Introduction:
From a traditional and tedious way of operating business, the world has now moved to a more robust and agile manner. It goes without saying that almost every business requires a technical hand to be in the race against competitors. For this reason, today we have businesses adopting cloud services in their business process.
What exactly is cloud, what are cloud-based services, and why are they used:
Cloud basically are servers that are accessible over the internet. At its core, “the cloud” refers to a network of remote servers that store, manage, and deliver data and computing services over the internet instead of on local, on-premises servers or personal computers.
Cloud services offer numerous benefits to businesses, revolutionizing the way they operate and enhancing their competitive edge. With cloud resources, businesses can easily scale up or down to match their needs, ensuring they pay only for the resources they use. This flexibility is invaluable in accommodating fluctuating workloads, such as increased website traffic during sales events or seasonal peaks in demand.
Why do startups move to cloud based services:
Having a startup today is not an easy task. To stay ahead of others, a startup needs to be technically active. This makes them quite open to having a cloud computing platform in action.
Startups are increasingly turning to cloud servers as a fundamental shift in their operational strategy, departing from traditional methods. The key drivers in this infrastructural shift are:
- Cost-effectiveness: Unlike the traditional model where startups must invest heavily in physical hardware and infrastructure, cloud services offer a pay-as-you-go model, enabling startups to allocate resources more efficiently.
- Scalability: It is another compelling reason, allowing startups to easily adapt to changing demands. Whether it’s handling sudden growth in website traffic or expanding their user base, startups can do so without the logistical challenges and delays associated with acquiring and configuring physical servers.
- Collaboration: With teams becoming more interdependent and integrated, collaboration is needed to be smooth sailing. Startups opt for cloud platforms, ERPs, SaaS, and other such solutions to make the inter and intra team collaboration more efficient as well as easy flowing.
- Security: One factor that cannot be neglected at any cost is security. A less secured network is likely to face major issues. Cloud based servers offer a secured environment for businesses with their proficient expertise and resources.
- Flexibility: Cloud platforms offer startups the agility and scalability needed to adapt to the ever-changing demands of the business landscape. In a cloud environment, startups can easily spin up additional virtual machines, storage, or network resources as they expand, without the delays and upfront costs associated with procuring and configuring physical hardware.
Cloud Platforms:
With their efficient service packages, cloud computing platforms enhance the way businesses run and be on the lead. Moreover, their services are continually updated, fixed for any bugs, and made more user friendly, keeping in mind the security and privacy aspects.
There are three prominent cloud service players that rule the industry today: AWS, GCP, and Azure.
AWS:
Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud is a leading cloud computing platform offered by Amazon.com. The AWS managed cloud services include computing power, storage, databases, machine learning, analytics, and more, all accessible over the internet on a pay-as-you-go basis.
AWS DevOps is one of the AWS services that helps businesses to build and deliver products more quickly and reliably. AWS offers various service models, including IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS, catering to diverse business needs.
GCP:
Google Cloud Platform (GCP) by Google offers a wide range of cloud services to individuals, businesses, and enterprises. GCP cloud leverages Google’s vast infrastructure and expertise in data management and innovation to provide a robust and flexible cloud solution.
GCP’s infrastructure services offer scalability, flexibility, and high performance, making it suitable for a wide range of workloads.
Azure:
Azure is Microsoft’s comprehensive cloud computing platform that provides a vast array of services designed to meet the diverse needs of businesses, developers, and organizations worldwide. Microsoft’s SaaS platform Azure DevOps, which was renamed from Visual Studio Team Services (VSTS) in 2018, offers a complete toolchain for creating and distributing software projects.
One of the strengths of Azure Cloud is its integration with Microsoft’s ecosystem, making it a natural choice for organizations using Microsoft technologies like Windows Server, Active Directory, and SQL Server.
But with all providing top-notch cloud services, how exactly do they differ?
Difference:
While Azure services reach up to 100+, AWS provides roughly 200+ services. On the other side, Google Cloud is catching up to Azure and AWS by providing more than 60 services. Another distinction lies in their App Testing Environment, API Managements, Data Warehouses and Virtual Networks.
AWS services was the first to be established amongst the three, followed by Azure and GCP. This early establishment gave AWS a space to expand globally to multiple locations. Although Azure and GCP too have a multi-nation presence, the number still varies.
For this same reason, AWS has a larger user base and community support than any other player in the cloud industry. As a result, AWS has more well-known and high-profile clients, like Netflix, Airbnb, Unilever, BMW, Samsung, MI, Zynga, and others.
With time, Azure is also picking up its fair share of well-known clients. Currently, roughly 80% of Fortune 500 organizations are Azure’s clients. Johnson Controls, Polycom, Fujifilm, HP, Honeywell, Apple, etc. are a few of its top clients.
Conversely, because Google uses the same infrastructure as YouTube and Google Search, many high-end businesses have confidence in Google Cloud. HSBC, PayPal, 20th Century Fox, Bloomberg, Dominos, and more are some of Google Cloud’s biggest customers.
Talking about their pricing, AWS pricing is per second based, while Azure and GCP offer a per minute based pricing plan.
Conclusion:
Cloud-based service is not something to ignore. Businesses should adopt it. Make sure you are using the right cloud-based platform for your business, whether you offer or avail one. The three top players are the best option to choose from. It depends on the business’ requirement what serves the purpose best. So what are you waiting for; get your cloud based services now and run your business on a full swing.
