Stick Your Big Toe in the Cloud for Free
Who could blame you for being a bit skittish about the Cloud?
After all, average ROI for cloud infrastructures among 100 senior-level IT pros in a recent survey was reported at 46%. Worse, 57% of respondents either did not know or could not quantify their ROI on cloud computing.
For small companies deciding on whether to trust the likes of AWS or Google or Microsoft’s Windows Azure to house their applications and data, perhaps security is the first concern. But ROI figures in there pretty solidly as well. Also, when asked about the barriers to using a private cloud, 50% of respondents said they felt the need to manage their own processes and environment.
I guess it’s a control thing. Let go and let God, as they say.
I didn’t post this to confirm your worst fears…or feed them anyway. Rather, if you’re a sysadmin or webmaster, I think it’s worthwhile to remind you that there are options out there that can protect you from cloud disasters — like crashes of cloud platforms and loss of data.
For one, you can monitor your servers and networks, even load-test your web pages, for free. Check it out; there’s no obligation (meaning you don’t have to sign up for anything).
Maybe this is a good way to get your feet wet, or at least stick your big toe in the water, rather, the cloud.
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