Google Reduces Cloud Compute Pricing by 32%
Purchasing cloud compute services just got a lot more affordable, if you decide to go with Google that is. Google has decided that the best way to compete with the major players in the cloud market is to underbid them. Google has recently announced that they have reduced cloud compute costs by 32% across all platforms, sizes, regions and classes. Google has also introduced a new concept called Sustained-Use discounts. These discounts reward customers for steadily using the virtual machines you have created for an entire month.
This discount is designed to foster an environment of efficiency. Many organizations will spin up virtual servers in the cloud and never power them off. When virtual machines are running yet have no workload, not only can they become costly to the end user, the machines contribute to Google having to build out additional datacenter infrastructure when it is not needed. Google’s new pricing plan encourages cloud administrators to be smart and resourceful. The price reduction also allowed Google to introduce additional functionality. Google’s cloud blog says that the search engine giant now supports Windows Server 2008 R2 on its platform. For Linux developers, Google cloud compute now supports SUSE Linux Enterprise Server and Red Hat Enterprise Linux.
Google looks to reinvent the way we look at the cloud by blending IaaS and PaaS into one offering. Urs Hölze heads up the Google Cloud Services division and he recently said, “We don’t think you should have to choose between those two apparent opposites.” This price slash on compute services goes hand-in-hand with the price reduction on Google’s cloud storage space. CloudWedge recently reported that Google’s cloud storage service would give users 1TB of storage for $9.99 per month. This pricing structure is scales out to provide users with 10TBs for $99.99 per month and so on. Google seems to be serious about competing with other public cloud services on price. The real question remains, “Will Google’s cloud catch on?” Only time can tell.
