Free Web services a more reliable choice

Small to medium sized businesses (SMBs) are better served by free web services rather than in-house solutions, according to ZDNet. Uptime and additional features are the main draws to these services without the heavy startup costs of developing similar applications on their own hardware.

“Scott Rutherford, CTO of UserVoice, a U.S.-based SMB using Web services, told ZDNet Asia in an interview, the traditional, in-house set up is no more reliable than a free, online alternative.

“If you look at the outages suffered on internal systems, most companies would have to admit that the downtime is pretty similar,” said Rutherford.

Web services give companies the ability to test new applications and new ways of getting work done without the risk of losing a large investment in home-grown proprietary projects. The downside is that companies are essentially at the mercy of the service provider without any SLAs (service level agreements). Paying for services usually adds SLAs and the added protection that an SMB might desire.

Google’s Glotzbach said companies have to take into account their risk profiles when deciding whether to pay for an online service. On the support option, he said: “I would pay, because I want the SLAs, I’d want to pick up the phone and call the vendor, I want the additional features that come with the for-pay offering.”

“Our core competency is being a Web provider and cloud player,” Glotzbach said.

Source: ZDNet Asia
Photo: Flickr