Cloud computing has quickly grown from a tenuous new offering to a veritable force with which to be reckoned. From personal file storage to business structuring and virtual office creation, managed cloud services have given businesses much for which to be grateful. That’s one of the reasons why we’re so excited to talk to you about how three popular cloud computing options can help your small business.
In 2020, at least 83% of enterprise-based workloads will be placed in the cloud.
The digital revolution is set to continue its rapid spread in the coming years and is projected to “digitally transform” businesses of all sizes and industries. This is one of the driving forces behind cloud computing and the businesses that adopt it. Why not embrace a service that is set to become an industry standard?
How should a small business approach cloud-based solutions? ManagedIT helps many business owners in Singapore and beyond find affordable ways to incorporate cloud computing to fuel their business growth.
If you’re looking for a flexible system that allows you to access your business files from almost any device with internet capability, cloud computing is truly an option above the rest. That’s not where the features of the three systems we’re going to look at stop, however – not by a long shot. In addition to offering a cloud-based storage option, cloud computing also offers users options like mobile networking, artificial intelligence (AI) services, and support for big data and its analysis.
Let’s take a look at three top contenders to add cloud computing to your small business!
Which cloud computing service provider is the best for small businesses?
In addition to the plethora of cloud computing services offered by smaller IT companies, the “big names” in the industry have developed their own packages. This includes:
• Amazon Web Services
• Google Cloud Platform
• Microsoft Azure
The services offered by these businesses are all secure and comprehensive, however, they differ slightly in their focus and approach. With that in mind, we’re going to look at the pros and cons of each cloud computing option and look at how they can help your business thrive.
Amazon Web Services
Amazon Web Services (AWS) is one of the more experienced contenders. They’ve been around since 2006, and they’ve certainly used that time to their advantage. They offer the largest variety of services out of all three of the cloud computing solutions in question. These services span a wide range of niches, too, including services specializing in:
• Storage
• Analytics
• Mobile
• Networking
• Database
• Internet of Things (IoT)
• Management Tools
• Developer Tools
• Enterprise Applications
• Security Applications
This selection can be overwhelming, but it’s great for businesses with varied needs. You can often build your plan to suit the specific goals you have and might find that AWS has solutions in areas that others do not. If you are looking for hybrid cloud strategy that uses a mix of on-premises, private cloud and third-party, public cloud services, however, then you might want to look elsewhere as AWS has largely spurned this concept.
Google Cloud Platform
Google Cloud Platform (GCP) is a relative newcomer in the cloud computing industry, at least as it pertains to consumers. They made their cloud solutions available to the general public in 2011 and have spent the past seven years steadily building a strong suite of cloud solutions.
One of GCP’s biggest advantages is its acceptance of partnerships, which allows their customers to run a variety of services and apps from other vendors in their cloud environment. In fact, they provide their clients with various key partnerships of their own, most notably with Pivotal, SAP, and Rackspace.
With that said, they have relatively less experience with the enterprise markets than the other options and might not be the best choice if you’re looking for experience with these services specifically.
Microsoft Azure
Microsoft’s cloud computing options, Azure, is one that has been rapidly gaining ground in recent years thanks to new management. In fact, its entire perspective has shifted to help consumers think of the “cloud first”, and they offer a variety of solutions to help them do just that. They offer several software-as-a-service (SaaS) options that are widely used, especially by small and medium businesses, as well as platform-as-a-service (PaaS) solutions.
With that said, Microsoft Azure might not be the best option if you’re hoping to run an operating system other than Windows. While they have expanded their open-source options recently, they still lag behind GCP and AWS.
Which option is the best?
It is not an easy task to compare various cloud platforms and decide what is best for your business. The above comparison is done at a basic level only. If you want to get started with cloud computing as a small business owner and looking for the safest choice, then AWS might be the best. If the applications you use are connected to Microsoft, then go for Azure, while GCP is a great option if you’re looking for a more open-source platform that embraces collaboration.
Need some help selecting the best cloud platform?
The experts at ManagedIT can help you find the best cloud computing options that fit your business like a glove. We’re happy to work with you to determine your needs and discuss the various options at your disposal.
Reach out to us today for more information!
If you are ready to take your cloud usage to the next level, give us a call or use the web form to contact us.
ManagedIT.SG is an IT Support, IT Solutioning and Managed IT Service Provider specializing in serving Small Businesses in Singapore. Call us at +65 6748 8776 and let us manage your Small Business IT today!