When a server dies, most businesses reach for the chequebook and order a replacement as quickly as possible. Few stop to consider whether buying a new server is the best option. Cloud servers perform the same functions as office servers but are often a much smarter and more cost-effective approach.
The comparison below looks at the pros and cons of a typical small-business office server versus a cloud server.
In this example the specifications for the office server are a entry-level Dell PowerEdge T110 server and the cloud server is a medium instance provided by sponsor Amazon Web Services, with prices taken from their respective websites on 26 March 2013.
While details may differ with products from alternative suppliers, the inherent differences between cloud and office servers would remain the same.