By now, I’m sure you’re all probably sick of hearing about COVID-19 and the impact it’s had on business. But what you might not know is how the pandemic has also caused a shift in cloud usage.
A number of businesses have realised that the contracts they had with traditional hosting providers offer zero flexibility in a constantly changing world.
Where before they avoided the lure of unknown fees, companies are now realising the benefits of a payment plan that is based on usage. Below our Sales Director, James, explains why…
The cost of the economic slowdown
When lockdown started, a large number of businesses struggled with the loss of custom. And this wasn’t just the brick and mortar stores, but also those online companies that sold products and services that no one in lockdown would have any use for. Why? Because despite the lack of traffic, these companies were still tied into contracts with their hosting provider.
Just like renting a property you could no longer live in, these organisations were paying for availability that they had no use for. There was no traffic coming to their site and in the current climate, it was reasonable to expect there wouldn’t be for some time. So, without regular income, their hosting contracts were suffocating them through their rigidity.
Understandably, now as we begin to leave lockdown and site traffic increases for many, businesses are sceptical of using the same old model. Instead, there’s a demand for a ‘pay for what you use’ style service. And currently, only auto-scaling in the cloud allows for this.
What is auto-scaling?
In the cloud you can scale up and down. Auto-scaling is automating this process and allows your resources to respond automatically to changes in demand. In addition, due to the fact that auto-scaling allows you to spread your applications across multiple instances, you’ll get the added benefit of high availability which will reduce the risk of downtime.
With this model, you’re now scaling with demand. So instead of paying a fixed-rate throughout a contracted period, you only pay for the resources you actually need when you need them . This means you will save money when customers typically don’t buy from you – whether that’s for seasonal reasons or related to world events.
Of course, auto-scaling sounds easier than it is. For one, it isn’t exactly automatic. You can’t just approach your system and instruct it to build two instances that reflect the source code. You need to write code, configure them, allocate what resources you want as your minimum and how many you’re willing to pay for to accommodate spikes – your maximum.
Where to start
Your first step is to create an action plan. Know exactly what you want to achieve by using cloud and map out how your chosen platform will help you meet your goals. Being a vendor agnostic MSP, if you don’t know which platform to choose, we can help advise – keeping your business needs at the forefront.
Once you’re confident in the compatibility of your chosen provider, ensure you have the expertise in-house to handle the platform. There’s no use relying on a consultant to migrate as it’ll only mean you can’t stand on your own two feet. Auto-scaling in particular will require a level of hands-on knowledge for you to maximise its effectiveness.
How a cloud partner can help
ClearCloud are an organisation with DevOps in our DNA, we collaborate with your team and co-deliver a cloud solution tailored to your needs. We’ll upskill your staff and turn them into cloud engineers. This way, they can manage the maintenance and save you a fortune in consultancy costs.
Sound good? Get in touch with a member of the team today, and we’ll walk you through the next steps of scaling in the cloud.
