Cloud computing is gaining a lot of popularity with individual users as well as business users due to the high level of functionality that it offers at a much lower cost than specialized hardware and software. Generally, cloud computing can be broken down into 3 main categories; Infrastructure as a Service (Iaas), Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Software as a Service (Saas).
Businesses can make use of all three kinds of cloud solutions depending on the kind of functionality they are looking to gain from the service. Cloud services are a quick and easy way for businesses to implement digital solutions and start benefitting from things such as cloud storage, e-commerce platforms, and specialized processing solutions.
Just as important as the cloud solution that one uses is the cloud service provider. Each service provider has its own advantages and unique features that they provide with their cloud solution. Here are some of the best cloud service providers you can use to turbocharge your business's performance.
These cloud services offered by one of the oldest names in tech are reasonably priced and offer the user a large variety of options. IBM offers Platform as a service, Software as a service, and Infrastructure as a service, solutions.
The IBM Cloud offers both virtual services and hardware-based server solutions. Moreover, through these combined cloud services, users can gain complete control over their cloud environment and bring the ‘noisy neighbor’ effect close to zero. This makes this system highly customizable and very flexible while delivering quality performance.
Google also provides cloud services which include Iaas and Paas solutions. Through the Google Cloud Platform, users can build, store, and use a variety of resources that are secured using Googles’ multilayered defense system.
Services such as App Engine, Container Engine, Cloud Storage, and Big Query are all backed by Google and the performance is not only snappy but also very consistent and reliable. Pricing is very reasonable and free trials are also available.
For people looking to build an e-commerce business, AWS has a complete package of solutions focused on this particular niche. AWS services include Relational Database Service (RDS), Elastic Cloud Compute (EC2), Elastic Beanstalk, and Simple Storage Service (S3). The AWS web client is also a highly advanced service through which users can access a plethora of admin controls and also use services such as encryption key creation.
AWS has a unique pricing mechanism which three distinct categories; 1. Pay as you go 2. Pay less using more and 3. Save when you reserve.
For people looking for services that are more focused on AI, IoT, microservices, and OLTP, the Oracle Cloud Infrastructure is the best solution. The two main available services are cloud architecture and storage data.
Cloud architecture manages all things related to data management, applications, and databases. The storage cloud is focused more on creating big data analytics for better insights and business forecasts. There are also a host of SaaS services, however, this platform is more suitable for larger enterprises rather than SME's.
The Alibaba cloud provides a range of services including database services, networking, elastic computing, and CDN solutions. However, what makes this service provider more attractive for SMEs is that they offer a free trial for 16 of their digital products and market the fact that more than 20 other of their cloud services will be available as ‘always free’. Not only are the services worth a try due to their functionality and quality but the company also gives users $300 worth of credit for simply trying out their services.