How the Cloud Wars Will Benefit Your Small Business
The battle of big-name tech companies has begun, as big names like Amazon, Google, Apple, and Microsoft all fight to become champions of the cloud computing sector. As the technology goes more mainstream, major companies are each striving to provide the best services at the lowest prices.
This is all good news for consumers and businesses, a tech expert recently pointed out. Mashable’s chief correspondent Lance Ulanoff documented the moves these companies are making, which include Microsoft’s offering of 200 GB of free cloud storage for Surface 2 buyers, Amazon’s offering of free unlimited storage for photos taken with its new Amazon Fire phone, and Apple’s 20 GB of storage for $0.99 per month.
The Business Benefits
Over time, consumers are getting more for less, allowing even small businesses to take advantage of big business technology without exceeding their budget limits. Since the current focus is on file storage, this means businesses can encourage their employees to use cloud-based file storage services like Amazon Cloud Drive and Microsoft OneDrive.
On an enterprise level, this increase in inexpensive storage means the move to cloud file storage may happen sooner than many businesses anticipated. Amazon’s competitive pricing has already impacted its EC2 and S3 storage, recently announcing its 42nd price reduction since 2008.
The Time to Buy
As these players struggle to compete in a cloud-evolving world, this may be the best time for businesses to buy in. Amazon is pushing sales of its new smartphone while Microsoft is trying to lure consumers to Office 365. To boost subscribers, Microsoft recently added Office functionality to the iPad with the stipulation that customers must subscribe to 365 to access all the features.
If your business has been considering a move to the cloud, this may be a great time to make the change. As the competition continues to heat up, users will benefit from lower prices and increased services, making cloud affordable for businesses of all sizes.
