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Cloud isn't about cost though. Cloud is about value. You can scale super easy when you inevitably need it (assuming you've "made it" anyway - whatever that mean
by lapser 5y ago
Cloud isn't about cost though. Cloud is about value. You can scale super easy when you inevitably need it (assuming you've "made it" anyway - whatever that means). You get a burst of new users, it's trivial to add additional nodes (again, assuming you've set up your infra to be easily scalable).
With own hardware, scaling is not as easy. You'll have to do a lot more around plumbing too. Networking, security, many other things that you'll have to address. Stuff that has already been solved for you.
- izacus 5y agoThat "inevitably" is doing some really heavy lifting in your post. It practically never comes for most companies.
- judge2020 5y agoBut most companies' dream is to reach that ""inevitable"" point where the cloud saves it; it becomes a bet where they either reach that level of scale, or die trying.
- jjav 5y ago> But most companies' dream is to reach that ""inevitable"" point where the cloud saves it; it becomes a bet where they either reach that level of scale, or die trying. And how many die trying due to bleeding all the funding to AWS, instead of running everything off a couple cheap boxes underneath the CTOs desk? I've been in at least one which ran out of money that way. Don't pay for the future pipedream now, pay for what you need. That "inevitable" dream of near-infinite scale up usually never arrives for most companies. If it does, worry about it then.
- lapser 5y agoAWS gives away literally tens of thousands of pounds to start ups. Granted, it's to lock them in down the line but getting free credits gets you further than not having credits.
- jjav 5y agoAWS credits are a toxic trap. BTDT. They'll get you far enough that you are hopefully (from AWS perspective) locked in pretty tight. And then the high monthly costs start to hit you hard.
- lapser 5y agoSure, that's true. But I've been in companies where they've had major investments and have a pretty significant number of users, and they still had stupid amounts of credits. One of my previous companies was running a third of their infra on AWS credits, and they still long runway in terms of free credits. Meanwhile, they had to shake off a £1 million a year contract for the next 5 years for 2 DCs. With AWS they were using less than half of that per year (this includes the credits they had). But even if it wasn't cheaper, requesting a new server took days, not minutes. Scaling was not possible. I'll take the credit and potentially get trapped than having to deal with an inflexible mess that is in-house managed infrastructure. At least bigger orgs are able to afford it by (hopefully) building a cloud on top of their infrastructure, but outside that, the majority should of companies be looking into the cloud. Whether that be AWS, GCP, or the smaller Clouds like DO, it doesn't matter.
- jjav 5y ago> But I've been in companies where they've had major investments and have a pretty significant number of users, and they still had stupid amounts of credits. Your companies have been wiser and more frugal than mine! In every case, I've seen the credits run out before there was a penny of revenue coming in.
- arka2147483647 5y agoSurely if they are that succesfull, they also have the resources to redesign/upgrade their backend?