Moving to the cloud can give your company many benefits. Flexibility, scalability, security, performance, efficiency and in some cases cost savings are just a few. Your application can be hosted in the cloud giving your employees 24/7 access worldwide. They also guarantee uptime so if that is an important requirement for your organization it only makes sense to host your app in the cloud.

When you buy infrastructure (IaaS) you only pay for what you need and can scale up and down depending on your needs. This includes various servers such as database, web and application servers. Cloud computing, whether developing or hosting applications, can help businesses automate routine tasks like server re-boots or database back-ups and can provide real-time data. Real-time data is crucial to banks and financial institutions as well as many others. Applications and data in the cloud have security stewards and among the most secure in the world.

Three large providers dominate the market and have about 60% of the $247 billion dollar industry. Amazon Web Services (AWS) is the front runner in the industry followed by Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud. This leaves plenty of room for small hosting companies to grab a piece of the pie. Many small companies do not have their own cloud, instead, they provide managed services using one of these companies as their platform.

All three of the large cloud companies provide similar services. They all offer storage, computer or processing speed, databases, analytics, security updates and machine learning (AI).

AWS is known for its scalability, flexibility, and reliability. It also has a strong security model and offers a wide range of tools for managing and monitoring your infrastructure. AWS is a good choice for businesses of all sizes, from small startups to large enterprises and is a good starting point if you want to host a simple app or database.

Azure is known for its strong integration with Microsoft’s other products, such as Office 365 and Windows Server. It also offers a wide range of tools for managing and monitoring your infrastructure. Azure is a good choice for businesses that are already using Microsoft products and want to integrate their cloud services with their existing infrastructure. If you are a business that relies heavily on Microsoft and has made the investment in this technology stack, Azure would be an obvious choice.

Google Cloud has a strong focus on machine learning and data analytics. It also offers a wide range of tools for managing and monitoring your infrastructure. Google Cloud is a good choice for businesses that are looking for a cloud service that is focused on data analytics and machine learning. So, if you are a large financial or insurance company and need lots of data for your actuaries and accountants, Google Cloud might be for you.

There are also some other hosting services for top secret and government entities. AWS, Azure, and Google are all Fed Ramp certified. This means they conform to rigorous technical and security standards, have completed extensive audits, and been granted the authority to operate. These providers have long standing reputations and are considered trustworthy and competent. You may see some companies like Acquia offering Fed Ramp certified services because they are using AWS or Azure or Google cloud on the back end. As a separate company, they also must be vetted before offering services.

If you haven’t set a budget yet for your move to the cloud or plan to move some or all of your servers or applications to the cloud, please give us a cal. We can walk you through an analysis to help you determine which one is right for you and how much it will cost. Moving to the cloud is inevitable to stay safe and competitive. Let us help you plan your budget and perform this important task.

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