Cloud Server for Small Businesses: 5 Benefits and 5 Best Providers
Dec, 17, 2024 
The way small businesses operate has experienced a revolution in recent years, owing to cloud computing. Salesforce revealed in its report that the number of small businesses that currently rely on cloud solutions increased to 70%, up from only 39% in 2014. With this shift, entrepreneurs get to have enterprise class IT capabilities on demand and do not need to invest in costly hardware and go through the pain of IT management. Small businesses drive much of global cloud computing market growth, which is expected to reach $677.95 billion by 2024. In this article, 1Byte will go through the benefits of cloud server for small businesses and provide you with some of the best providers on the market.
5 Benefits of Cloud Server for Small Businesses
Cloud servers offer numerous advantages for small businesses, making them an essential tool for growth and efficiency. Small businesses can generate up to $161bn worth of annual productivity gains by moving to the cloud, according to a recent report by AWS.
Cost Efficiency
Small businesses can save a lot of money with cloud servers, making them an attractive option for small businesses that are trying to optimize their IT budgets. Here are two key aspects that contribute to this cost efficiency.
Lower initial investment
A low initial investment in traditional on prem solutions is certainly one of the most compelling benefits. If you own a small business, you donâ??t have to dip into your pocket to buy and maintain hardware. FinModelsLab’s report states that cloud infrastructure setup costs start at $10,000 and scale up to $100,000, way less compared to onsite data center costs. As a result, upfront costs are reduced for small businesses enabling them to redirect their resources towards growth and innovation.
Pay-as-you-go model
Another factor that helps with efficiency is the pay-as-you-go model. Using this model, businesses don’t have to tie up with large capital expenditures in order to utilize computing resources as they only pay when these resources are used. A report states that over 94 percent of large organizations have moved to this model because it is flexible and affordable to the businesses. For instance, a small e-commerce startup can increase its server capacity during sale seasons and at the time when there is less shopping, scaling down server capacity and still perform at an optimum without having to spend extra money.
Utilizing these cost effective strategies small businesses can save a lot and increase their overall financial standing. Being agile and scalable to meet the fluctuating demands of the business, cloud servers are hence useful for a company to survive the wars of the current market.
Scalability
Small businesses can leverage the cloud servers to make sure they have the right kind of resources available to them to grow their businesses without going through the financial stress it takes to make the investment in traditional IT.
Easy to scale depending on needs
Small businesses could not wish for better scalability than cloud servers. Using cloud servers, small businesses can scale as their needs increase and just pay for what they use. This is vital for small companies who have fluctuating workloads. For instance, if you are a retail business, then you can scale your cloud resources to new heights during the holiday season when demand grows and scale them down when it isn’t busy.
Adapt to business growth without large upfront costs
A further enticing benefit to cloud servers is that they are able to scale with business growth without huge up front fees. Moreover, deploying traditional IT infrastructure incurs considerable capital investment, a hurdle that keeps small businesses away. But cloud servers are on a pay as you go model so as they grow, businesses can invest in infrastructure gradually. For startups or small businesses, this model allows you to establish without investing a considerable amount into upfront costs, but with great IT resources.
Flexibility and Accessibility
When small businesses utilize cloud servers, their teams can access the tools they need to effectively and efficiently collaborate across both local and global geographic locations.
Remote access from anywhere with an internet connection
There is no flexibility like what a cloud server for small businesses offer. According to Salesforce, 70% of small businesses use cloud solutions as opposed to 39% in 2014. With this, business owners and employees can get access to very important data and applications from wherever there is an internet connection. For example, a small business owner in Tokyo can easily have access to the sales report from New York if he is traveling there, securely. It provides this much accessibility so that work doesn’t stop even when employees are on the move.
Improve collaboration among team members
It also speeds up collaboration among team members in Cloud servers. Team members can work on documents at the same time, no matter where in the world they are from, when they utilize cloud based tools, such as Google Docs and Dropbox. Real time collaboration can speed the process of making decisions and increase productivity. Research shows that 97 percent of enterprise cloud apps are unsanctioned — employees are adopting new tools to help them get their jobs done. With cloud servers, small businesses can help their team more efficiently.
Security
For small businesses, cloud servers provide top notch security that many companies cannot afford on their own. Here are some key benefits.
Cloud providers will provide enhanced security measures
Advanced security protocols are deployed by cloud providers to secure data and applications. For example, Amazon Web Services (AWS) provides native security services, like managed firewalls, DDoS protection and threat detection tools. This ensures that data is protected against current existing threats. It was reported that 50% of small businesses planned to invest more in cloud security in 2022. This underscores the need for ever increasing robust security in the cloud.
Regular updates and maintenance
Regular updates and maintenance are crucial for keeping cloud servers secure and efficient. Cloud providers like Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud Platform continuously update their systems to address vulnerabilities and improve performance. A study by Fortune Business Insights revealed that the global cloud computing market grew by 19% in 2024, driven in part by the need for reliable and up-to-date cloud services. By staying current with patches and updates, businesses can avoid costly downtime and ensure their systems run smoothly.
Disaster Recovery
Small businesses can rely on the fact that cloud servers can help make their operations resilient and recover quickly from disruptions, ensuring minimal downtime and financial loss.
Data backup and recovery solutions
Data loss due to a cyberattack, hardware failure or natural disaster poses huge risks to small businesses. The use of cloud servers also provides businesses with robust data backup and recovery solutions to quickly recover their data and get back to business. Small businesses are preferred to rely on the cloud backup services such as Acronis Cyber Protect and CrashPlan for Small Business because it is secure and easy to manage, a PCMag report notes. By offering automatic backups, encryption and ransomware protection, these solutions are essential to keeping mission critical business data safe.
Ensure business continuity
Small businesses rely on business continuity to continue operations during unexpected disruptions. Your business continuity plan should include how to back up your data, how to recover from a disaster and continue critical functions. Take, for example, a local group of bakeries that created a business continuity plan to have backup suppliers and remote work options available in the case of supply chain disruptions so they could continue their business.
5 Best Providers of Cloud Server for Small Businesses
Small businesses can gain several of the above advantages from cloud servers, but you need credible providers to help you on this journey.
1Byte
1Byte is Cambodia’s no. 1 cloud computing and web hosting provider. Cloud servers, cloud hosting, shared hosting, WordPress hosting, domain registration and SSL certificates are just some of the services we offer. When it comes to deploying cloud technology, small businesses can count on us to deliver affordability, reliability and security.
Why Choose 1Byte?
1Byte’s cloud servers are built for the way of small business. We offer scalable solutions that will let you run your business without worrying about infrastructure, all with plans starting at just $8.99 per month. We operate with state of the art data centres in both Cambodia and Thailand, in order to guarantee low latency and zero downtime; with a 99.99% uptime guarantee.
Services and Features
- Cloud Servers: Fits any business need starting from $8.99 per month.
- Cloud Hosting: Small and medium sized business friendly flexible hosting solutions.
- Shared Hosting: Affordable hosting at affordable prices.
- WordPress Hosting: Managed WordPress hosting services hassle free at $6.99/month.
- Domain Registration: Competitive pricing of comprehensive domain services.
- SSL Certificates: Protect your site with SSL certificates for as little as $7.79 per year.
Customer Support
We are also pleased to help in other languages and are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to speak with you in English, Khmer, or Vietnamese. We pride ourselves on great customer service and helping your business succeed.
Awards and Recognition
1Byte has been named Cambodia’s premier cloud service provider, and been awarded AWS Partner of the Year in Emerging Markets, Cambodia. For the past decade, we’ve built a reputation as a trusted partner in the region for our commitment to providing excellence and innovation.
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
By leveraging AWS’s robust services and features, small businesses can achieve greater efficiency, innovation, and growth.
Why Choose AWS?
Amazon Web Services (AWS) is a leading cloud service provider, offering a comprehensive suite of services tailored for small businesses. AWS facilitates the reduction of IT costs, elevated data security, and efficient scalability of operations. AWS is known to be dominating the market for cloud computing, and according to a recent report they generated over 90 billion U.S. dollars in net sales revenue in 2023. Furthermore, AWS holds a market share of 31 percent in the worldwide cloud infrastructure market during Q3 2024.
Services and Features
There are a large number of services that AWS provides which cater to the variety of needs among small businesses. Some of the key services include:
- Compute Services: Amazon EC2 and AWS Lambda from AWS help you get scalable computing power. The services enable businesses to run applications and efficiently manage workloads.
- Storage Solutions: AWS offers various storage options, including Amazon S3 for object storage and Amazon EBS for block storage. These solutions ensure reliable and secure data storage.
- Database Services:AWS also offers managed database services, like Amazon RDS and Amazon DynamoDB, that take the hassle and scalability off your hands.
- Security and Compliance: Over 300 security, compliance, and governance services are built into AWS and it’s based on security. This isn’t great news for companies concerned about losing data nor am I surprised that it is a trusted choice for them to protect their data lying with third parties.
- Machine Learning and AI: Businesses can build and deploy machine learning models without deep expertise, using tools such as Amazon SageMaker and AWS Machine Learning offering from AWS.
- Global Infrastructure: AWS has data centers located around the globe to provide low latency and high availability of your applications.
Microsoft Azure
Small businesses, with Microsoft Azure, can use enterprise grade products and knowledge to smoothly grow and robustly evolve.
Why Choose Microsoft Azure?
As a small business, it’s clear why many choose Microsoft Azure for its flexibility and affordability along with its robust security features. A recent report claims that with Azure’s pay as you go pricing businesses can save as much as 30% on IT costs versus on-premises solutions. Also, Azure provides global reach with 60+ regions making sure low latency performance for businesses operating on a global level.
Services and Features
A multitude of services designed for small businesses are available on Azure. It uses AI and machine learning tools to automate tasks and make better decisions. For instance, Azure Machine Learning offers a business the ability to quickly build and deploy predictive models. Sensitive information is kept safe by Azure’s multi layered protection and compliance certifications.
Azure also allows for the use of virtual desktops and cloud migration services to make the move to the cloud less painful for businesses. By using Azure quickstart templates, businesses can deploy resources and service in minutes and accelerate innovation, reducing time to market.
Google Cloud Platform (GCP)
The potential that GCP offers to small businesses to innovate and grow is matched by few others out there.
Why Choose Google Cloud Platform (GCP)?
Google Cloud Platform (GCP) is very popular for small businesses for its affordability, best in security, and user friendly interface. According to recent statistics, GCP has been steadily adopted by small and medium sized businesses (SMBs) with a 10% cloud services market share as of early 2023. This growth is supported by GCP’s capacity to render scalable solutions, which allow businesses to save on costs while getting higher return productivity and security.
Services and Features
- Compute Engine: Offers virtual machines that may be customized for particular workload needs.
- Cloud Storage: Secures and scales object storage for unstructured data.
- BigQuery: Businesses are able to run complex analytics on a fully managed data warehouse.
- Cloud SQL: Managed databases for MySQL, PostgreSQL, and SQL Server, to make managing data easier for businesses.
- AI and Machine Learning: To help businesses leverage AI and machine learning for better decision making and automation, tools like Vertex AI, and Cloud TPUs are available.
DigitalOcean
What makes DigitalOcean different is that they offer a wide range of services tailored to the specific needs of small businesses, as well as their very flexible pricing plans.
Why Choose DigitalOcean?
Small businesses that need cloud servers will find DigitalOcean is one of the best choices. It is simple, with predictable pricing, and provides a variety of services designed to meet the needs of small businesses. DigitalOcean’s uptime SLA, as per a recent report, offers 99.99% uptime guarantee. It also offers an easy to use interface and thorough documentation which means small businesses can easily control their cloud infrastructure.
Services and Features
- Droplets: DigitalOcean’s virtual machines run at $4 per month at the very least. The droplets are these scalable, which makes them right for hosting websites and applications.
- Managed Databases: DigitalOcean offers managed databases like MongoDB, PostgreSQL, and MySQL, making it easy to maintain and scale your data.
- Kubernetes: Small businesses can easily manage containerized applications using DigitalOcean Kubernetes. The service is built for scalability and features a free control plane.
- App Platform: It’s a fully managed solution that helps businesses to build, deploy and scale applications. It takes care of infrastructure, app runtimes and dependencies allowing businesses to concentrate on their code.
- Spaces: With DigitalOcean Spaces, scale data storage and management.
- Support Plans: DigitalOcean has different support plans, which include free email support, and paid plans with dedicated help and faster response times.
- Simplicity and affordability are DigitalOcean’s hallmarks and that’s why it will be a good choice for small businesses looking to leverage cloud technology.
Conclusion
A cloud server for small businesses offers numerous benefits, including cost savings, scalability, and enhanced data security. Recently released statistics indicate that the global cloud computing market is expected to exceed $2 trillion by 2032, with increasing numbers of small businesses using cloud services. Precedence Research’s report reveals huge market potential in this sector.
It’s also crucial to choose the right provider. Us at 1Byte, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud Platform (GCP) are at the top when it comes to market leaders offering deep security practices and flexible solutions. With support from credible providers, cloud servers can give small businesses better access and protection of sensitive data to support remote work. Small businesses can rely on cloud services to run their businesses efficiently and divert all their attention to growth.
In general, adopting a cloud server for small businesses is a strategic move that can lead to significant advantages in today’s digital landscape. For small businesses, the right provider and understanding benefits are the catalyst in a climatic business setting.