So, there are different options, but which one’s right for you? We are not a famous market research institute offering special report with SWOT analytics for each vendor but we are the experts in finding the right cloud solution for you. We have the experience of several years of cloud projects we realized together with our customers. This is why we could gather a list of critical factors to consider when measuring.
1. A focus on cost
Comparing prices among the major IaaS cloud vendors is not as easy as simply checking the cost of one virtual machine versus another. There is a wide range of factors that influences price: size of the virtual machine, its type, and contract length, to name a few.
So how are you supposed to know which vendor offers the best deal? In deciding this, it should be kept in mind that the most expensive way to pay for cloud-based virtual machines is on-demand: the longer you plan and commit to using these resources, the more you save.
So for example, with Azure and AWS the way this is done is by using Reserved Instances (RIs), and the more you pay for usage up front, the greater the discount (ranging from 24-75% when compared to on-demand). With Google, their model for incentivizing usage is called Sustained Usage Discounts (SUDs), and again, the more you spend, the more you save.
Factors that influence cost
It’s also difficult to offer a generic assessment of which provider offers the cheapest virtual machines, due to the options available and how these tie into specific use cases, and whether:
- Your company is using solid-state memory drives.
- Your virtual machines will be running Windows or an open source OS.
- The deployment covers a domestic or international user audience.
- Workloads can be separated out to let you pay by the minute rather than by the hour.
2. Finalizing your assessment
Outside of pricing and discount options, where there is little to differentiate the major providers, what other factors could impact your choice? Well, one aspect is developer affinity with a particular platform and tool set.
Then there are the more contractual concerns that include:
- Ease of purchase: and the relative ease by which discounts can be applied to any instance and region (a category that Google typically does well in).
- Ease of adaptability: and modifying the use of RIs and SUDs across different business units (for example, AWS/Azure RIs can be converted but require manual intervention, while Google’s version is automatically applied to any instance in a region).
- Ability to cancel: the speed and ease of ending the engagement due to shifting business demand (for example, Azure is unique in allowing you to cancel all your reserved instances – but charge a 12% fee for doing so).
- Most flexible payment options: it’s here that AWS is usually seen as offering the widest range of payment options, as well as enabling you to increase savings in line with what you pay up front.
3. Time to get choosing
Navigating the complexity that comes with your choice of cloud service provider can be difficult. What’s more, to make a wrong decision is in part to contribute to the estimated $10 billion waste in public cloud costs estimated for 2018.
To avoid misspending you need a reliable partner by your side. We offer the expertise that is needed to make informed decisions. Especially when it comes to Microsoft Azure. As a Microsoft Azure Expert Managed Service Provider we have the knowledge to unleash your Azure cloud’s potential.