Which cloud is the cloud for you?

Cloud Computing has the distinction of being hugely popular while being largely misunderstood. As such, it's basically the Scientology of the technology arena. The tendency for both is that to easily get swept up into a organization that has big plans for you and it can be tough to extricate yourself from it.

In a public cloud scenario, you (the customer) aren't responsible for any of the management of a public cloud hosting solution. Your data is stored in the provider's data center and the provider is responsible for the management and maintenance of the data center. The advantage is that you can completely forget the idea of purchasing server hardware, warranties, licensing compliance etc. You just set up the services you need and pay for them subscription style, by the month.

For very large organizations accustomed to spending $30K or more a month on servers, Colo facilities, redundant circuits and such, it is often a no-brainer to move large swaths of servers and infrastructure to a more flexible model. For very small, start-up style organizations (especially in the software/tech space), cloud services can be a great option as well, due to the very low upfront capital costs. For the majority of small businesses, however, the decision is not quite as clear-cut.

I get asked about cloud services a lot, so I have tried to keep a list of the major players along with their strong and weak points. These are very broad generalizations, and need to be evaluated against the cost/benefits of private cloud or traditional on-premise options. Any time you move to a subscription-based model, you need to go in with your eyes open and be aware of what you are getting into.

• AWS: Amazon almost made this market, and as the first major player there, they have a lot of momentum for cloud services. AWS is ideal for enterprise, but less approachable to small or medium businesses. AWS has a far broader catalog of offerings than other providers, the best fault-tolerance, good options for heavily regulated clients (banks, medical offices, etc.), and pretty fair (but complex) pricing models.
• Azure: Great if you're working in a Microsoft stack (MS SQL Server/.NET/C#/ASP). Bonus points if you need to maintain some MS infrastructure on-premises, as all of Microsoft's new products (Windows 10/Server 2016/Office365) are getting Azure compatibility features baked in. Similarly complex pricing models to AWS, but they are making great strides in simplifying it, especially as their product catalog evolves to meet smaller businesses needs. Azure is the underdog that is keeping Jeff Bezos at Amazon up at night.
• Google Cloud: Runs on Google's existing infrastructure (which means you get to take advantage of their decades-old investments in making things work no matter where you are in the world). The big drag here is Google's reputation for terrible documentation and support. Ever try to call Google for support on Chrome, Google Earth Pro, or Google Apps? Not a great experience.
• Digital Ocean: Great for smaller organizations and startups, but lacks the redundancy/backup/compliance functionalities of the larger players. Without those, they won't really have a place among larger businesses or critical systems with sensitive data. Available in "Cheap" to "Crazy Cheap" pricing levels.

As with anything complex, these are generalizations and most people will need help to make the right decision for their business. If you have any questions about your business or about what direction would be correct for you, feel free to message me any time.