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- Sponsor for Cloud Expo 2013 in NYC
- Lunacloud, Amazon EC2, and Rackspace Cloud Compared
- Press Release: Cloud Spectator Compares Pricing Structure of IaaS Providers
- 3 Tips for Cloud Providers to Enhance User Experience: Windows Azure Case Study
- IaaS Cloud Performance Comparison: ProfitBricks VS. Amazon and Rackspace (UnixBench and Iperf)
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Cloud Spectator is a cloud computing consulting firm based in Boston, MA. Since 2011, we have measured server performance and provided analyses into pricing and industry competition, helping enterprises make informed cloud purchase decisions. We currently focus on IaaS offerings.
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Sponsor for Cloud Expo 2013 in NYC
Posted by Kenny on Feb 12, 2013 in Uncategorized | 0 comments
SYS-CON Events announced today that Cloud Spectator has been named “Media Sponsor” of SYS-CON’s 12th International Cloud Expo, which will take place on June 10-13, 2013, at the Javits Center in New York City, New York, and the 13th International Cloud Expo, which will take place on November 4-7, 2013, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA. Read more about it at the SYS-CON website.
read moreLunacloud, Amazon EC2, and Rackspace Cloud Compared
Posted by Kenny on Dec 18, 2012 in Uncategorized | 0 comments
Download the full report in PDF format Introduction We recently began benchmarking Lunacloud, an IaaS vendor based in Europe. We have found strong disk IO and networking performance for Lunacloud. Amazon’s performance remains unpredictable with periods of spikes, while Rackspace Cloud (not OpenStack Cloud) performs in a stable manner throughout the 30 days. Findings We tested on the following server configuration: 4 vCPUs, 16 GB RAM, 50 GB disk. While Lunacloud outperforms Amazon and Rackspace in many cases over the 30-day test, the...
read morePress Release: Cloud Spectator Compares Pricing Structure of IaaS Providers
Posted by Kenny on Nov 6, 2012 in Cloud Computing, IaaS | 1 comment
BOSTON, MA, Nov 06, 2012 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) — Cloud Spectator, a leading independent cloud computing analyst firm that provides research and data on Cloud Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), today unveiled its newest research report, Infrastructure as a Service Market Metrics Report: Industry Pricing Comparison. The company conducted extensive cost analysis among 20 IaaS providers for different server configurations. The data found that Amazon EC2 did not score as the most cost-effective option for companies looking at short-term...
read more3 Tips for Cloud Providers to Enhance User Experience: Windows Azure Case Study
Posted by Kenny on Oct 17, 2012 in Cloud Computing | 0 comments
Don’t get me wrong, Microsoft; I love you guys. I think you stumbled on Windows Vista, but Windows 7 really made up for it. And your Microsoft Office Suite really makes life easier, though it could be a little less expensive. But something you really need to improve is the Windows Azure user experience, especially for free trial members. Today, the key to user experience is simplicity. On websites, marketers want as little clicks as possible between a customer entering the site and purchasing a product. Here’s some tips for cloud...
read moreIaaS Cloud Performance Comparison: ProfitBricks VS. Amazon and Rackspace (UnixBench and Iperf)
Posted by Kenny on Sep 9, 2012 in Cloud Computing, Cloud Management, Performance Testing | 0 comments
FULL DISCLOSURE: ProfitBricks hired Cloud Spectator to run a continuous UnixBench and Iperf benchmark for 15 days (4 times a day) from our CloudSpecs Performance Tests on their beta cloud IaaS servers, and compare the results to Amazon EC2 and Rackspace Cloud. We did not alter our methodology in any manner, and data presented in this post are meant only to report as information. Cloud Spectator does not endorse ProfitBricks or ProfitBricks services. Abstract New cloud IaaS providers, such as ProfitBricks, CloudSigma, and Cloud Provider USA are...
read moreCloud Performance: How to Interpret Benchmarks (Part 1)
Posted by Kenny on Sep 5, 2012 in Cloud Computing, IaaS, Performance Testing | 0 comments
Part 1 provides an introduction to the post and a look into relevant open source performance tests for Video and Database applications. Part 2 will look at other industries and applications; i.e., Storage, Gaming, and general eCommerce. Abstract Performance results from open-source benchmark tests can only reveal certain details about the server(s) the tests are performed on. To really take advantage of the results, you have to understand which tests are relevant to the application(s) you want to run. This post provides examples of 5...
read morePublic IaaS Performance MUST be Monitored Over Time
Posted by Kenny on Sep 3, 2012 in Cloud Computing, IaaS, Performance Testing | 0 comments
Abstract Public IaaS cloud is a multi-tenant environment where users of that cloud must share resources. The leads to fluctuations in performance, especially as more users provision cloud environments on the same physical server. One simple performance measurement is not enough to predict performance over time. Introduction After our recent posts on 30-day results of internal network performance of Amazon VS. Zunicore and price-performance of Amazon VS. Rackspace, People have asked me why Cloud Spectator’s CloudSpecs Performance Test...
read moreInternal Network: Zunicore VS. Amazon EC2
Posted by Kenny on Aug 30, 2012 in Cloud Computing, IaaS | 1 comment
Disclaimer: we were not paid by any party to write this blog post. If you would like more information on these or any other providers, or if you have any questions, please feel free to contact us. Abstract Cloud providers normally allow you to only select an allocation of CPU, RAM, and storage Another factor,though, can be the hidden bottleneck that may make or break your application’s performance: internal network performance. Using PEER 1 Hosting’s Zunicore and Amazon EC2 as examples from our CloudSpecs Performance Studies, we...
read moreCloud IaaS Value: Rackspace VS. Amazon in Price and Performance
Posted by Kenny on Aug 27, 2012 in Cloud Computing, IaaS | 1 comment
Introduction Disclaimer: We were not hired by any provider to write this blog post, and we do not endorse any cloud providers in this article. For more information on these providers and others, or if you have any questions, please contact us. Rackspace, which integrated OpenStack with its cloud offering, recently lowered its pricing in the introduction of its Open Cloud. But has that change really affected the price-to-performance value for its customers? We analyze IaaS cloud industry pricing on a bi-monthly basis, and we record performance...
read moreCloud Spectator’s TCO Analysis on OpenStack VS. OnApp: The WHIR
Posted by Kenny on Aug 19, 2012 in Cloud Computing, Cloud Management | 0 comments
The WHIR (Web Host Industry Review) recently published an article, written by the WHIR’s editor in chief Liam Eagle, summarizing our recent cloud management webinar with OnApp detailing the TCO for OpenStack VS. OnApp. The article can be found here: http://www.thewhir.com/web-hosting-news/cloud-hosting-software-onapp-touts-cost-advantages-versus-openstack. The TCO analyzes a period of The actual webinar can be viewed here:...
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