Cloud Computing: Page

Reduce AWS costs with volume discounts, Reserved Instances

AWS volume discounts sound simple -- the more you buy, the less you pay. But cost savings can vary based on the services you use and whether Reserved Instances play a role.

By Alan Earls • Oct. 24, 2017

Master Azure subscriptions with these key concepts and terms

Azure's subscription structure lets admins break out responsibility for billing and resource management. But first, they need to know concepts such as accounts and departments.

By Kurt Marko • Oct. 16, 2017

CloudCheckr

CloudCheckr is a vendor that provides a cloud management platform intended to give an organization more control over and visibility into its cloud computing costs, performance and security.

By Kathleen Casey • Oct. 10, 2017

IaaS benefits broaden as public cloud market evolves

The benefits of IaaS now range from increased scalability to access to emerging technologies, such as serverless. Review these key benefits, as well as management implications.

By Jim O'Reilly • Oct. 4, 2017

Federal IT budget: Look for security, cloud spending in 2018

Industry executives cited an uptick in federal IT procurement activity during the government's fiscal fourth quarter and expected FY 2018 to feature security and cloud investments.

By Nicole Lewis • Sept. 29, 2017

SAM Local enables offline development for serverless apps

Serverless computing is a draw for developers, though hybrid functionality has been limited. AWS' SAM Local now enables local testing of Lambda functions -- but faces competition.

By Chris Moyer • Sept. 29, 2017

Prevent hacked AWS accounts from wreaking havoc

Security should be a top priority in public cloud deployment, but breaches are still possible. If your AWS account has been hacked, follow these steps to minimize the impact.

By Ofir Nachmani • Sept. 27, 2017

What are the best database services for PaaS offerings?

When you move to PaaS for your web-based apps, remember to think about database services. Consider the benefits of moving your database to a fully supported cloud infrastructure.

By Kenneth Milberg • Sept. 26, 2017

AWS root account access is a treasure for attackers

Don't fall victim to a hacked root account. Create and work within new AWS accounts, and then apply the least amount of privilege necessary to prevent a costly mistake.

By Ofir Nachmani • Sept. 26, 2017

PaaS tools on shaky ground as Elastic Beanstalk evolves

While serverless computing poses a threat to some PaaS offerings, AWS Elastic Beanstalk maintains developer interest, in part because of its integration with services like Lambda.

By David Linthicum • Sept. 25, 2017

Amazon DAX manages database spikes for improved performance

The DynamoDB Accelerator reduces database latency without tacking on a separate cache. While the service has some early limitations, DAX benefits enterprises with real-time apps.

By Kurt Marko • Sept. 8, 2017

What are the pros, cons of PaaS offerings from AWS, Google, Microsoft?

Get started with exploring these PaaS offerings: AWS Elastic Beanstalk, Google App Engine and Microsoft Azure. An IT veteran summarizes their pros and cons.

By Kenneth Milberg • Aug. 30, 2017

Real-time vs. near-real-time analytics -- how to choose

Data is king, but what happens when the data isn't truly real-time? Expert Tom Nolle explains the cloud platform choices when it comes to 'real-time' analytics.

By Tom Nolle • Aug. 30, 2017

Test your AWS security tools knowledge

AWS offers a myriad of native tools and services that enterprises can use to protect their clouds. Sharpen your knowledge of these services, and tighten up your cloud.

By Tim Culverhouse • Aug. 29, 2017

Cloud management platforms offer a unified approach to hybrid IT

While more cloud platforms can mean more challenges, the right management platform makes an admin's job easier. But with all the options, how do you know which one to choose?

By Kathleen Casey • Aug. 9, 2017

The benefits and drawbacks of AWS Convertible Reserved Instances

Reserved Instances save IT teams money on compute resources but lock them into a particular type of instance. How do Convertible RIs differ, and what are the drawbacks?

By Ofir Nachmani • July 27, 2017

AWS Marketplace seller, buyer FAQs

AWS Marketplace serves Amazon Web Services customers and vendor partners alike. So, how does it work, and what types of software are available?

By Anne Stuart • July 25, 2017

Google cloud data transfer appliance eases move to public cloud

Google's cloud options look to lure more enterprises with a physical device that simplifies data transfer in-house to the Google Cloud Platform.

By Trevor Jones • July 18, 2017

Overcome common IP address issues during a cloud migration

During a move to the cloud, many organizations overlook potential snags surrounding IP addresses. To start, know how cloud providers manage address assignment.

By Stephen Bigelow • June 29, 2017

Improve query performance, cut costs with Amazon Athena

Amazon Athena can query more data formats than its competitor Google BigQuery, but developers must choose easy-to-process formats to enjoy Athena's benefits.

By Chris Moyer • June 28, 2017

Quiz time: Test your knowledge of hybrid cloud computing trends

Do developers and IT decision-makers cite different factors for moving to -- and staying away from -- a hybrid cloud architecture? See where your opinions line up.

By Joel Shore • June 28, 2017

Strategies to accelerate AWS Lambda functions

In this chapter excerpt from Serverless Architectures on AWS, author Peter Sbarski shares five tricks developers can use to improve Lambda function performance.

By Tim Culverhouse • June 16, 2017

Know your AWS downtime limits

Enterprises have different standards of downtime tolerance, which often vary between applications. Properly set your expectations and avoid unnecessary -- and unwanted -- downtime.

By Alan Earls • June 14, 2017

Use AWS Batch -- not Lambda -- for these workloads

AWS Batch makes it easier to automatically spin up EC2 instances and boost capacity to provision resources for uneven application workloads.

By Chris Moyer • June 1, 2017

Compare OpenStack local storage options for now and in the future

SSDs, HDDs and NVMe can all provide local storage for an OpenStack deployment. But what are the benefits and tradeoffs of each, and how will these technologies evolve?

By Jim O'Reilly • June 1, 2017