That’s how you avoid variable costs!

We also talked about the cost of data storage in our previous blog. As if the devil was playing with it, right after that came Microsoft’s announcement that the price of their cloud services is increasing by 11 percent in Euros. And indexed every year. It can also be done differently.

Those who have placed their data storage with Microsoft have undoubtedly received word of it: Microsoft’s cloud services will be 11 percent more expensive as of April 2023. A hefty price increase, which the software giant justifies by stating that prices are being aligned globally against the U.S. dollar so that customers get consistent prices. That would provide more transparency and predictability. The price is readjusted every six months according to the exchange rate of the dollar. It will all be true, but the fact remains that prices are up 11 percent in April. If you have your data stored in Microsoft’s cloud, you probably immediately feel how dependent you are (have become) on this service. The increase will certainly also have to do with higher energy costs and hardware prices. Most strikingly, Microsoft can “just” implement this increase.

Unburdening?

It justifies the question of whether you still want to leave your data on Microsoft’s cloud (or Amazon or Google or …), with rising prices and dependencies on the fluctuating exchange rate of the dollar. Many companies and organizations that store their data in the cloud do so precisely because they want to be largely unburdened that way. And because they want clarity. Not to have to reconsider every six months. That a service becomes more expensive is not in itself strange. But unfortunately, the combination of “being taken care of” and “being cheaper” rarely works out, and that makes sense. You outsource a service because you don’t have the time for it yourself, don’t have the expertise and/or because someone else can do it better. Not necessarily cheaper. It is a consideration of the value of the service, but that it will not cost money or become cheaper is a pipe dream. Even a cloud has to be managed, and yes, that costs money.

How it can be done

Then again, to make the comparison with Silent Bricks: we guarantee a fixed price for ten years. No hassle with the dollar exchange rate and other issues: you know where you stand for ten years. Ten years of fixed service fees and, of course, the hardware you bought doesn’t get more expensive. The only risk is in the cost of energy, but that is no different with cloud storage. Another advantage is that Silent Bricks have particularly low energy consumption. More on that, too, in our previous blog. Other than that, there are no variable costs!

Want to know more?

Feel free to inquire about Silent Bricks. We are happy to tell you more about it!