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Now more than ever, business environments are becoming more competitive and dynamic. Efficiency on all business areas is crucial to your success. Integrated processes are part of efficiency. It involves utilizing platforms that allow you to accomplish more by doing less. Web mogul Google has mastered the art of integration from its search engine to the apps they’ve created. Since its inception, Google has done nothing but push the boundaries of the web. So it comes as no surprise that they have also dominated even the business side of it.

Over the past weeks, we’ve been looking at the benefits of having your own Google Business Suite. We broke down this ecosystem further by zeroing in on Gmail, Calendar, and Drive. Today, we’ll continue our series exploring Google’s Cloud and Chrome.

The Cloud

Many businesses are resorting to the cloud for storage and other business solutions. The convenience that the cloud provides outweighs the risks it involves. This infographic shows that the cloud computing industry is expected to increase by $150 million this year. It also showed that 60% of server workload will be moved to the cloud by 2014. Having said that, you need to choose the best cloud computing provider to make this platform profitable for you. Let’s look at what Google’s Cloud has to offer:

Advanced infrastructure. Google has created an infrastructure that can deliver billions of search results in seconds and accommodate billions of YouTube video hours monthly. This infrastructure is the same backbone that will support your cloud platform. Its global network is one of the largest and most advanced with thousands of fiber optic cables lined across the world. In case you don’t know, some of those cables are even under the Pacific Ocean. This allows them to provide stable and fast performance regardless of your location. It also gives them the edge in giving global redundancy, meaning your data is mirrored easily in multiple devices and multiple locations.

Seamless administration. With Google Cloud, you don’t have to worry about server configuration, load management, or database administration. Google has managed services that can take care of that for you. It also has development tools that give you different frameworks to build on. In addition, it has a console or dashboard that allows you to easily view all your applications and manage your account.

Flexible integration. Different businesses use different apps and compatibility is often an issue when you’re accessing the cloud. With Google Cloud, you can mix and match various apps without having to think if they will work together. It’s a flexible virtual machine that allows you to choose which system is best suited for your business. It allows extensive functionality for integration of multiple systems in the Cloud platform.

Premium performance. Google Cloud is optimized for various applications and storage services. It provides consistent CPU and disk performance due to its hybrid network and infrastructure that responds quickly to users all over the world. Its powerful processor also allows for low latency. Latency is the delay by which the packet data reaches its designated destination. Thus, you don’t have to be concerned with uptime and downtime speed.

The Cloud in Contrast

Google Cloud is not the only available cloud computing platform in the market. Other major players are Amazon Web Services and Rackspace Cloud. There are four things you need to consider when choosing a cloud platform—the instance type, latency, performance, and price. Instance type is equivalent to server type but in this case we’re talking about virtual servers. So each instance or virtual server is composed of CPUs, RAM, storage, and network capacity. All three clouds use 8 CPUs. Google and Rackspace each have 30 GB of RAM. Amazon gives you two options which they differentiate as c1 and c3. Amazon c1 has 7 GB and while the c3 has 15 GB of RAM. Google’s price per hour for these specs is $0.829 while Rackspace is at $1.36. Amazon is at $0.58 for the c1 and $0.60 for c3.

In terms of latency, Amazon’s c3 and Rackspace has a delay of 2 milliseconds (ms) per operation while Google and Amazon’s c1 come close with 3ms per operation. When tested for performance, Amazon’s c3 and Rackspace performed 40% faster than Google. Meanwhile, Google was 25% faster than the c1. If you put all these factors together, you will see that Amazon’s c3 is the runaway winner. Rackspace’s $1.36/hour is a hefty price tag considering it has the same specs and performance as the c3. Amazon’s c1 and Google Cloud are pretty much dead even to come in as the second best option. Perhaps the only advantage you have in going for Google is that it’s relatively new compared to the other two brands. This means it will strive to prove its worth and show a lot of improvement in the coming years. With Google as its developer, you can only expect it to be more competitive over time.

The Chrome

You might think that the browser you use does not have any significant impact on your workflow. The truth is, it directly affects your work especially if you rely heavily on the web. Speed is the game changer in web-based processes and it should be your foremost consideration when choosing a browser. There are many browsers you can choose from such as Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, Opera, and of course, Google Chrome. In 2013, Chrome has been the leading browser in the web with more than 50% of netizens using it. Chrome still leads the pact as of January 2014. So what makes Chrome stand out from the rest? Let’s look at some of its features.

Reliable speed. Google said that the Chrome was built to be fast on all aspects. It launches quickly from your desktop and it runs fast on various web apps. With every Chrome update, it increases its JavaScript speed in the browser which makes loading web pages swift. It also allows you to search quickly via address and search bar. It also gives quick and auto-complete functionality to help you in your search. You can also do voice search by clicking or tapping on the microphone icon.

Stable security and privacy. Chrome will alert you if you’re about to visit a suspicious site. It has a phishing protection and built-in malware that is continuously active while you’re browsing. Chrome has a sandboxing service that prevents malware from being installed in your device. In addition, it updates consistently to ensure that your security version is the latest. In terms of privacy, you can browse in incognito mode so that your sites will not be recorded in the browsing history. You also have the option to change your privacy preferences for added security.

Convenient customization. Chrome is a customizable browser. You can add users to Chrome, too. May it be your team or virtual assistant, you can share and sync your web content with them. You can also add tools from the Chrome Web Store to optimize your browsing experience. Extensions can be customized, too. If you want some color and style to your browser, you can download themes for Chrome to update your otherwise boring interface.

Consistent compatibility. Google Chrome runs on all operating systems from Windows to Mac OS X and even Linux. It has a built in Adobe Flash and Acrobat Reader so you won’t experience the hassle of installing it when you need to watch or read something that runs on those programs. In addition, it already supports HTML 5, the new mark up language responsible for presenting web content.

The Chrome in Contrast

It’s important that you also know how the Chrome is faring compared to other browsers. Tests were thoroughly done on the latest versions of the browsers namely Chrome 27, Firefox 22, Internet Explorer 10 (IE10), Opera, and Opera Next. Memory consumption is one of the major setbacks of using Chrome. When opening a single tab, IE10 is the winner consuming a mere 40 MB followed by Opera Next at 75 MB. Chrome ranks last with 122 MB. When tested for full performance with 40 tabs open, Firefox leads the pack with 768 MB followed by Opera Next at 1.18 GB. Meanwhile, Chrome consumes a whopping 1.512 GB. Page reloading is another issue for Chrome.

In terms of reliability when tested for a heavy load of 40 tabs, Chrome needed 12 reloads to display all the pages. Firefox is impressive with a single reload followed by Opera with 4. Chrome leads in security passing 16 of 17 tests. It also leads in standards conformance involving HTML5Test.com, The CSS3 Test, and JavaScript. This thorough study showed that for the non-performance index which involves memory efficiency, reliability, security, and standards conformance Mozilla wins the race with a grade of 158. It’s followed by the new Opera Next with 121 and Chrome by 110. The new updates of the browsers have dethroned Chrome in certain areas. You can expect Chrome to bounce back to make sure that they win on all fronts the next time around.

These two web apps are great tools that will help you maximize your time and streamline your business processes. By using the Cloud, you will save on IT maintenance and logistics cost. With Chrome, you will have a more efficient browsing experience. As your business grows, you need to use tools that will increase your productivity and proficiency. Trying these apps will allow you to explore options that will improve your current systems and workflow.

About Pepper Virtual Assistants

Pepper Virtual Assistant Services is a business solutions firm that specializes on administrative assistance, customer support, CRM, copywriting, and personal virtual assistance. We take pride in our reliable service and responsive client handling which embodies our team’s optimal performance.