Should Governments Control Cloud Pricing to Help Startup survive?

Have you opened your cloud bill recently and thought "Wow, what the heck is with these prices?" If you have a startup, every single dollar counts, and high cloud prices can put your business out of existence very quickly. The big question is: should government control the cloud prices to help startup survive?

Problems With Startup Related to Cloud Costs​

Running a startup is already a tough thing to do. You've been working hard to get your business off the ground, but then out of nowhere the prices of cloud services go through the roof.

Here are three of the most significant problems that startups face with regards to cloud pricing:

• The way cloud services are priced is non-intuitive.
• The cloud providers lock in customers.
• Cloud prices are extremely volatile and can change very quickly. This makes it impossible for small businesses to create accurate budgets based on cloud service expenditures.

Ever tried moving away from AWS (Amazon Web Services) or Google Cloud after establishing a client base? If you do, you will discover it is about as easy as trying to get one of your feet out of a vat of wet cement.

Assistance For the Government?​

Yes, I believe the government does need to provide some assistance. The government shouldn't be involved with every aspect of the industry, but they should ensure that pricing remains fair to consumers. The government currently control pricing in other major areas, such as electricity services and telephone services. So, why can't the government regulate cloud pricing as well?

Government Control That Could Be Helpful​

• Clear pricing and no hidden fees
• Limits on extremely high price increases
• Providers should have simple ways to switch from one provider to another

What do you think? Would these regulations make your life easier?

Will Regulations Slow Down Innovation?​

There are some people who feel that regulations hold back innovation. They argue that competition between companies will solve that issue. But is there really a competitive market if you have a few large corporations with the majority of the cloud storage market?

If large tech companies control the market for cloud storage then the start-up companies will continually lose to the large tech companies.

Conclusion​

Governments must ensure the protection of Start-Up Companies when it comes to pricing for cloud storage. If Governments do not regulate cloud pricing to protect Start-Up Companies then countless incredible ideas will never be able to grow or develop into a business model. We need more innovative ideas in this world.