There are a number of cloud service providers offering a wide assortment of cloud services and customisation options. Companies such as IBM Softlayer, AWS, and Microsoft Azure offer exceptional public cloud services with the aim of capturing a lion’s share of the market. Multiple options often mean trouble in choosing an ideal cloud service provider for your business. You have to employ a strategic approach to your cloud strategy, which includes considering requirements for every application, location of the cloud server, security compliance, performance, and cloud pricing. This blog post focuses on Cloud Price Comparison, one of the most vital factors that help you make a final call on the most suitable cloud service provider and package between IBM Softlayer, AWS, and Microsoft Azure.
Cloud Compute Pricing between IBM SoftLayer vs AWS vs Microsoft Azure –
Cloud pricing is a complex matter involving a lot of intricacies. Compute resources account for a major share of cloud infrastructure cost. Computation covers various parameters that open a window of opportunity for businesses to optimize their cloud costs. Different providers charge different granularity and minimum time, irrespective of the running duration of the instances. While AWS and IBM SoftLayer charge granularity on an hourly basis, Microsoft Azure charges by the minute. This means if you run your servers for just 20-30 minutes, AWS and IBM Softlayer will charge you for an hour. On the other hand, Microsoft Azure will charge you only for the duration you have used the compute resource. That is the reason why resource usage is an important consideration.
IBM Softlayer
IBM SoftLayer has cloud storage resources to meet the varied needs of businesses, ranging from need for a standalone or secondary storage for a server to an out-of-the-box storage solution. The service provider charges users on an hourly or monthly basis and maintains complete transparency. This means you can view your cloud costs down to the server resource level, getting unparalleled control over your cloud infrastructure spending.
AWS
AWS has a container-as-a-service offering that arms businesses with a ready-to-go managed solution they can start using from the word go. The container is also known as Amazon EC2, and is available for free trial. There are primarily four ways to pay for EC2, which includes instances: On-Demand, Reserved Instances, Spot Instances, and hosts: Dedicated Host.
- On-Demand Instances are meat for applications with short-term, spiky, or unpredictable workloads that cannot be interrupted. This type of cloud storage is the most expensive, as users are charged for compute capacity on an hourly basis, minus any long-term commitments or upfront payments.
- Reserved Instances are best suited for applications with steady state or predictable usage. This type of cloud storage provides a reservation capacity that empowers users to launch instances as and when needed. It is available at up to 75 percent cheaper as compared with On-Demand instances.
- Spot Instances are ideal cloud storage for applications with flexible start and end times. Users bidding for spare AWS computing capacity can do so at up to 90 percent lower prices than On-Demand Instance. There’s, however, a concern with Spot Instances as there’s no guaranteed duration of the instance and it may disappear at any time.
- A Dedicated Host is meant for applications that require dedicated resources round the clock for efficient functioning. It is a physical server allowing businesses to use existing server-bound software, including Windows Server, SQL Server, and SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (subject to your license terms). Dedicated Hosts can be purchased On-Demand on an hourly basis and reserved for up to 70 percent cheaper than On-Demand Instances.
Microsoft Azure
Microsoft Azure enables enterprises to quickly deploy their infrastructures and services on the server to instantly cater to their business needs. There are 30 Azure datacenter regions that support both, Windows and Linux based applications with enterprise grade SLAs. The reasons for companies to opt for Microsoft Azure vary from zero upfront costs and termination fees to paying only for usage, as users are billed per minute. Microsoft offers pay-as-you-go subscriptions, which is a flexible payment plan that doesn’t involve minimum purchases or commitments, and allows user to cancel the subscription anytime.
The Bottom Line
IBM SoftLayer provides custom instance types, allowing users to get servers with specific configurations. On the other hand AWS and Microsoft Azure may require re-configuring the RAM or CPUs for desirable instance parameters. That being said, there are custom instances with an optimal combination of CPU and RAM to help businesses save money. Whatever your business requirements, i2k2 Networks has got you covered. We are a cloud hosting services company based in Noida, India, and help businesses transform their IT infrastructure. Whether you pick IBM Softlayer, Amazon Web Services or Microsoft Azure to deploy your infrastructures and services, we have the expertise to assist you. If you wish to learn more about our services or discuss your options, fill out the contact form, or call us at +91-120-466 3031 or +91-9711774040.