services. For the idea behind it, see the directory that holds Windows sign-ins. This guide makes no claim about either cloud’s fit with your directory.

Who Will Run It: Skills and Support

The people who run the estate matter as much as the platform. Two questions cover skills and support.

Azure vs AWS for Windows: Skills on the Team Today

Question 3: which console, scripting and certification paths does the team already know, and who covers nights and leave? However, skills are an input, not a verdict on either cloud. Then write down what the team runs in production today.

Support Terms and Security Updates by Cloud

Question 4: what support plan does each cloud offer for Windows Server and SQL Server? Also, how does each handle extended security updates for any older version in scope? Microsoft’s Windows Server page says servers hosted in Azure receive the updates as part of running there. It also says that servers outside Azure can buy them. AWS’s Windows FAQ says updates for instances on EC2 are bought from Microsoft or a Microsoft licensing partner. It also says that bring-your-own-license customers need active Software Assurance. Microsoft’s page also says updates for Windows Server 2012 and 2012 R2 ended on 13 October 2026. So read the page for the version you run. However, no fees are given here.

Where SQL Server Runs and Where the Data Sits

Two more questions cover the database service and the data’s location. Also, both depend on facts you must read on the day.

Managed SQL Server Options on Each Cloud

Azure offers Azure SQL Managed Instance and Azure SQL Database. See Microsoft’s managed database family on Azure and the Azure SQL Managed Instance overview for SQL Server on Azure. AWS offers Amazon RDS for SQL Server. See the managed relational database service on AWS and the Amazon RDS for Microsoft SQL Server guide. Also, Microsoft’s page says Azure SQL Managed Instance runs the latest stable SQL Server engine with close to full feature compatibility. Meanwhile, AWS’s guide lists SQL Server major versions from 2016 to 2025 on Amazon RDS.

Question 5: which editions, versions and features do our databases use, and does each service list them? The choice between a virtual machine and a managed service is a separate decision. For that, read deciding between a virtual machine and a managed service.

Azure vs AWS for Windows Regions for India and the GCC

Question 6: which law or contract requires data to stay in a named country? Also, does each cloud’s current region list show a region in that country for the services in question 5? However, availability is country by country and changes over time. Microsoft’s Azure regions list shows four India regions (Central India, India South Central, South India and West India). In the GCC, it shows UAE North, UAE Central and Qatar Central, with UAE Central marked as access-restricted. AWS’s regions page lists Asia Pacific (Mumbai) and Asia Pacific (Hyderabad) in India, and Middle East (Bahrain) and Middle East (UAE) in the GCC. If you need any other country, read both lists on the day you decide, and check the service itself in that region.

Six Estate Questions Behind Azure vs AWS for Windows

Also, each row gives a question, a check per cloud and the tilt condition. For a mixed estate, see hybrid cloud.

Azure vs AWS for Windows: Turning Your Answers Into a Decision

To begin with, read the table row by row and write the tilt, or “no tilt”, beside each answer. The two sections below only restate those conditions, one cloud at a time.

In short, the lines below restate what the guide found for both clouds together.

Answers That Tilt to Azure

To begin with, row 1: your terms allow bringing agreements to Azure and not to AWS. Also, row 3: the team already runs Azure in production. Then row 4: Azure’s terms for the version in scope fit your agreements better than AWS’s. Meanwhile, row 5: its managed service lists every edition, version and feature you use. Finally, row 6: its region list shows your country and the service runs there. For the Azure move tool, see Azure Migrate, which Microsoft describes as a service to assess and move servers and databases to Azure.

Answers That Tilt to AWS

To begin with, row 1: your terms allow bringing agreements to AWS and not to Azure. Also, row 3: the team already runs AWS in production. Then row 4: AWS’s terms for the version in scope fit your agreements better than Azure’s. Meanwhile, row 5: its managed service lists every edition, version and feature you use. Finally, row 6: its region list shows your country and the service runs there. For the AWS move tool, see AWS Transform MGN, which AWS describes as moving Windows Server and other servers to AWS. However, Windows on AWS is a full option for the right estate. Signisys working view: whichever cloud you choose, keep backups and images restorable outside it.

Bring in help when the tilts divide evenly, when the directory plan is unsettled, or when no one owns question 4. Signisys partners with both clouds and offers migration work on both AWS and Azure and engineering and support on either cloud. For the hosts, use host checks to score before cutover. A consultation reads your six answers, but it promises no result. No charge, with a fixed scope.

Azure vs AWS for Windows FAQ