When it comes to cloud computing services, many business owners find certainties as elusive as real clouds. They read the studies that say they can save time and money with cloud storage providers, and yet without a firm grasp on the services and expenses involved, many cloud users end up overspending and getting discouraged about the benefits they’ve been led to believe the cloud services will bring to their companies. Like any new venture, perfecting cloud services requires some trial and error, but a few rules can help you compare costs and determine the best plan while staying on budget.
Starting Out
You’re most likely to overspend when you first start using cloud services, yet it’s a good time to do so. If you’re planning to use a cloud host for your website, it can be difficult to get a lock on how much bandwidth you’ll truly need, but understanding the purpose of your website can help. If you have a general interest site that’s expected to receive a million hits a month, you’ll need more bandwidth than if you have a specialty site that won’t get more than a thousand visitors. Or if you have a gaming site that uses JavaScript or Flash, you’ll need more bandwidth than if you have a text-only site that simply provides visitors with information.
Even with a good estimate, though, it’s hard to determine ultimate usage in the beginning. A good rule of thumb is to start high or at least keep your budget clear for a hosting package upgrade if necessary. By opting for a higher plan than you need, you keep overage charges at bay and ensure your site stays up and running.
You should also be diligent in reading the hosting companies’ policies. A good hosting company monitors your usage and lets you know if you’re on the verge of going over your plan, allowing you to upgrade before incurring overages.
Comparing Plans & Vendors
Although you can count on a good provider to help you keep an eye on your cloud storage usage, it’s in the best interest of the provider to let you keep your top-level plan even if you don’t use it. They’ll tell you if you need to upgrade, but don’t expect them to tell you when you have plenty of plan to spare.
By using monitoring services, you can review your usage, which helps you determine which services you’re overspending on, so you can downgrade and put that money back into your budget. According to Mobile Commerce News, monitoring services such as Cloudability and Cloud Express integrate across platforms to show accurate real-time usage. Although these services can’t see into the future, they do provide insights into current usage, which helps you make decisions about your hosting plan to get a maximum ROI on your cloud services.
Getting started with the financial aspects of cloud hosting can be intimidating, but by using all the tools available, you can eliminate the uncertainty. Monitoring your cloud services makes it possible to engage in that age-old consumer pastime of comparison shopping for cloud services, so you’ll get the best cost on the services you need and won’t end up paying for services you don’t.