Cloud computing is nothing new. Companies across the world have been adopting cloud technologies for the past decade. However, not all businesses have been able to harness the power of the cloud. SMBs with limited budgets and staff resources have not been able to utilize cloud technology that enterprise corporations are able to access. Amazon (yes, the online retailer) recognized this and created Amazon Web Services (AWS), which provides businesses of all shapes and sizes with scalable and affordable cloud computing and storage services.
SMBs looking to get into cloud computing should put AWS at the top of their list, and here are two reasons why!
Cost Effectiveness
With cloud computing, you only pay for what you need. With on-premise technology, teams often have to forecast their needs a year in advance. As a result, many companies end up with servers that are only partially utilized. On the other hand, a company may underestimate their requirements and be forced to buy more equipment to match the demands on the IT environment. AWS allows businesses to scale up or down with the click of a mouse. All they have to do is have an admin log-in via the AWS web dashboard and then increase or decrease computing power, storage, or database capacity as needed.
Not only does cloud computing help to optimize IT budgets, but Amazon has continuously modified its pricing tiers for AWS over the years to bring in more businesses (many of which are working with limited budgets). In May 2014, Amazon announced on their AWS blog the 42nd price drop for Amazon Web Services, and the prices continue to trend downward!
Inherent Data Backups
When files and other forms of data are hosted in the cloud, it is the cloud provider’s responsibility to ensure that the data is safe and always available. Moving to the cloud means businesses don’t have to spend time backing up their data, as it is replicated in the cloud. AWS guarantees an uptime of 99.999999999%. Plus companies have the option to choose the region where their data resides which reduces latency and also helps to adhere to regulatory requirements. Data is securely spread across designated availability zones (selected by the end user) in AWS to ensure that the data is always available.
AWS is just one of many cloud computing and storage solutions available. In addition to Amazon Web Services, companies can choose to use other platforms such as Microsoft Azure, and VMWare. So how do you decide on which one to use to make the switch to the cloud? Contact us today to speak to one of our IT consultants who will work with you to take inventory of your existing IT infrastructure and establish needs and goals for your business. Once in place, we can recommend a cloud platform that best suits your company’s needs.
