What is Cloud Infrastructure and Its Benefits for Early Stage Startups

Clouds change the rules of the game. This is not a whim, and not just a buzzword. For any startup, the cloud provides resources that were only available to large enterprises. Three main approaches are distinguished from cloud-based approaches:
- SaaS - (software as a service) — when a cloud-based application program tailored for specific tasks is used by the customer, but is fully serviced by the provider;
- PaaS (platform as a service) — when a client uses parts of the cloud provider’s power for its IT tasks;
- IaaS (infrastructure as a service) — when a client is provided with a cloud platform as general computing power, on which he chooses independently how and in what form to use the cloud platform for solving problems.
With any such cloud model of using IT services, the client pays only for the resources used, choosing from the package of services only what he needs specifically - more precise use of IT services has become possible with the help of cloud technologies. Now, cloud technologies have become an actual IT platform for the next few years, and the point is not only in the “fashion for the clouds,” simply because the benefits always win. "Clouds" have become profitable, so it's not surprising that they are developing rapidly now. Of course, clouds are not the answer to all questions, it is just another technology that can be used or not. But in its approach to providing IT services, it is, of course, more suitable for start-ups due to the rational use of resources, flexibility for the needs of the project, fast scalability, since a startup must have time to grow (and not die), to the possibility of monetization

Cloud infrastructure is network access using the computing resources of a third-party IT infrastructure. This is ease (you only need a browser + the internet), cost effective, and the most efficient way of using resources.

Most of the tasks that startups have to solve can be complited by using cloud technologies to organize work. The following advantages can be obtained:

• Clouds efficiency. You pay only the capacities used by the project and there is no need to buy expensive equipment.
• Fast start. In a few clicks, a startup can get the necessary cloud power for the project by installing the necessary applications there, without buying equipment.
• Favorable licensing. Due to the possibility of leasing licenses, and the use of provider services, which are already included in the cloud platform.
• Fast scalability and full capacity utilization. In case a change is need. If new capacities are required urgently - they are added, if something is not needed - it is removed.
• Data Security. Data security from loss and unauthorized access is ensured by isolating the data storage infrastructure and geographically distributed object storage network with 3x replication.

Suppose that the number of users and profits were not growing. Then big expenses for ready-made solutions of providers would be pointless. Even if it were a cloud.

A free range of products and services from many cloud providers equates to the lack of "cloud". And prices are difficult to predict (a monthly bill might reach the range of $ 500-600).

In a free lineup, an installed application or service may “crash” due to many artificial queries during testing. However, paid services are suitable for scaling, resource protection, automation, support for serverless architecture and 99.9% of the continuous operation time.

A startup is a serious challenge, but it gives a reward if it starts correctly. It is important for start-up companies to remain humble. Use the list below so that the cloud infrastructure does not burden you in the early days, and in order to reduce the cost of tools, software, and technology.

Sitecore has been regarded as a worthy competitor to Adobe Experience Manager for several years. Main benefits of Sitecore are:

• Cloudflare: for domain registration, CDN for static content, SSL certificate, DNS configuration and site protection. All this is available on an annual subscription
• Choose the appropriate hosting for the product or platform.
• Bitbucket: for version control and code storage. The service is free for 5 users of one organization and supports an unlimited number of private repositories.
• Slack: Suitable for team interaction. It integrates with Bitbucket, with CI / CD tools and servers. The team has access to all information about the assembly and deployment. 10k messages per month are for free.
• NGINX: web server, reverse proxy, load balancer. The latest version is suitable for event infrastructure.
• Asana: for a wide and detailed tracking of work. Another option is Trello. Asana is free for 15 people in one organization and easy to use.
• Data storage: NoSQL databases are suitable for loads of business cases. Postgres supports JSON and ARRAY. The latest version contains logical replication.
• Docker: containers for microservices. The commercial version is free.
• Google Analytics: to track statistics and results of marketing campaigns, basic SEO analytics.

The event framework also includes Apache Kafka and Druid, which help capture and analyze system and user events.

So, to sum up, it is absolutely obvious that Cloud infrastructure is the good choice for the future of startup world. The sooner your company starts using it, the more competitive it becomes. Have you already started thinking about implementing this kind of approach?

If you have interesting additions to the topic - please, don't hesitate to write to us by mail - info@geniusee.com

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