Is AWS Cloud Services a Good Fit for Small Businesses?
Cloud computing has taken business operations to the next level. But what exactly is it?
Simply put, cloud computing provides services over the Web. Examples include servers, databases, software, storage, and more. The current industry leader is AWS. The company provides users with a secure, stable, and scalable infrastructure to fit different business needs.
While the benefits for bigger companies are obvious, some can’t help but wonder – is AWS Cloud Services a good fit for small businesses?
Let’s find out together:
What is AWS?
AWS aims to help businesses adopt the cloud faster and focus on development. As an infrastructure operations management service, AWS Managed Service allows you to handle your Amazon cloud tools from a centralized point.
Users are able to automate most of their tasks, such as monitoring, security, and data backups. In addition, the service takes over the management of some of the third-party tools installed on each individual cloud.
The good thing about businesses is that Amazon allows owners to request more resources, scale up or down, or handle any other necessary changes.
AWS Benefits for Small Businesses
The AWS cloud service is the undisputed leader in the industry for a reason – it can offer your small business numerous benefits. Here’s what you can expect:
Cost-Effective
It’s clear that typical small businesses don’t have the same budget as large-scale enterprises. So, looking for a cost-effective solution that won’t break the bank is a priority.
That’s exactly what AWS offers. It will help you:
- Eliminate infrastructure maintenance
- Reduce data storage costs
- Archive info at a lower cost
- Get disaster recovery solutions
The cherry on top, however, is that AWS offers free tiers. You can use them for computing, storage, backup, and more.
Scalable
A major Amazon benefit is its AWS Auto Scaling app. It will monitor all your installed software and adjust capacity to meet the demand. You can easily build scaling plans for your resources via the user-friendly dashboard.
The app will also give you recommendations on optimizing performance and costs and finding a balance between them. That way, you pay for what you actually use. And every month, you get the chance to change your plan accordingly.
Secure
All businesses, big or small, need a secure environment for both their business and user data.
So, what does AWS offer on the security front?
First is the end-to-end approach the cloud uses to protect its hardware. In addition, physical, operational, and software measures are in place to prevent issues. AWS also features integrated machine learning technology.
This allows users to discover, classify, and protect their data in just a few clicks. They get full access to their storage and can control who gets specific access to information. All account owners can set automated security checks and monitoring.
But that’s not all. In case your business is niche-specific and needs to meet certain compliance standards, AWS offers:
- PCI-DSS
- HIPAA
- HiTrust
- GDPR
- ISO
- SOC 1, 2, and 3
Saves Time
Time is precious, and any cloud hosting provider knows this. That’s why you can rely on the AWS support team to have your back.
Investing in managed services means you get a dedicated team to take over the tech part of things. They will monitor your website for all sorts of issues, protect the infrastructure, backup your data, etc.
Furthermore, you can automate infrastructure management tasks and control your apps from the AWS Management Console. That way, you’ll have more time to focus on developing your business.
Global Infrastructure
Many business owners plan to sell their products and services worldwide. That’s another huge benefit of the AWS cloud services – they cover most of the globe. There are 99 Availability Zones (AZs) spread around 31 geographic regions all across the world.
Here’s how this works:
The regions are fully independent and consist of multiple AZs. They are also isolated partitions of the main infrastructure. Should any issues arise, your server is always safe.
Users can run software across multiple AZs in one region, meaning they can deploy the apps closer to their end-users’ location. And if you’re worried about performance, you don’t have to be:
The telco solutions AWS Local Zones and AWS Wavelength are in place to help apps requiring single-digit millisecond latencies to reach top performance.
ScalaHosting and AWS
ScalaHosting and Amazon partnered up to provide cost-effective services to all our clients.
The results are:
ScalaHosting has added more server options, suitable for small businesses. They range from 2GB to 16GB RAM. In addition, clients can get up to 4 CPU cores on the fixed plans. Server locations have expanded, too.
Users can now rely on 13 additional cities on four continents:
- Virginia, Ohio, Oregon (US)
- Montreal (Canada)
- Ireland
- London (UK)
- Paris (France)
- Frankfurt (Germany)
- Singapore (Singapore)
- Tokyo (Japan)
- Seoul (South Korea)
- Mumbai (India)
- Sydney (Australia)
All who get the ScalaHosting AWS plans will also get access to SPanel, our custom-built hosting management platform. The platform is easy to use, fast, and adds an additional layer of security to your server. In addition, you get 24/7 support and remote daily backups. If the need arises – you are able to scale your plan with a single click.
Wrap Up
Small businesses need three things – time, opportunities to grow, and a secure environment that allows it. AWS provides all of that and more at an affordable rate.
Get on that bandwagon – you won’t regret it!
FAQ
Q: Does AWS make sense for small businesses?
A: AWS is a great web hosting choice for a small business. It’s cost-effective, scalable, secure, and provides a global infrastructure. Getting a managed service also means owners will have more time to focus on developing their online projects.
Q: Why is cloud computing ideal for small businesses?
A: Cloud computing is ideal for small businesses because it provides them with numerous resources, security monitoring features, and a global infrastructure at a great price point. It also eliminates the need for in-house support, which in turn saves money.
Q: Why is AWS so popular with startups?
A: The main reason why AWS is popular among startups is that it is affordable. Prices are super flexible, and customers only pay for what they use. In addition, AWS has several Startup Programs – AWS Active Founders, AWS Partner Network, AWS Public Sector for Startups, and more – which help business owners grow their companies.
