Does your company run on cloud-based operations? Then, you might depend on a cloud service provider like Google or Amazon. But do you know that public cloud spending has grown by 20.4% this year? So, before your cloud spending exceeds your capacity, it’s best to be mindful while selecting your cloud services this year.
“Entrusting your cloud operations with a reliable cloud provider gives you the flexibility to tailor the cloud services according to your budget and specific business requirements.”
You will find endless cloud service recommendations from different cloud vendors online. But all have different service offerings across different areas. It’s your sole responsibility to choose a cloud provider that can fulfill your current needs. So, before you begin the search for an ideal cloud service model, allow us to help you make the right choice!
Finding The Best-Fit Cloud Service Provider: Where To Begin?
First, let’s understand who a cloud service provider is! Consider the CSP as a third-party organization with its data centers offering different types of cloud-based services, like infrastructure, hosting platforms, and applications.
Top in-demand cloud providers include Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Oracle, and IBM. Each cloud provider offers different sets of cloud services at different pricing. As a consumer, you just pay for the cloud services your business requires.
Now, the main question is: which cloud provider company is ideal for you? Here is the complete breakdown in detail! Consider the following criteria to select your cloud partner.
Criteria 1: Check The Cloud Provider’s Standard & Trustworthiness
As we said earlier, there are many cloud providers out there offering diverse solutions in distinct areas. But how would you know if their cloud offerings are trustworthy? Listing here the basic standards every CSP should have:
- ISO 27001 standard for information and data security management
- SOC 2 Type II standard for internal controls and data confidentiality
- PCI DSS for handling online payments securely
- HIPAA for maintaining healthcare-related data privacy
- GDPR Compliance for securing general data of EU citizens
- FIPS 140-2 standard to validate cryptographic modules
- CSA STAR Certification to assess active security controls
You will know the cloud provider’s trustworthiness once you verify adherence to these industry standards.
Criteria 2: Take A Look At The Technology & Service Roadmap
You will know the available solutions once you review the cloud provider’s service roadmap. In case you don’t know the main categories to look for, here are a few service areas to consider:
- Infrastructure-as-a-Service to understand what scalability options you have
- Disaster recovery to get consistent backup and recovery
- Platform-as-a-Service to examine the available tools for application development
- Data management services for advanced analysis and reporting
- Software-as-a-Service to make software applications available for end-users
- Integration capabilities with legacy systems to minimize operational disruptions
- Security encryption capabilities for organizational data protection
Alongside checking the service offering, ensure that the CSP supports your preferred technologies concerning your cloud objectives.
Criteria 3: Analyze Service Level Agreements & Contracts
Now, we are moving deeper into understanding the intricacies of Service Level Agreements between you and the cloud service provider. Here are the different service contracts that you must finalize to ensure clarity and alignment with the service provider:
- Scrutinize contractual “Business Terms” related to contract renewals, compliance audits, and potential exit strategies.
- Seek clarity on the “Service Delivery” conditions of the provider regarding maintenance, incident remediation, and disaster recovery.
- Examine the “Legal Protections” terms concerning intellectual property rights and liability limitations.
- Evaluate all Service Level Agreements based on the deliverable objectives, remediation, and & compensation scenarios.
Confirming the SLA terms will ensure that you get what you pay for! Plus, you establish a fully transparent and mutually beneficial business relationship with the cloud service provider.
Criteria 4: Measure Service Reliability and Performance
You might wonder how to check the service reliability as a first-time user. Well, you can quickly assess the cloud prover’s service performance by following a structured approach:
- Examine the provider’s uptime metrics and guarantees from the given SLA.
- Consider the response times to measure latency levels across different regions.
- Assess the provider’s ability to scale dynamically to support fluctuating workload.
- Review the available monitoring tools and performance metrics.
- Confirm the Disaster Recovery strategy in the event of disruptions.
- Evaluate the responsiveness of Customer Support for issue resolution.
These performance benchmarks can help you validate the provider’s service reliability against industry standards and competitors.
Criteria 5: Explore Options For Optimal Data Protection & Security
Meeting this criterion is crucial for every Cloud Provider. So, if you don’t want to expose important business info to the dark web, confirm what data protection services the CSP has in force. Here’s a structured exploration that you can consider having from your cloud service provider:
- Data encryption standards like SAML or OAuth authentication protocols
- Access control with user identity management
- HIPAA and GDPR compliance as per standard data protection regulations
- Incident response system to take immediate action on security incidents
Once you understand the provider’s data residency policies, you will know which data localization options and cross-border data transfer mechanisms you need. Later, you can add internal security practices in the cloud environment.
Criteria 6: Business Compatibility Based on Service Dependencies & Partnerships
What else can you do to establish seamless integration with the cloud services? You should analyze the service dependencies before finalizing the strategic partnerships:
- Investigate the provider’s strategic alliances and ecosystem partnerships.
- Assess how seamlessly their offerings integrate with your current systems.
- Evaluate the potential risks of vendor lock-in associated with legacy systems.
- Engage with the provider to customize services based on existing limitations.
- Consider financial stability to explore long-term growth trajectories.
We want you to measure the responsiveness, transparency, and commitment your cloud service provider brings! You can aim for long-term sustainability goals once you have a harmonious working relationship with your CSP.
Criteria 7: Consider End-To-End Migration Support For Smooth Transition
As you initiate your cloud transition journey, you seek a partner to help you at every stage! That’s why you must evaluate the cloud service provider’s migration support capabilities:
- Conduct a pre-migration assessment for consistent planning
- Check what migration methodologies and tools the CSP uses
- Confirm the provider’s data transfer and synchronization capabilities
- Assess their application refactoring and optimization expertise
- Check if you get post-migration support for service optimization
Certainly, you can accelerate the cloud transition with consistent support from the cloud service provider.
Criteria 8: Align Your Cloud Spending Budget With The Cloud Provider’s Pricing Model
Finally, it’s time to navigate the financial intricacies of cloud adoption! Do not let your budgetary constraints subdue your cloud requirements. Let’s understand the nuances of cost structures followed by most cloud service providers:
- The pay-as-you-go model offers clear transparency about your service consumption.
- Check the detailed pricing documentation to plan your budget for the coming months.
- Use the online cost calculator from the CSP to calculate the expected service expenses.
- Confirm if reserved services are costing more than the pay-as-you-go instances.
- Scrutinize hidden costs and overheads to eliminate unwanted service charges.
Examine the provider’s billing cycles and payment options to align with your business’s monthly or annual cash flow. Conduct the Total Cost of Ownership and choose a pricing plan that fits your budget!
Ready For The Final Call? Let’s Sum Up Everything We Discussed!
Have you finished checking the selection criteria for an ideal cloud solution provider? Hopefully, you now know what to look for when considering a cloud provider. Once you choose a cloud partner, you cannot just change it after a few days. Selecting a cloud partner is like having a long-term business goal to achieve. To conclude, prioritize your business requirements and see which CSP can help you meet them. So, good luck!
FAQs
1. Microsoft or Amazon – Which cloud provider is best?
Amazon Web Services is winning the race over Microsoft Azure or other cloud services based on its popularity and market demand. However, your business objectives and the cloud provider’s service offerings will help you decide which CSP to choose!
2. What are the essential factors for cloud transition?
You must consider planning your cloud transformation based on the following factors:
- The current dependencies of your infrastructure
- Your cloud migration and data transfer strategy
- Security compliance policies for data governance
- Cost implications based on available cloud services
3. Can a cloud provider offer me tailored solutions?
You get access to many cloud services once you finalize the cloud service provider. However, you don’t need all of them. You can customize the cloud environment depending on the cloud solutions you seek. For example, if you plan to offer your customers Microsoft 365 applications, you can choose SaaS services.
4. Does the cloud provider support a hybrid environment?
It’s possible to have on-premise infrastructure dependency. In that case, you can choose hybrid cloud environments to support legacy platforms. Later, you can eliminate the dependencies and migrate to the cloud with the help of trustworthy cloud migration experts.
5. Can I follow a multi-cloud strategy?
A multi-cloud strategy is good for businesses that require the support of multiple cloud providers. So, if you want to leverage Oracle and AWS cloud services, you can adopt a multi-cloud strategy. In that case, you will have separate billing cycles from both cloud service providers.
BDCC
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