Business SM Solutions
What is cloud computing? Cloud computing is the on-demand delivery of computing services, including applications, data storage and data processing, over the internet. You’ll usually pay for cloud computing services on a pay-as-you-go basis, so you pay only for the applications and cloud services you use. This approach helps lower your business’s operating costs and allows for flexible scaling. businesscloudsolutions In today’s ever-changing business climate, small business owners must be able to access data and applications from their computers, tablets or mobile phones, whether in the office, out in the field or on the road. Cloud computing provides this anywhere access via an internet connection. Traditional web hosting A traditional web host uses physical server space to handle its clients’ web hosting needs. Within the traditional hosting space, services are either dedicated or shared. Each option has its merits. Dedicated hosting: With dedicated hosting, a client pays for an entire server. Servers have specific amounts of processing power, bandwidth, memory and hard drive space. Dedicated hosting can be expensive. Shared hosting: With shared hosting, companies share one server. Each user pays for a specific amount of storage space on that server and shares its bandwidth. Shared hosting costs less than dedicated hosting. However, your website may load more slowly because the shared server supports web traffic for multiple companies. You’ll likely pay more if your website exceeds the shared service’s limitations. What are the main cloud service models? Cloud-computing services range from data storage to functional programs, including accounting software, customer service tools and remote desktop hosting. These services can be categorized into three models: infrastructure, platform and software as a service. IaaS: Infrastructure as a service (IaaS) allows you to rent IT infrastructure, including servers, virtual machines, storage and networks, from a cloud provider, typically on a pay-as-you-go basis. IaaS offerings help small businesses take advantage of setups that handle different workload needs. Two key players in this field are Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure. PaaS: Platform as a service (PaaS) gives software developers access to cloud-based tools like APIs, gateway software and web portals. Services like Salesforce’s Lightning, the Google App Engine and the AWS Elastic Beanstalk are popular solutions. SaaS: SaaS offerings give users access to software over the internet. SaaS applications are accessible via a web browser, desktop client or an API that integrates with a user’s desktop or mobile operating system. SaaS applications help workers collaborate on projects, download important files and work directly on specialized computer programs. In most cases, SaaS users must pay a monthly or annual subscription fee. Services like Microsoft Office 365 and Google Workspace are examples of SaaS applications.