Several factors influence the total cost of operating a cloud-based IT environment. Because pricing models vary and service offerings differ across providers, it can be difficult to perform a direct 1:1 comparison of capacity. For IT organizations considering a move to the cloud, switching providers, or establishing a contingency plan—such as moving from a US-based to a European provider—numerous variables must be factored into the calculation to identify the most cost-effective option.

This article examines the requirements for conducting price comparisons across IaaS providers. Throughout the text, we use examples from Quarterly Analytics’ quarterly public cloud pricing report.

Price Comparison Components:

• Other price drivers that may affect the business case when choosing a cloud provider

• The type of workload to be supported

• The price of IaaS capacity