Google goes for Amazon: Slash-fest on cloud storage prices The Google juggernaut has ground out new cloud storage and compute facilities, slashed its prices, and provided European data centre support for its EU zone. The Google cloud platform includes a range of products, such as its AppEngine, BigQuery, Compute Engine infrastructure service, as well as Cloud Storage. Google's product …
In some respects, this is similar to what started to happen in the retail sector many years ago.
The bigger suprmarket chains started to look at how to cut prices and deliver more; scale is key, but also making sure that the technology is used to its maximum capability to deliver efficiencies. However, they also found that they could "persuade" suppliers to do similar things; upscale production, cut costs, deliver more for less.
Those that did well, bought out the smaller players or the ones that couldn't / didn't keep up. Remember names like Fine Fare, International, David Greig, Gateway, Ford & Lock, Victor Value, et al. In most cases, it was simply a quick way to expand, to get more customers and sell more to squeeze the supplier.
To begin with, the winner is the consumer; they get a great deal at a good price funded by squeezed margins. However, there always comes a point where the cuts are too deep and businesses are not making a profit. You can survive for a while, but as a business model, running without making a profit is insane.
It will be interesting to see how far this develops.
I wouldn't put my business services on a company with miserable security failures and whose customer service is frequently equaled to "welcome to hell" by even the most pro-Google of outlets.
@Fred Flinstone not sure if you're trolling but:
- RIPA gets abused a lot more often than PATRIOT eg http://www.bigbrotherwatch.org.uk/home/2009/11/local-councils-continue-to-abuse-ripa.html
- Your link confuses a Google consumer product (free) with a Google Enterprise product (paid for) - they are treated very differently
- Your duty to clients should be giving them correct and up-to-date information on the marketplace, not lazily repeating tired tabloid headlines
It is a step in the right direction. Love the costs, BUT... Without the possibility of adding your own encryption scheme for the data, or designating access security that does not involve Google and their staff being able to access it this falls short.
Accessing your info from anywhere is a great feature, but lets keep it in the family.
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