[Cialug] Cloud Providers

[L. V. Lammert]

Need a new server for a mid-level e-commerce, .. my initial thought was to
go to a bare metal provider (thanks for the good recommendations from
folks here!).

After working with Google Computer for a while, however, there are some
capabilities there that would not be available on a bare metal box:

 * Snapshot capability (i.e. snapshot a volume and attach to another
   instance for troubleshooting or development);

 * Spool up a dev machine when needed, leave dark when not needed to save
   budget;

 * Additional resource a click away (e.g. 2 cores -> 4 cores, more disk
   space, more memory), and ability to release resources when not needed.

Google Compute, of course, also has some frustrating features - any
recommendations for a better provider, vis-a-vie functionality or cost?

	Thanks!