Cloud Analytics Info

The public cloud refers to any network, application, storage or other resources that are made available to the public on any cloud service by a provider.  These resources are made available to access by the public over the internet and the most common resources seen on the public cloud are specific applications and storage.

  The term public cloud has come about due to the explosive growth and use of cloud computing.  Cloud computing was developed on a conceptual level more than sixty years ago.  The idea was that computing resources could be made available to many in the form of a public utility.  Although cloud computing isn’t exactly that way in practice, this idea of resources as a utility was pivotal in the development of cloud computing, which is spreading the use across a network, driving down the cost for all users.  Public cloud is simply a version of this, but available to all.

  Amazon ec2 prices

  Amazon ec2, or Elastic Compute Cloud, is simple, inexpensive and scalable web services provided by web giant Amazon.  Amazon ec2 works well via the web to make working in the service simple and fast.  One of the greatest pluses to the service is the Amazon ec2 prices.

  Amazon ec2 has become popular due to the pricing model, which is a pay for use program.  Customers love that they only pay for what they use and not a penny more.  In addition, Amazon ec2 prices start with a free tier.  New customers can enjoy very basic services for free up to one year. 

  The storage and usage in the free tier is sufficient for most basic users and small businesses.  Above and beyond the free tier, all other ec2 services are on a pay as you go basis, making it quite affordable for most users, regardless of size or need.

  The EC2 optimizer

  The ec2 optimizer basically relies on usage data and performance, enabling you to opt for the most appropriate instance type. Making sure that your instances have been provisioned optimally is very important. This requires optimization and sizing recommendations. The ec2 optimizer also enables you to examine ec2 instance metrics and to find unattached EBS volumes. It is very important to have an effective EBS volume as well as ec2 sizing provisioning. With that, you will be able to find unused EBS volumes as well as to analyze ec2 instance utilization in a precise period of time.

Amazon Web Services, or AWS as it is commonly known, is a flexible, cloud computing service that is as broad in its scope as it is reliable and fast.  One of the best features of Amazon Web Services is the cost, which is unparalleled in the industry. Below is detailed information about AWS cost as well as some tips of effective AWS cost monitoring.

The one greatest benefit to AWS that draws many new customers in is its free tier of service.  New customers can join Amazon Web Services for free for a full year with greater than baseline services.  The free tier of Amazon Web Services includes in it 10 alarms, 10 metrics, and 1,000,000 API requests with Amazon CloudWatch. 

For those unfamiliar with Amazon CloudWatch, it is a basic monitoring system for all of the AWS services and resources that you as a customer are using.  CloudWatch is most commonly used to collect and track a variety of statistics to help you better understand your applications and customers as well as to provide insight as to how you can improve services.  Amazon CloudWatch is capable of monitoring all Amazon Web Services resources and platforms to include Amazon EC2, or Amazon Elastic Cloud Computing. 

CloudWatch is considered to be one of the most reliable yet flexible monitoring solutions available on the web today.  New customers report that they are able to effectively begin using CloudWatch literally within minutes of sign up.  CloudWatch not only monitors any data you identify, but analyzes and translates the data into useful graphs and charts as well as allowing you to set alarms should certain key data points reach levels that you determine to be of concern. 

Amazon CloudWatch is a real time AWS monitor that gives you up to date data at any time without the requirement to install additional software.  The most basic monitoring of EC2 at a specified amount per month is actually free of charge.  CloudWatch can even estimate charges based on the trajectory of your current usage. Many customers find this to be an extremely useful tool when working within specific budgetary constraints. 

The biggest plus to AWS is that customers only pay for exactly what they use.  There is no monthly minimum fee or cost, just the per usage fee depending on the services you need.  Similarly, CloudWatch is billed by the number of individual metrics that you select to monitor.  The rate starts at $0.50 per metric monitored each month.  If you set alarms on any of those metrics, there is a charge of $0.10 per month for each alarm. 

Finally, Amazon Web Services guarantees certain level of service provided throughout the month.  With guaranteed availability rates of resources at 99.99%, this coupled with the pricing plan makes AWS hard to beat.  With flexible services and customizable metrics, AWS could be the perfect solution for your cloud computing needs.

If you are considering cloud storage as a solution for your data or your business needs, you must first understand the concept of cloud computing and then, how the pricing works for these services.  Below is an introduction to cloud computing as well as what you can expect to pay for cloud services.

Cloud Computing

Cloud computing can be defined as a way of distributing computing processes over a network, allowing several different computers connected to the network to run the same program.  Cloud computing gives people and businesses the ability to reduce or eliminate a good portion of their infrastructure needs, which reduces maintenance and replacement costs. 

The idea behind cloud computing dates back to several decades ago when thin clients were used on a mainframe system rather than investing in several full scale computers for each terminal.  This minimized cost of CPU time by spreading it amongst multiple terminals.  This cut down on cost and made usage much more cost efficient.

In this same manner, cloud services maximize economies of scale by spreading usage across their network over time, thus lowering the overall cost to the customer and eliminating the hardware acquisition and maintenance needs of those customers.  Cloud computing is likened to a utility by many as the terminals ultimately run through large data centers.

Pricing for Cloud Computing Services

Cloud pricing can be somewhat variable, but this allows you to better select the services that best fit your needs.  Whenever possible, it’s best to seek the service level and type that truly fits the needs of your business, rather than let price completely drive the level of service you acquire. 

Many of the cloud storage companies have taken their service model one step closer to the utility comparison and are now offering services on a pay per use model.  When you choose a provider with pricing that is set on a per use basis, you can ultimately control your costs by controlling your usage.

Additionally, many of the companies that charge per usage have a free service tier at the lowest level of service and usage.  Having the option to try before you buy gives you the opportunity to see if their cloud services will work for you.

Cloud Computing Services Available

There are four main categories of cloud computing services that are available for people and businesses to tap into.  The first is utilizing cloud computing infrastructure in lieu of physical infrastructure.  What this means is cloud services offer virtual machines, virtual servers and associate resources such as software, firewalls, storage, IP addresses and more.  Often, this service is provided on an on- demand basis from the service provider’s data center.  Because providers offer their services globally, they support businesses across all time zones to spread the usage and maximize their own internal resources, thus keeping costs low for the end customer.

The second service is where cloud service providers provide a computing platform.  This means that they provide the operating system, server and often a database.  This allows the user to have virtually the same resources without having to buy and manage the associated hardware.

The third broad category is where the cloud computing company offers access to needed software and the related databases as their service.  In this model, the cloud company must manage the hardware and platform where the software runs and its main benefit is that it precludes the need for the client to install and run multiple applications on their own devices because they are now accessible in the cloud, specifically on a cloud server.

Finally, the fourth category of service is where the cloud user can access network services through the cloud provider.  This is often seen as a VPN and is also on demand.  The main benefit is that the users don’t have to manage the physical infrastructure of the network to still get the same services.

As you can see, there are a wide variety of options available depending on your needs.  Cloud computing is developing rapidly and as efficiencies are gained and more users buy into the idea, pricing can come down.  Research your options well to find the best fit for your home or business needs.

Cost controller data example, taken from: