Small businesses are often limited in their resources, so choosing the right cloud server for your small business can be challenging. Small businesses are more likely to have tight budgets and may not have a dedicated IT person.
Therefore, they must find a solution that’s affordable, easy to use and has the features they need. It’s not always possible to implement every feature that a larger business would take advantage of, but it’s also unnecessary to spend resources on them as well.
To help you choose the best cloud server for your small business we’ve outlined some key things you should consider when selecting a service for your company. It doesn’t matter how many users you have or the size of your company; if you operate a small business then any service is going to be restricted in some way by its low user count.
What Is a Cloud Server?
Simply put, cloud servers are remote servers that are accessible over the internet. They are accessible through a web browser and they can be accessed from any device with a web connection.
This includes computers, tablets, smartphones and other devices.Cloud servers are typically offered as on-demand services; meaning you don’t have to find a computer with a spare capacity you can use whenever you need it.
They are also provided as managed services; which means your cloud server provider assumes responsibility for setting them up, storing the data, and managing the resources used.
Cloud servers are becoming increasingly popular for a number of reasons.
For example, a cloud server is ideal for start-ups and small businesses that are looking to grow quickly. Since these businesses don’t have the extra cash to purchase expensive hardware and software, they may want to try cloud servers as an option.
What to Look for in a Cloud Server for Small Businesses
If your business fits the typical definition of a small business, then you’re in luck because cloud servers are a great fit for these types of companies. They’re affordable, easy to use and they come with a wide range of features that will suit the needs of a small business.
If you aren’t sure if your business is small enough to take advantage of cloud servers, you can use a quick Google search to see how many results you get for your keywords.
Keep in mind that a smaller business will have a smaller search volume, so this isn’t a perfect way to determine if your business is small enough.
An Overview of the Best Cloud Servers for Small Businesses
Google Cloud Platform – $300 per annum The Google Cloud Platform is one of the best cloud servers for small businesses.
It offers a range of managed services, including Google App Engine for building and running web apps, BigQuery for analyzing Big Data, and the Cloud Endpoints service for handling external calls to business applications.
Microsoft Azure – $99 per month Microsoft Azure is another great cloud server for small businesses. It offers a range of managed services, including SQL Azure for storing data, BizTalk for creating and handling messaging systems, and Azure Automation for managing app deployments.
Amazon Web Services – $0.0075 per hour The AWS cloud server is another great option for businesses of all sizes. It’s offered as a fully managed service, so you don’t have to worry about setting up and managing hardware yourself.
It also has a range of managed services, including Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud for running virtual machines, Amazon Simple Storage Service for storing data, Amazon Elastic Map Reduce for analyzing Big Data, Amazon Machine Learning for analyzing data, and Amazon Cognito for managing user identities.
The Most Affordable Cloud Servers for Small Businesses
The most affordable cloud servers for small businesses are those that are offered by open-source vendors, such as AWS and Azure. AWS, in particular, is a great option because it’s offered by a large, established company, and it has many benefits that smaller businesses can take advantage of.
Cloud servers also come with a range of managed services.
While you can manage many aspects of your cloud server yourself, it’s often best to take advantage of these managed services because they are managed to handle specific tasks, such as scaling your cloud server when needed.
AWS, Azure and other cloud server vendors are growing rapidly.
As a result, new services are being added regularly. This means you won’t have to wait for years for a new service to be added to the cloud server. New services are being added all the time, so you can stay up-to-date with the latest technologies, including cloud servers.
The Best Hybrid Cloud Servers for Small Businesses
Hybrid cloud servers combine features of both on-premises and public cloud servers to provide the best of both worlds.
They usually offer a mix of public and private cloud servers, providing a range of managed services and self-managed services in the public cloud.
Amazon Web Staten – $0.0075 per hour The AWS server is a great hybrid cloud server for small businesses. It’s offered as a fully managed service. AWS also has features designed to help manage its growth, such as autoscaling, which automatically scales your cloud server to handle increased traffic.
Azure Stack – Free The Azure Stack is a hybrid cloud server that runs in the Azure cloud. This allows organizations to avoid the issues related to managing the hardware of an on-premises server.
You can add or remove virtual machines from the stack at any time, ensuring you have sufficient capacity for your needs. Azure Stack also has built-in redundancy, which provides an added layer of protection in case of server downtime.
The Final Words
When it comes to choosing the best cloud server for your small business, you have a number of different options to choose from. The most affordable options are offered by open-source vendors, such as AWS and Azure.
Hybrid cloud servers are also a great option for small businesses. Cloud servers are great for small businesses because they are scalable and they can be used to host applications and data remotely.
There are a number of factors you need to consider when choosing the best cloud server for your company. Consider your budget, the size of your organization, the features you need, and the security of your data.
