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Microsoft Azure vs SAP S4HANA on AWS comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jul 27, 2025

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

ROI

Sentiment score
6.4
Microsoft Azure reduces costs with scalable services, pay-as-you-go model, and improved infrastructure, enhancing long-term returns and performance.
Sentiment score
7.4
SAP S4HANA on AWS boosts performance, efficiency, and ROI, with payback in months and long-term financial benefits.
The value for money is good, and Microsoft Azure has positively impacted our operational costs.
When we use Microsoft Azure, it provides enhanced security from our perspective, though I am not certain about the financial return on investment or benefits for our users as I do not have that information.
On a very good implementation, usually, if the scale of the business is large, the implementation can give a payback within six, seven, or eight months of implementation.
Although our investment was higher compared to the previous ERP system, we are able to derive ROI from SAP S4HANA on AWS.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.5
Microsoft Azure's support is often effective, yet some face delays; higher-tier support and self-help resources improve experiences.
Sentiment score
6.5
SAP S4HANA on AWS support receives mixed reviews; AWS prompt, SAP varies, necessitating improvement and expertise due to complexity.
Microsoft needs to engage L3 and L2 in support when specified in service tickets.
The support from Microsoft Azure is good.
Regarding technical support from Microsoft, I find they are responsive and helpful, depending on which support package you're on.
They have a support model available, with first-level support handling initial issues when I integrate the system.
We received the right support during our implementation and continue to benefit from it.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.7
Microsoft Azure offers scalable solutions, but users face challenges with costs and resource limits, leading some to prefer competitors.
Sentiment score
7.8
SAP S4HANA on AWS provides scalable support for large enterprises, integrates well, but requires technical expertise for efficient scaling.
Microsoft Azure is not just one product; it is a platform with multiple products within Microsoft Azure, and I would say it is scalable and would rate it a nine.
The scalability of Microsoft Azure is excellent for growth and adaptation, depending on company requirements.
It has different kinds of designs that allow for management and deployment in multi-zones, offering both scalable and non-scalable options.
AWS has been running probably 96% of Fortune 500 companies across the globe, so scalability is not an issue.
The product is versatile and can manage complexity beyond expectations.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.7
Microsoft Azure is stable with good uptime, though stability varies by configuration; users generally rate it highly.
Sentiment score
7.8
SAP S4HANA on AWS is praised for stability and reliability, though performance can vary with specific setups and configurations.
We noticed a few critical servers went down due to a Microsoft Azure-end hardware issue.
We are now migrating clients without the zoning into mandatory multi-zone deployments, so if one zone goes down, their application and database remain live.
Microsoft Azure is quite stable, but recent outages and security issues have slightly decreased my confidence.
As a finance controller, we have seen improvements in finance deliverables, SLAs in payables, and reconciliation timelines.
 

Room For Improvement

Microsoft Azure users seek simplified pricing, improved security, better integration, enhanced documentation, responsive support, and intuitive management tools.
SAP S4HANA on AWS needs better integration, cost efficiency, user-friendly interfaces, improved support, scalability, and enhanced deployment resources.
Recent outages and security issues are also a concern, causing a decrease in confidence, especially when partnering with third-party companies.
The administrative side is suitable for technical people, but our finance and HR super users find it less user-friendly, as they prefer drag-and-drop features to build their own solutions without contacting IT.
There is still room for improvement in terms of pricing.
The interface and interaction with the technical team require intensive training.
SAP introduced flexible workflows, which are even better if I want customized workflows for my documentation within the procurement domain.
Having these integrations as a single source rather than working in silos would be beneficial for customers.
 

Setup Cost

Microsoft Azure provides flexible pricing with pay-as-you-go, free tiers, and discounts, emphasizing cost-effectiveness despite complexity.
SAP S4HANA on AWS is costly but offers value with flexibility, significant enterprise investment, and potential discounts.
Microsoft solutions might be cheaper than some services like AWS, but some solutions may be more expensive depending on the services compared.
Copilot is expensive based on recent pricing for our POC.
They have discounts and also provide promotions for a three-year reservation which comes with significant discounts on the infrastructure part.
SAP is not cheap, with many hidden costs encountered during implementation.
The initial setup required a higher investment, but the return on investment has justified the cost.
 

Valuable Features

Microsoft Azure is praised for scalability, ease of use, diverse services, strong security, and seamless integration with various technologies.
SAP S4HANA on AWS offers a user-friendly interface, real-time processing, scalability, AI integration, and cost-effective, high-availability hosting.
Power BI, another feature of Azure, is extremely elegant and has robust features that support forecasting using R and Python.
If Microsoft gives a report, such as a server performance report in a detailed way, which shows what is consuming more CPU, memory, and disk IO, and network utilization during a particular time, it would be helpful to visualize that information.
What is very interesting in terms of scalability is the automatic possibilities to provision some new machines to be able to absorb the number of users we have in the system.
The costing and personnel planning integration are among the strongest areas of this solution.
From the finance side, we have enhanced our internal controls and reduced the timeline for closing the month from a year to just two days.
It manages complexity in various industries such as banking, manufacturing, and trading.
 

Categories and Ranking

Microsoft Azure
Ranking in Infrastructure as a Service Clouds (IaaS)
1st
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
321
Ranking in other categories
PaaS Clouds (1st)
SAP S4HANA on AWS
Ranking in Infrastructure as a Service Clouds (IaaS)
7th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
41
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of September 2025, in the Infrastructure as a Service Clouds (IaaS) category, the mindshare of Microsoft Azure is 15.5%, down from 18.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SAP S4HANA on AWS is 3.2%, down from 3.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Infrastructure as a Service Clouds (IaaS) Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Microsoft Azure15.5%
SAP S4HANA on AWS3.2%
Other81.3%
Infrastructure as a Service Clouds (IaaS)
 

Featured Reviews

Syed Abid  - PeerSpot reviewer
Versatile integrations and reliable customer satisfaction elevate cloud service experience
For Microsoft Azure improvement, they need to enhance their support system. The first level of support should be improved in terms of quality and response time. They need more technical support at the first level, as there are currently only one or two technical people among five to ten staff members at this level. They should ensure that the first level support is more technical because we normally provide services to technical users ourselves. When an issue arises, it usually escalates to the second or third level. When facing first level support, they may have limited knowledge and only collect screenshots to forward to their seniors. They should ensure that the first level support is aligned with L2 and L3 to better assist us, especially since we mention in the ticket that our issues are related to specific problems and require that sort of support.
AtifNajam - PeerSpot reviewer
Strong integration in manufacturing and enhances flexibility with useful workflow management
Installation is very straightforward, however, implementation takes years or months based on the project's size. In manufacturing, the requirement might go from ten to 12 people. If I'm a sales-oriented company, such as an FMCG or something else, then I might need around seven or eight people at the very minimum. It is not an easy task to migrate. If I'm moving from a different ERP to S/4HANA, I need a proper project that probably spans several months, with significant engagement from both the business side and the technical side. I need an opportunity partner on it. Processing to SCE S/4HANA takes a bit of effort.
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Comparison Review

it_user8586 - PeerSpot reviewer
Aug 14, 2013
Amazon vs Rackspace vs Microsoft vs Google: Cloud Hosting Services Comparison
Amazon Web Services, Rackspace OpenStack, Microsoft Windows Azure and Google are the major cloud hosting and storage service providers. Athough Amazon is top of them and is oldest in cloud market, Rackspace, Microsoft and Google are giving tough competition to each other and to Amazon also for…
 

Answers from the Community

JR
Nov 7, 2021
Nov 7, 2021
SAP S/4HANA is a system for managing relational databases. The in-memory system, as well as the columnar structure, results in retrieving the data with better performance than RDBMS systems. You can deploy it in AWS or in Azure. Here is a brief comparison: Azure dedicates specific virtual machines and bare metal servers to run SAP HANA. SAP HANA applications run on an SAP application. With Azur...
See 2 answers
EB
Aug 26, 2021
Hello @Md Saiful Hyder , @MangeshDixit , @JeffreyVergara , @SaleemKhokhar, @HimanshuTejwani, @SathishKumar and@Enrico Boseli. Do you have any inputs/advice for @Julie Roy?  Thanks in advance!
Nov 7, 2021
SAP S/4HANA is a system for managing relational databases. The in-memory system, as well as the columnar structure, results in retrieving the data with better performance than RDBMS systems. You can deploy it in AWS or in Azure. Here is a brief comparison: Azure dedicates specific virtual machines and bare metal servers to run SAP HANA. SAP HANA applications run on an SAP application. With Azure, you have an entire SAP application (VM) layer that includes servers, storage, and network configuration. You can deploy resources from 36 Intel with memory of 768GB to 480 Intel processors with 24TB of memory. Finally, you can combine AP and non SAP data. You can apply advanced data services, such as analytics and AI. Aws Azure Supported use cases Production, non-production Production, non-production Supported resources Up to 48TB of memory Up to 12TB Licensing Pay per use BYOL subscription Services Single and multi-node architecture. Load balancing, instance provisioning. Load balancing, clustering, Active Directory, and the HANA database. SAP S/4HANA on AWS provides infrastructure services. AWS has the advantage of making SAP HANA available, cost-effective, and fault-tolerant. With AWS you can configure a single EC2 to host SAP HANA with EBS storage and your chosen operating system. Another option is to use multi-AZ to deploy primary and secondary nodes, using one for production and another for non-production. You have two main options: First, BYOL (Bring your own license). It supports native HANA applications, S/4HANA, Business Suite on HANA, and you can have OLAP memory up to 100 TB. Second, the express edition, which is free to use for in-memory databases, but keep in mind you’ll have to stay under 32 GB. Conclusions Which is best will depend on your use cases. Azure in my opinion offers better performance for big data and AI workloads. AWS provides more reliability and redundancy.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
13%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Computer Software Company
10%
University
6%
Manufacturing Company
12%
Computer Software Company
12%
Educational Organization
7%
Retailer
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business139
Midsize Enterprise53
Large Enterprise148
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business19
Midsize Enterprise8
Large Enterprise15
 

Questions from the Community

Which is preferable - IBM Public Cloud or Microsoft Azure?
IBM Public Cloud is IBM’s Platform-as-a-Service. It aims to provide organizations with a secure cloud environment to manage data and applications. One of the features we like is the cloud activity ...
Which is better - SAP Cloud Platform or Microsoft Azure?
One of the best features of SAP Cloud Platform is that it is web-based and you can log in from anywhere in the world. SAP Cloud Platform is suitable for companies of any size; it works well with bo...
How does Microsoft Azure compare to Google Firebase?
I would recommend Google Firebase instead of Microsoft Azure, simply for the array of features that it has to offer. In particular, the Firebase library grants you access to a shared data structure...
What do you like most about SAP S4HANA on AWS?
With extensive data and a sizable client base, this ensures seamless operations, responsiveness, and overall reliability, addressing our enterprise-scale needs effectively.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for SAP S4HANA on AWS?
The initial setup required a higher investment, but the return on investment has justified the cost.
What needs improvement with SAP S4HANA on AWS?
Currently, we have some integration areas like Concur and Ariba that could be improved. Having these integrations as a single source rather than working in silos would be beneficial for customers.
 

Also Known As

Windows Azure, Azure, MS Azure
SAP S/4HANA on AWS
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

BMW, Toyota, easyJet, NBC Sports, HarperCollins, Aviva, TalkTalk Business, Avanade, and Telenor.
Brigade Group, DoHome, Royal FloraHolland
Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft Azure vs. SAP S4HANA on AWS and other solutions. Updated: September 2025.
867,676 professionals have used our research since 2012.