Cloud computing is likely to be the future of enterprise technology. But businesses have a tendency to make a wrong choice with their cloud service providers. This is the main reason behind the high rate of failure of virtualization projects. To avoid disappointment one therefore needs to select a cloud computing vendor who can offer you services matching your corporate goals. In this write-up we have discussed about a few points to remember while shopping around for cloud computing service provider.
As more companies are now inclining towards developing their custom applications the demand for cloud enabled services is on a rise. This can make the task for CIOs and IT heads more difficult in choosing the right cloud services.
Do your homework: Cloud services come in forms of SaaS, IaaS and PaaS and they serve different purposes. Companies need to decide on the type of services they are looking for, such as – companies looking to access remote software may need to find software as a service solution. Similarly, companies aiming at developing their own set of custom web applications must find a PaaS vendor with same OS platform to get optimum results.
The cost: While searching for a cloud computing vendor businesses have a tendency to settle for the most frugal one. This is a big mistake. To ensure that you receive the best service with robust backup and data recovery policy you must seek the best service vendor around. Before engaging a vendor, evaluate its services on the following ground:
- Software
- Application availability
- Data requirement
A cloud computing consulting company’s ability may be hard to measure but it is crucial for the success of your project implementation and hence, as a thumb rule you may always associate with the best.
Decision: Implementing a successful virtualization project requires long term planning and preparation. You’d first need to decide your goals and objectives for adopting virtualization. Implementing cloud isn’t a onetime decision. Rather, it’s going to be a continuous process of perpetual monitoring and timely updates. Hence, you need to evaluate if you have requisite hardware and infrastructural support and whether, you’ll depend on single vendor or distribute the workload between several.
Selecting vendor: An important decision you need to make regarding cloud implementation is selecting vendor. You should essentially find a service provider who will host most or all of your third-party software applications. Choosing a single service provider for both your SaaS services and in-house applications will ensure easy collaboration between those. While shopping for a service provider keep the following points in mind:
- Cost
- Service type
- Data security and sharing policies
- Data recovery and backup policies
- Service- level agreement
- Infrastructure
- Lock in period, if any
- Datacenter and server location
- Support services for error and outage
Virtualization can be critical for the success of your business and hence, you need to prepare a proper field before implementing cloud based solutions. Ask your service provider if you can attach the services to your enterprise VPN or VLAN in order to eliminate the chances of losing services if the internet connection disrupts.Services available through VPN or VLAN ensure higher performance.
