The Best Cloud Servers For Your Business: The Ultimate Guide

Today, businesses need technology that scales with their rapidly growing enterprises. Cloud services offer a scalable and low-cost alternative to conventional on-premise systems. When choosing the best cloud services for your company, you will have to consider several factors. How much storage and bandwidth do you need? How many users are there? What are their peak usage times? Which security protocols do you require? Is there any special software that needs to be installed on the virtual machines? The list of questions is almost endless. To help you get started, we’ve compiled this ultimate guide to the best cloud servers for your business.

What is a Cloud Server?

A cloud server is a virtual machine used for hosting websites, apps, and software. It’s hosted by a cloud provider and is accessible via the Internet. Cloud servers are widely used by startups and small businesses due to their low cost and ease of setup. Most cloud hosting providers offer the following types of cloud servers: 

• Bare-metal Cloud Servers 

These are like traditional physical servers, but they’re hosted in a data center and managed by a cloud provider. 

• Virtual Private Servers 

This type of cloud server is a virtual machine hosted on a physical server. 

• Public Cloud Servers 

These are offered by public cloud providers like Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure which allow anyone to rent virtual servers.

• Private Cloud Servers

These are offered by private cloud providers that are only used by a single organization. 

• Hybrid Cloud Servers

These are a combination of public and private cloud servers.

• Containerized Cloud Servers 

These virtual machines are created using containers, which can be built using any type of cloud server. 

• Software-as-a-Service 

This is a cloud service where software is hosted in a data center and accessed over the Internet.

What to look for in a Cloud Server

In order to find the best cloud services for your business, you will need to consider its storage, bandwidth, and scalability requirements. You’ll also need to make sure that the provider you choose offers the necessary security protocols and software. 

• Storage 

You will need to take into account how much storage your website and apps will require. Cloud servers offer different storage options, including redundant storage, tiered storage, and object storage. You might also want to consider whether you will need cold storage. If you store sensitive data like credit card information, you will need to select the highest levels of security.

• Bandwidth

How much bandwidth is your business expected to use? If you store and serve videos or run a website that requires a lot of bandwidth, you will need to choose a cloud server with a high-end network. 

• Scalability

Do you expect your business to grow quickly? If so, you will need to look for a cloud server that offers scalability. This is a huge advantage if you ever need to quickly increase your server capacity.

Benefits of Using Cloud Servers

The biggest advantage of using cloud servers is scalability. Cloud servers offer greater flexibility and scalability compared to conventional systems. You can scale your business and expand your IT infrastructure at a much faster rate. You wouldn’t have to worry about investing in expensive hardware that would have become obsolete in a few years. 

Other benefits of cloud servers include reduced costs, convenient maintenance, higher security, and better connectivity. Cloud servers are ideal for businesses that rely on scalability. If your company is growing rapidly, you might face a shortage of space on your conventional systems. Cloud servers allow you to easily scale your business by adding or removing resources as needed.

Cloud servers also help you to reduce costs by eliminating capital expenses. You wouldn’t have to invest in expensive hardware that would become obsolete in a few years. Instead, you can rent scalable cloud servers at a very low cost. Cloud servers also come with other benefits, such as better connectivity, higher security, and convenient maintenance.

Amazon Web Services (AWS) Instance Types

There are many AWS instance types you can choose from when hosting your website or app in the AWS cloud. You will first need to determine which type of instance best fits your business needs. 

• Micro Instances 

Micro instances are designed for smaller applications with light traffic. They’re great for testing and building prototypes. They provide a low-cost option for getting started with AWS, and they’re also ideal for non-production environments. 

• T2 Instances 

These instances deliver savings when compared with other instance types, making them an excellent fit for low-traffic websites. They are ideal for applications with consistent, but lower, CPU demand. 

• Standard Instances

If you have a higher CPU demand, you will likely want to choose a standard instance. These instances are the best option for a wide variety of applications. 

• High-CPU Instances 

These instances are designed for a wide range of applications that need higher CPU demand. They are often used by big data applications and data analysis software. 

• Memory-optimized Instances 

These instances are designed to run in large-scale distributed environments and are an excellent fit for in-memory databases and HPC applications. 

• GPU-enabled Instances 

If you have an application that requires a GPU, you should consider using an AWS instance that offers GPU support. The most common use cases for GPUs include machine learning and image processing. 

Azure Instance Types

If you host your website or app in the Azure cloud, there are a number of instance types you can choose from. You will need to take into account your storage, bandwidth, and scalability requirements to determine which instance is best for your business. 

• Append Blob 

If you need to store unstructured data, like videos and images, you will likely want to choose an Azure blob storage instance. This type of instance is designed for storing large amounts of data.

• App Service

If you need to host an application in the Azure cloud, you should choose this instance type. This instance type is designed for a wide range of modern applications. 

• Compute 

If you have a wide range of applications that need to run in the Azure cloud, you will likely want to choose this instance type. This is one of the most widely used instance types. 

• Container 

If you have an application that needs to use a container-based architecture, you should consider using this Azure instance type. 

Google Cloud Instance Types

Google Cloud offers a wide range of instance types that are suitable for hosting websites and apps. You will first need to determine which instance type best fits your business needs.

• App Engine 

If you need to run a wide range of applications, you will likely want to choose this instance type. It is designed to run applications smoothly and reliably. 

• Compute Engine 

This instance type is designed for applications that require high levels of CPU and memory. It’s commonly used for big data applications. 

• Cloud Functions 

This instance type is designed for event-driven applications that require low latency. It’s commonly used for applications that depend on asynchronous callbacks. 

• Cloud Interconnect 

If you need to connect your private network with Google Cloud, you should choose this instance type. 

• Cloud SQL 

You will need to use this instance type if you need to host a database in the Google Cloud.

• Container

If you have an application that needs to use a container-based architecture, you should select this instance type.

Tips For Choosing the Best Cloud Server For Your Business

When choosing the best cloud services for your business, you will have to consider several factors:  

• Choose a fast and secure cloud server

Speed and security are two critical factors that you should consider when choosing a cloud server. First, look for a server that can deliver high performance. This is important because your application won’t run smoothly if the server is slow. Second, ensure that the server you choose offers high security. Look for a server that uses advanced security protocols and offers strong firewalls.

• Choose a cloud server equipped with plenty of storage

You have to consider the amount of storage space your business requires. If it is too little, you will have to upgrade it more frequently. However, if it’s too much, you might be wasting money.

• Choose a cloud server with enough bandwidth

You also have to consider the amount of bandwidth your company requires. This is because bandwidth is the amount of data that is transferred to and from your servers. If you don’t choose a server with enough bandwidth, your users won’t be able to access your content. 

• Choose a cloud server compatible with your software

You also have to ensure that the server you choose is compatible with the software that you’re going to use. This is important because you don’t want to invest in an expensive server that can’t support your software. 

• Choose a server with the right amount of RAM

RAM or random access memory is the amount of memory required by your server. It helps your server process data and run applications faster. The amount of RAM you choose will affect the performance of your server. 

• Choose a server with the correct type of CPU

The type of CPU you choose will affect the performance of your server. For example, you can use an Intel CPU for virtual machines that need high-performance levels. However, if your virtual machines are low-performance, you can use an ARM CPU. 

• Choose a server with the ideal amount of cores

You also have to choose the number of cores your server has. This is because a core is the central processing unit that manages the flow of instructions in a computer. The number of cores you choose will determine the performance of your server.  

Conclusion

Choosing the right cloud server is a critical part of your business. This is because your server will be responsible for hosting your applications and storing your data. You have to choose a server that offers high performance, high security, and is compatible with your software. You also have to consider the amount of storage, bandwidth, RAM, and IOPS your server has. The best thing about choosing a server for your business is that you have a wide range of options to choose from. We’ve discussed all the different types of cloud servers that are available. Now it’s up to you to decide which one is best for your company.