Many companies looking to expand their business applications are turning to the cloud to outsource their infrastructure needs. Selecting the right service provider can be a daunting task, as there are so many to choose from. Here is a list of five of the top cloud computing service providers that have continued to be strong competitors in this growing market.
Amazon Web Services: A longtime pioneer in cloud computing, Amazon offers a set of tools that provide low-cost, scalable infrastructure as a service for businesses that need reliable IT and storage services. Its Elastic Compute Cloud service, also known as EC2, is a cloud service where users can create virtual machines and run the software they want based on their needs. Users pay hourly for server use and control location and deployment. It is designed to work directly with other Amazon web services such as Simple Storage Service (S3), which allows users to store and retrieve unlimited data, paying only for the resources used.
Google App Engine: As a major player in Internet technology, Google has joined the ranks of cloud computing providers with its Google App Engine as a service platform. This service aims to develop and host web applications using Google's infrastructure and data centers. The engine supports several languages, including Java, Ruby, and Python. This scalable service allows developers to pay for what they use with no upfront or recurring charges.
Microsoft Azure: Microsoft's answer to cloud computing is the Windows Azure platform. This platform as a service enables developers to use Microsoft's infrastructure and data centers to develop, host, and run web applications. Azure provides a complete set of services including compute environments, scalable storage, database functionality, and a content delivery network.
Rackspace: This company is a leader in cloud-based web hosting. Its easy-to-use server and on-demand solutions give customers a way to get servers online as quickly as possible without investing in hardware. Users pay for server usage by the hour and can add or remove server instances on demand. Its main selling point is its fanatical help desk, which provides excellent customer support through quick response to problems, finding solutions that will benefit the customer, and technical expertise.
Salesforce.com: Salesforce is a software as a service provider that specializes in delivering business applications via the cloud. Its suite of tools provides companies with customer relationship management services to help them strengthen their sales and stay connected with customers. Force.com is a platform as a service that allows developers to use the Salesforce infrastructure to develop add-on applications that integrate with the Salesforce solution.
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