[mgkimsal]

"Today, instead of simply assuming that you’ll be buying and operating your own servers, storage and networking"

umm... I've been leasing dedicated servers since 1999 just fine. Why is all 'cloud' discussion always about AWS vs buying dedicated hardware? The vast middle ground serves most people just fine.

EDIT: Actually, I can understand these discussions in some capacity - with large enough orgs, money may come from budget X vs budget Y, and there can be tax implications depending on what option you choose. The majority of people I see/read/hear having these discussions are not at that level though.

[druiid]

I'd say the tax portion is actually a huge consideration for many businesses that would be comparing between leasing or buying. If you purchase $100k of hardware or more, that can have a pretty significant tax benefit.

[mgkimsal]

Yes, again, true, but... the majority of people I know that have these discussions, and make these decisions, aren't dealing at anywhere near that level, and start to justify AWS because of a free micro tier vs having to shell out $40/month on a VPS.

Again, yes, there can be bigger considerations at play, but I contend it materially impacts far fewer people than think they would be impacted.

[727374]

You're only getting the tax benefit because you've had to spend 100k to start out with (which you wouldn't have to do when renting from AWS).