Simply Junior

Do I need a CDN if I have Cloud Computing?

Over last year or so, the term Cloud Computing has been making headlines. There are several new entrants into the Cloud Computing industry. The idea is simple, you have all these computers or servers directly connected to the cloud (The Internet) and you have massive computing power at your fingertips. Companies like Rackspace, GoGrid, Amazon, and AT&T are all offering one form of Cloud Computing or another.

The services available from these companies range from simple “Cloud Storage”, to fully scalable virtual servers in the cloud.

When to use Cloud Computing

The great thing about these services is the instant setup and “unlimited scalability”. When you want a new website, with a few clicks of a mouse you bring up a new Linux or Windows box. They even make it easy for you by pre-installing services like SQL, Mail, and in some cases applications like Wowza or Windows Media streaming server.

The setup process is usually wizard driven and they take the guesswork out of setting up server software and services.

A couple of cloud-computing providers even partner with Content Delivery Networks (CDN) to offer Cloud Storage. Essentially you put your files in the cloud storage and they are on a CDN.

Sounds good, why do I even consider a CDN?

All of these services are on virtualized boxes and shared resources. They are not dedicated. The services are not fully managed either. You would be responsible for software updates, patches, licenses, etc; although you really shouldn’t ever be concerned about hardware or bandwidth. The idea behind cloud-computing is that you just pay more and they dedicate more resources to your servers.

If you have an existing data center or web servers, you may hesitate moving your web sites or web servers to a cloud-computing Provider. This may mean abandoning hardware and software you’ve already invested in. You may consider bringing up new servers in a cloud environment to reduce costs or gain flexibility.

If you have a lot of web sites it may make sense to consider a cloud provider versus a normal web host provider. You will have more control over your domains and depending on your provider you may be able to scale easier. Plus you would have full root access to the web servers to configure them however you want. It would be like a dedicated server package from a web host provider.

If you plan to use a cloud computing company in lieu of a CDN, thinking you can just build your own CDN within their cloud, think again! Start asking your cloud-computing vendor these questions: how many data centers are they in? What kind of peering arrangements do they have? What are their peek bandwidth capabilities/egress capabilities? Where in the world are they hosted? Will your servers be replicated everywhere around the world or just in the US, just in one data center? Are there more costs involved for Europe, Asia, or Australia delivery? What if you need streaming servers for videos, can they do that? What about mobile delivery? Do they offer token-based authentication? Pseudo Flash Streaming? What about encoding and transcoding? Does your cloud-computing vendor have any content management software or video? Do they support live video delivery? These are all questions to consider if you think you want to use a cloud-computing company instead of a CDN.

A tier 1 CDN like Limelight or Akamai will have thousands of servers to cache your content around the world. They will offer all those ancillary services related to content delivery. A CDN will support streaming and HTTP progressive downloads. They will probably have Adobe, Microsoft and Apple servers. A CDN will be able to support live events. On top of that you will be able to accelerate your whole site, with Akamai’s DSA or Limelight’s Limelight Site services. You are not limited to just videos with a CDN, any piece of content can be delivered via a CDN.

You will probably find that integrating a CDN is easier and less time consuming than bringing up new servers and maintaining them. In some cases with a CDN it may be as simple as pointing a CNAME to the CDN or just uploading your content to them.

Pricing

Certainly, the pricing of cloud-computing is more attractive than a CDN. But you will need to figure out what your needs are and find the right combinations of services.

Mosso by Rackspace

$100/month 50 GB of storage space 500 GB of monthly bandwidth 10,000 compute cycles. Compute cycles measure how much processing time your applications require on the Mosso cloud. 10,000 compute cycles are roughly equivalent to the monthly capacity of a server with a 2.8 GHz modern processor. per month Prices go up from there.

GoGrid:

$.19/hour of RAM (add more RAM, pay more) $136/month per 1GB of RAM plus $.50/GB of transfer outbound 10GB of storage included $.15/GB thereafter Free Load Balancing with F5 load balancers

Amazon EC2:

$.10/hour up to $.80/hour for “On Demand” $325 setup up to $2600 setup + $.03/hour up to $.24/hour for a “Reserved” server $.10/GB on inbound traffic $.10 to $.17/GB for outbound traffic Storage is extra through the S3 service Other services are extra

AT&T Synaptic Storage as a Service:

Pricing not disclosed
CDN Pricing

Pricing for CDN service will vary greatly depending on what you want and where you get if from. With the Tier 1 CDNs expect a minimum commitment per month and to sign a 1-year contract. With a Tier 2 CDN like Level3, CDNetwork, Edgecast, etc, you may get a month-to-month contract and lower prices, but you may not get the same service either.

Pricing for CDNs will be anywhere from $.05/GB to $1.00 or more per GB depending on what you commit to. Keep in mind only the largest contracts in the hundreds of TBs to Petabytes will get down to the $.05/GB range. When you add on ancillary services, you will add to your monthly bill as well.

It appears that Rackspace wins on pricing, although as you add on more CPU Cycles and storage they may increase significantly. Rackspace is also known for their customer service, which will count for a lot. Amazon’s pricing seems convoluted and confusing, it looks cheap on the outside, but if you add up all your inbound/outbound, storage and class of service, their pricing isn’t too aggressive. Also, Amazon is not known for customer service at all. Getting a hold of tech support may be a chore. GoGrid’s pricing is very close to Rackspaces’ and their product seems top notch, also the free load balancing counts for a lot, so don’t count out GoGrid. Finally, AT&T has only just announced their cloud storage product. Their web site doesn’t disclose pricing. Good luck getting someone at AT&T on the phone that can help you understand their product.

Conclusion

If you’re looking at Cloud Computing to increase website performance, you may consider a CDN first. Examine why your site is under performing. Do you need more databases, do you need more mail servers? Do you need more domains? These are all reasons to get cloud computing. But if you have a lot of videos, music or software downloads or your pages are sluggish, then a CDN is the way to go!

Ideally, your best solution will be to use both a cloud-computing company and a CDN. This will give you optimal performance, flexibility, and reliability.

If you have any questions about this topic, please post them here.

Are you looking for an opportunity to earn income from home without having to pay any fees? No membership or registration costs? If you are, then there are some reputable companies that are interested in working with you. No fee, free paid surveys and survey taking jobs are available for teenagers, adults and people practically of all walks of life. It’s a good opportunity to make money without having to spend any money.

So what’s the catch?

The catch is that money is not free and that it will cost you your time. You will have to fill out surveys. Market research companies that gather information for major corporations to be used in the design of products and marketing campaigns, pay you for your opinion. You will be giving your opinion about products and product ideas. The forms are normally short, so you can start making money right away. Companies that pay through PayPal allow you to make money daily, so you don’t have to wait for a check to come in the mail.

While I will not propose that this is a career opportunity, it is something that you can do to bring extra money into your home to help with groceries, bills or whatever. If you would just like some extra money to spend on the weekends, then free paid surveys that are legitimate, can be a great way to add a little jingle to your pocket.

Beware of any paid survey companies that charge money or registration fees.

Many incomes are dropping at the same alarming rate that food prices are soaring. Many families have been forced to rely on dinners consisting largely of pasta and rice to try to keep the food bill at least manageable while trying to stay afloat. It’s frequently a difficult choice at the end of the month when there isn’t enough for the mortgage and yet another trip to the grocery store.

Listen up! You don’t need to make the sacrifices you might have thought necessary. There are ways to eat well and pay your other bills! It may take some adjustments in your thinking, buying and lifestyle, but these changes can literally save you a few hundred dollars a month – and even more – depending on the size of your family.

Finding ways to save money does take time. It’s a learning process. Treat this as a job. Your rewards will automatically follow.

COUPONS – start clipping! Clip every coupon you can find even if it’s for a product you don’t normally use. Learn to share with neighbors and friends. Find them in your Sunday newspaper and frequently during the week as well. Print them off from websites such as CoolSavings.com or even individual manufacturers such as Proctor and Gamble. Don’t throw away those free fliers that come in the mail each week. They have some great coupons you may be missing out on! Find a way to organize your coupons – a method that makes sense to you and one you will use. Throwing all the coupons into one box or a junk drawer will almost guarantee you’ve wasted your time saving them since you won’t be able to find them when you want to use them. Learn how to match the coupons with what’s on sale that week in the stores. This does take a few extra minutes, but it’s worth it. Most of the larger grocery stores even tell you to find the coupon in the paper! Don’t be afraid to try a new product or a new brand, it could be better and cheaper. HINT: Here’s a great insider’s tip on how to use coupons! Individual stores must key in each UPC code for each product. When you scan your coupon, the software that reads the UPC code on the coupon will determine if you have purchased the right product, and will automatically provide the correct discount. BUT stores are notorious for cutting back on these computer inputs. Instead of inputting a code for each individual product, many stores will only input codes for the brand itself. In other words, let’s say you have a coupon for Campbell’s soup but it specifically states “not for creamed soups”. Most stores don’t have systems that are programmed in enough detail to tell the difference. All it sees is “Campbell soup” and – bingo! Most likely, it will work just fine.

DOUBLE COUPONS – why you should stay away
Avoid any store that offers “double coupons” even if you’re not using coupons. Someone is paying for all these extra perks, and it’s you! Start paying attention to the inflated prices in these stores. When you see “You saved $32.19″ on your receipt, you can be sure that these savings were already gobbled up by the prices you actually paid. (I.E., saving $1.10 as a “double coupon” on a pound of margarine instead of .55 isn’t a deal when the margarine cost $3.49 instead of the $2.49 other stores are selling it at.)

TRY NEW STORES – don’t limit yourself to buying food at only grocery stores
Some larger national and regional “drug stores” carry more than health and beauty items. CVS and Walgreens have weekly coupons for things such as tuna, soups, bath tissue, Jello, and cleaning products. These coupons usually provide some significant savings over normal store prices. Many times they let you use a manufacturer’s coupon as well. If you have not yet discovered the wonders of your local “dollar” store, head on over at your earliest opportunity! The larger ones (i.e., Family Dollar) have their own private label products that are priced at about 25% – 50% of their brand name counterparts. Most take manufacturers coupons too! The canned goods, paper products, and their cleaning products are comparable to the national names. The national brands they do carry are significantly cheaper than a regular grocery store, or even some of the discount retailers (Walmart, Kmart, Target, etc.).

LEARN PRICES – you’ll never appreciate the savings if you don’t know how to compare
If you are like most shoppers, you have probably become used to shopping in one or two places, paying “whatever” to get what you needed, all in the interest of time. Those days are gone! Almost everyone is now in a position where the dollar must be stretched beyond recognition and saving money is more important than saving time. Start learning!

i. Comparison shop. Spend a few hours one day and just drive around to different stores, or even check on line (most stores have websites and you can see their weekly sales and circulars right there). Learn what a can of peas costs – national and store brands. You might be shocked at what you’ve been paying!
ii. Don’t go crazy with the “Buy One Get One” sales. Frequently a store will inflate the price on a particular item before giving you the second one for free. This is an excellent reason to know your regular prices before getting excited about a sale. For instance, Store X might sell chicken breasts for $2.99 a pound on a regular basis. Then they announce a sale where chicken breasts are “Buy One Get One (free)”. Before running out to stock up, look at the new price per pound. It may suddenly have snuck up to $3.39 a pound…or more. Read your labels and make certain you’re getting the deal you think you are before heading to the check out line.
LEARN HOW TO “BATCH SHOP” – Find a local strip mall where you can get almost everything done in one stop. Bring your CVS and Walgreens coupons, then head over to the dollar store for some canned goods and paper products, and finish up with meats and produce at the grocery store. One parking lot, three stores.

Once you see the money you are saving at the end of the month, you’ll never want to return to the “old days”. Whether you only shopped at Wild Oats and a kosher butcher, or you headed to a Super Walmart once a month, there are ways to still save more money without sacrificing quality, quantity, or taste.

Small business owners need all the help they can get when it comes to saving money. Small business moneysavers are imperative for the business owner to keep your head above water. There are many areas of your business where you may be able to cut costs and these may be things that you have not thought of, if you can save money in a couple of areas, it may go a long way in the money you can place into other areas of your business.

Instead of taking time each day to run to the post office and mail off your packages and letters each day, you can save a tremendous amount of time by being able to print postage at home. This is a great small business moneysaver and you will save time and money in the long run. You can also fulfill your postage needs whenever you choose and you will not be stuck on the post offices schedule.

Taking a good look at your phone bill can help you to save money. You may be paying for services that you do not use and eliminating these extras may save you a good amount each month on your phone bill. You should also compare companies and this is a great tip for small business money savers. You may find that there is a very competitive company that you can use that is less expensive then the phone company you are currently using.

You may also be paying too much for your internet service and you can also compare internet service providers also. There are many out there to choose from and you should not only look at prices, but also at the service that will be provided. You want to make sure that your internet can keep up with the use of your business and this should also be a final determination factor.

Taking a close look at your surroundings may help you discover many other ways to save money and you may be able to free up even more money and this can help you change the money that you are receiving each month in profit.

Small business moneysavers can create more income for the small business owner and there may be many services that you are not even using and only having the things you need for your business can make a big difference in your monthly income.

Online tax filing provides an easy, hassle-free way of filing your taxes. Even if you’ve never filed taxes before, online tax filing will get you through the process, quickly and affordably.

Why file taxes online?

There is little reason to file your taxes the traditional way ever again! With online tax filing, you are guided step by step to ensure that your tax returns are accurate. Help is always available at the click of a button through an interactive system built directly into the program. Because everything is outlined for you, you’ll only need your W2s, 1099s, and other documents to complete your taxes.

Online tax filing makes your life easier. It works with the IRS system, eFile, which electronically files your tax returns. There is no need to worry about missed deadlines because you won’t have to send them by mail. At the end, you only need to click a button to send your tax returns. You can also print out a copy for your records.

With online tax filing, you won’t have to pay a tax accountant’s professional fees to get your taxes filed. Online tax filing is as low as $20, which saves you money. Because online tax filing systems are designed to catch errors, you don’t have to worry about your information being wrong. Also, online tax filing offers deductions tools so you can accurately enter your deductions and maximize your tax refund.

You can also opt to receive your tax refund check via direct deposit. With online tax filing, all you have to do is enter your bank account and routing numbers to request a direct deposit. The best part is that you’ll receive your refund check in half the time. Plus, you can skip the line at the bank and the time it takes for the check to clear.

What do I need to file my taxes online?

Just gather your W2′s, 1099s, receipts, and other necessary documents. All the information you need is contained within these documents. Online tax filing systems will guide you through the documents. Online tax filing allows you to look in the correct area and fill in the number on the online form. You won’t have to worry about reading the wrong box or entering the wrong number. Everything is outlined so you can quickly and easily file your taxes.

Online tax filing programs come equipped with a deduction finder. This ensures that you have fully taken advantage of every available deduction. Just answer yes or no questions and the online tax filing program will guide you to the right deductions. With a system so accurate, there is no need to worry about missed deductions.

The Bottom Line

Online tax filing is the easiest way to file your taxes and offers the best way to pay your taxes and receive your refund check. If you want a hassle-free, easy way to file your taxes, give online tax filing programs a try.