Evaluating cloud costs and ease of use for a small business migration.

All answers to this question.

Martha, for a small business without a dedicated tech team, I would actually point you toward AWS Lightsail or Azure App Service. These are "simplified" versions of their main platforms. Lightsail, in particular, gives you a fixed-price monthly plan so you don't have to worry about complex data transfer fees or API call costs that usually confuse people on the main AWS console. It allows you to grow into the full AWS ecosystem later if your business explodes, but keeps the "training wheels" on while you are just starting out. It’s the best balance of power and simplicity.

   Answered 2025-11-12 by Pamela Brooks

Are you planning on running a custom-built software or are you looking to host something common like a WordPress site or a Magento store?

   Answered 2025-11-18 by Scott Peterson

• It’s a custom-built SQL database with a web front-end that my nephew helped me build, Scott. He’s headed off to college soon, so I need to be able to handle the basic "is it running?" checks myself. That’s why I’m so nervous about the technical side. I need a dashboard that tells me in plain English if something is wrong and how much it’s going to cost me this month.

     Commented 2025-11-20 by Martha Sullivan

Google Cloud’s "App Engine" is perfect for this. You just upload your code and they handle all the server management and scaling automatically for you.

   Answered 2025-11-25 by Jeffrey Vance

• I second the App Engine suggestion, Jeffrey. It really is a "set it and forget it" type of service which sounds exactly like what Martha needs for her inventory system.

     Commented 2025-11-28 by Pamela Brooks