Reducing Costs with Cloud Computing

SHOW: Season 2, Show 2

OVERVIEW: From the creators of the Internet's #1 Cloud Computing podcast, The Cloudcast, Aaron Delp (@aarondelp) and Brian Gracely (@bgracely) introduce this new podcast,  Cloudcast Basics.

FRAMEWORK FOR CONSIDERATION

1. Payment Flexibility (Free Tiers, Per-user (SaaS), On-Demand, Reserved-Instances, Usage-Credits, Spot Markets, Capacity Usage); Can Mix & Match as needed
2. CAPEX vs. OPEX  (although this isn’t always a benefit, or the preferred way to pay)
3. Immediate access to the latest technology, innovation (“built-in smart people”)
4. More focus on “solving business problems”
5. Visibility to inefficiencies (data centers, usage, etc.)
6. Ability to reconsider, re-evaluate, change, eliminate projects much easier

REAL-WORLD CONSIDERATIONS:

• Let’s begin with a basic concept - cloud computing isn’t cheap - but access to good technology has never been cheap.
• You’ll likely spend too much when you get started, because you bring legacy processes to the cloud. 
• Depending on the service you use (IaaS vs. PaaS vs. SaaS), you’re still going to need smart people (certified skills, consultants, community interactions, etc.), but they may now be more focused on the business challenges than the technology challenges.
• There are plenty of automated tools that can help with cost-visibility and cost-management. 
• Might be simpler to setup things like Backups, Disaster Recovery (use the cloud, not dedicated, pre-bought resources)
• Can we prevent people from “just spinning up cloud resources”? Yes and No. 

SUBSCRIBE: Please subscribe anywhere you get podcasts (Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Amazon Music, Pandora, etc.).

CLOUD NEWS OF THE WEEK - http://bit.ly/cloudcast-cnotw

LEARNING CLOUD COMPUTING:
Here are some great places to begin your cloud journey, if you're interested in getting hands-on experience with the technology, or you'd like to build your skills towards a certification. 

• CBT Nuggets - Training and Certifications
• A Cloud Guru - Training and Certifications
• Cloud Academy - Training and Certifications
• Katakoda - Self-Paced, Interactive Learning
• GitHub - Code Samples and Collaboration

FEEDBACK?

• Web: Cloudcast Basics 
• Email: show at cloudcastbasics dot net
• Twitter: @cloudcastbasics