3 Best Free Cloud Hosting Services For Startups

From the emerging startup to well-established organizations, the world’s businesses are built on the cloud.

Cloud hosting is one of technology’s great boom trends, changing—or disrupting—almost every industry. There’s a reason more startups are built on cloud hosting platforms than setting computing infrastructure inside the organization: Cloud hosting solutions help them to succeed, from inception to IPO. Rather than owning their own computing infrastructure or data centers, companies can rent access to anything from applications to storage from a cloud service provider. Instead, they pay for what they use when they use it. For small businesses, mainly, those savings are essential.

Simply put, cloud computing is the on-demand delivery of computing services — including servers, storage, database, networking, software, a broad set of application services, and other IT resources over the Internet (“the cloud”). A cloud services provider owns and maintains the network-connected hardware required for these application services, while you provision and use what you need via a web application.

It works with pay-as-you-go pricing, so you pay only for what you use. It helps to lower operating costs, run your infrastructure more efficiently, and scale your business as your needs change.

Whether you are using it to run simple applications or to support business-critical operations, a cloud services platform provides rapid access to flexible and low-cost IT resources.

What is Cloud Hosting?

Cloud hosting services are an extension of web hosting that allow enterprises to host their websites or applications over numerous servers instead of a single server. Such architecture includes the distribution of information over a cluster of computers, which improves reliability and flexibility and enhances scalability. 

But why is cloud hosting especially crucial for startups? Cloud hosting is an ideal and quite inexpensive solution for the majority of startup companies. In contrast to traditional hosting, with cloud hosting, resources can be scaled up or down based on demand, and this is a critical issue for startups that may be experiencing rapid growth.

What Are the Benefits of Cloud Technology?

1. Reduced cost of buying hardware and software, setting up and running on-site datacenters means companies can achieve more with less.
2. Enhanced flexibility and mobility allows employers to manage their business as and when required. Cloud can access data and related files from any location and from any device at any time.
3. Improved data security. In the cloud, the data is protected in various ways such as anti-virus, encryption methods, and many more, like compliance with HIPAA, PCI, and other regulations.
4. Effective collaboration via Google Drive, Salesforce, Basecamp, Hive, etc., which helps track and oversee workflow and results.
5. Greater integration opportunities with numerous cloud-based providers.
6. Scalability. Cloud-based services have the flexibility to scale up or to scale down. It can accommodate any sudden increases in the organization’s requirements.

Why are startups using cloud server hosting?

Startups have limited budgets and erratic growth. Cloud hosting solutions for startups are economically viable, easy to expand, and eliminate the need for expensive on-premise hardware. They are great because they free the startups from the hassle of looking after physical servers. Instead, they can spend that time on core product/service development. 

Additionally, cloud environments make it easier to employ advanced solutions such as AI or machine learning, which are must-haves for today’s digital products. It is clear that every startup adopting cloud computing should consider the cloud in order to leverage enterprise-level technology without the upfront costs.

How To Choose A Free Cloud Hosting Service: Main factors

It is well known that there are countless options available today in selecting the best cloud platform for startups, making it particularly challenging to choose the right one. 

While making your selection, keep the following in mind:

• Cost. Does the provider have free credits or a pay-as-you-go option where you are charged only for what you use? This is crucial for startups with limited budgets.
• Scalability. Is the platform flexible enough to accommodate your business growth? Look for services that allow easy scaling up or down.
• Security. Sensitive data needs to be secured, so the platform should adhere to compliance requirements.
• Support. Professional support is essential, especially for small teams that may lack in-house technical expertise.

Best Free Cloud Hosting for Startups

Cloud service providers such as Amazon, Google, and Microsoft have specifically designed cloud programs with free-of-cost services to help startups and small enterprises get started in the cloud and have partnered with the biggest startup incubators and accelerators to support the startup ecosystem.

AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud are pioneers in IaaS, SaaS, PaaS, cloud-based data, and other key emerging enterprise technologies. Each has its strengths and weaknesses that make them ideal for different use cases. Due to the competition between them, the DevOps teams received very sophisticated, fast, easy-to-integrate, high-end solutions. As the quality remains almost equal, the difference between leading cloud computing providers lies mostly in price and the number of options offered.

1. Amazon Web Services (AWS)

Amazon Web Service is one of the most attractive and preferred cloud platforms among free cloud hosting solutions for startups. 

Amazon currently has a portfolio package designed for startups that participate in accelerators, incubators, and seed/VC funds. The AWS Activate program offers a slew of benefits, such as promotional credits ranging between $1,000 and $15,000 and access to the resources needed to quickly get started on AWS: technical training programs, free business level support, events, and much more.

2. Microsoft Azure

Free Azure Startup account offers 12 months of free services, $200 credit for any service for 30 days, and 25 always-free services. Microsoft works with select accelerators, incubators, VCs, and other and other startup-enabling organizations to offer these exclusive benefits. Thus, eligible startups can benefit from receiving up to $120k of free Azure cloud for two years. Not bad, right? Startups enjoy using Microsoft Azure, as it allows them to deploy thousands of instances in minutes. Features such as health monitoring, load-balancing, auto-scaling, and an operating system put Azure among the best cloud platforms for startups.

3. Google Cloud

Google cloud offers free services for Startups that are focused on growth potential, so it’s less applicable to small businesses. Early-stage companies can take advantage of cloud credits and scaled support by applying for the Google Cloud program directly or through their venture partners, investors, incubators, or accelerators. From there, a startup can qualify for the Google Start, Spark, or Surge programs, depending on their needs and opportunities. Qualified startups can benefit from receiving up to $100,000 in credit for one year. Credit can be applied to all Google Cloud platform and firebase products.

Other Free Cloud Hosting Services

In addition to well-known companies like AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud, there are also small cloud hosting providers that offer cost-effective free services that are appealing to startups. 

These alternatives may not have a strong brand, but they usually have unique capabilities or solve unique problems that better address the specific needs of growing startups.

• Heroku

  Heroku is a great example of such a company and is commonly used by developers and small enterprises. It is a platform-as-a-service (PaaS) offering that enables startups to easily deploy, manage, and scale applications. 

  One of the features of Heroku is that it has a free tier with several basic features, such as 550–1000 free dyno hours per month, which is excellent for startups needing to develop and test apps quickly without incurring high expenses. It also integrates seamlessly with GitHub, making it a great choice for application developers who want to kick-start their applications fast.

• IBM Cloud

  For startups, especially in industries with high-security property and compliance such as health or finance, IBM Cloud is also quite appealing. A free tier allows access to IBM Cloud computing for startups that provide services such as AI tools, databases, and DevOps resources. 

  The IBM Cloud approach is distinctive, particularly in its focus on hybrid cloud technologies that allow startups to join cloud services without abandoning their internal infrastructure.

• Red Hat OpenShift

  As for the founders of information technology startups who aim for open-source ecosystems, the Red Hat OpenShift provides a free version that is perfect for containerized applications. OpenShift is focused on development and management of Kubernetes-based applications and is thus an awesome fit for startups that intend to adopt new age DevOps practices from the outset.

“I don’t need a hard disk in my computer if I can get to the server faster… carrying around these non-connected computers is Byzantine by comparison.”

 

Since this is still a relatively new innovation, data safety in the cloud is not a trivial concern. Even so, cloud storage remains one of the safest ways to store business data today. Cloud services use more complex security methods than the average computer owner is able to devise, giving your cloud-stored data an added level of protection.

Security and compliance are also shared responsibilities between the cloud vendor and the customer.

Cloud storage providers share responsibility for “Security of the Cloud” and are responsible for protecting the infrastructure that runs all of their services. At the same time, the customer is responsible for “Security in the Cloud.” From there, most enterprises supplement these protections with added security measures of their own.

The Future of Cloud Computing

• – According to CNBC, the Apple company spends more than $30 million on the Amazon cloud service every month, making it one of the biggest AWS customers.
• – According to a poll taken by McKinsey & Company, 80 percent of large North American companies are either looking at or are currently using cloud services.
• – Per the latest Gartner report, the worldwide cloud services market is projected to grow 17.3 percent in 2019 to a total of $206.2 billion, up from $175.8 billion in 2018.

It is predicted that within the next three years, 75 percent of existing non-cloud apps will be moved to the cloud. What we see today is that organizations are not only embracing cloud solutions as a strategy but have gone even further by using more than one cloud environment. Even after this, the cloud journey can only be said to have just begun when basic cost-effective cloud hosting services for startups are extended to create greater business value.

Still a Bit Hazy on the Cloud?

Cloud hosting is an ideal solution for startups and businesses seeking to create an online presence and optimize their business applications and processes. But they didn’t do it alone.

To get started, you first need to solve the technical challenges. Choosing the right hosting or technology services company is obligatory and can help you overcome many challenges and succeed, from inception to IPO, by providing you with tech support at every stage of your journey.

Business analysts and experienced DevOps engineers at DevCom are ready to drive your company’s growth with enterprise cloud services. Applying our deep industry and technical expertise, we will design, implement, and manage your cloud strategy to provide fast, attainable results that align with your transformation goals.

Final words

When looking for the best cloud for a startup, it is important to understand that price is not the only determining factor. Looking into the scalability, support, and features of the platform will be just as essential as the price. Many startups do not have resources to build infrastructure but need quick scalability, and this is where cloud hosting comes into play. 

Each of the platforms, whether AWS, Microsoft Azure, or Google Cloud, has its own features and cloud hosting solutions to help startups take off from day one. Still, it’s important to choose the right platform. Every end user has different requirements, and partnering with the experts at DevCom can help you successfully navigate these decisions.