Most of the websites and online services you use rely on cloud service providers, such as the very popular Amazon Web Services, for hosting. But as the culture wars intensify, these services have become increasingly political. AWS stopped hosting the right-wing social network on January 10, 2021, effectively killing Parler. For a website to exist, it must be hosted by a provider. This reality means that wrong-headed websites can be banned from the Internet until a company can be found to host them.
If we are to counter this trend and have any hope of returning to a truly neutral net, we need new companies to provide these basic services and challenge quasi-monopolies like Amazon. american cloud is one of the companies that is going head-on with AWS.
When AWS shut down Parler, American Cloud CEO and co-founder Aron Wagner offered services to organizations that incumbent cloud providers refused for philosophical reasons, such as gun companies, alternative health services, and certain online ministries. We thought there was an opportunity to provide this. He believed he could provide these services at a fraction of the cost.
“We are passionate about providing reliable digital infrastructure. We strive to make it as easy and as accessible as possible for any U.S.-based business. We’re working hard,” Wagner said.
“We need to focus on that and make sure that we are effectively helping our customers grow and expand their businesses, rather than communicating virtue or answering DEI or ESG.” ” Wagner added.
I asked Wagner why he thinks so many companies are becoming increasingly political even as their core businesses appear to be threatened. Wagner believes this is the result of a combination of pressure from his shareholders and other customers.
“After Parler was kicked out of AWS, some infrastructure providers were reluctant to offer the service due to concerns about customer backlash. As such, they are already handcuffed by those they serve. I felt like that,” Wagner said.
And how does American Cloud plan to avoid a similar situation?
“We’re just being upfront about it in the beginning. As long as it’s a legal business transaction, even if we don’t agree with it, we’re going to support it,” Wagner said.
Highly prepared cloud provider
But how does American Cloud protect itself from being canceled by the services it and its 72,000 square foot data center depend on?
“We own the security perimeter, we own the land, we own the building, and we own all the equipment in the building: the power, the cooling, the network, the servers,” Wagner said. Plus, American Cloud has contracts with more than a dozen Tier 1 network providers, so if you ever lose connection to your company, you’ll have plenty of backup internet connectivity. And even if they all cut ties, American Cloud still owns the dark fiber it can use to create its own backbone.
“From an external threat perspective, utilities are probably a bigger threat than bandwidth providers,” Wagner said. And even if that happens, the company is prepared to run its data center entirely on diesel if the need arises.
“If the power companies shut off power to data centers, I think our country would be in a much worse situation than we currently think,” Wagner said.
Wagner’s background in the U.S. Army helped give him that mindset of preparedness. He served as a Ranger with the 82nd Airborne and participated in Operation Inherent Resolve fighting ISIS in Iraq. He had planned to transfer to special forces, but medical reasons prevented this.
“Honestly, I was going to be a lifer,” Wagner said. “It was a very rewarding experience, but being in the so-called Big Army was never my goal.”
Near the end of his Army tenure, Wagner DOD Skill Bridge The program allows soldiers to intern at a company for four months while on active duty. He joined a data center consulting firm in Raleigh, North Carolina. “I really fell in love with digital infrastructure and the physical side of the internet,” Wagner said.
American Cloud for Everyone
Wagner emphasized that American Cloud is not a purely ideological company. Unlike other companies in this space that compensate for mediocre pricing and poor customer experience by targeting underserved niche markets, American Cloud aims to offer better service at a better price point. We are aiming for
“Our target audience is really U.S.-based businesses, and not just industries that are underserved by other cloud providers,” Wager said.
Wagner said businesses looking to migrate from AWS to American Cloud can expect to reduce their bills by about 25%, and AC has saved some customers 70% to 80%.
“These companies are apolitical, they’re not controversial. They just want a better return at the end of the day,” Wagner said.
I was surprised that American Cloud didn’t accept crypto payments yet, but Wagner assured me that it would happen later this year.
So if your business needs cloud hosting or you want to explore alternatives to AWS and other tech giants, this is the place to go. american cloud and see if it is suitable for you.
