Recognising the full potential of Cloud Computing and delivering the maximum return to the business is largely down to the appointment of an appropriate partner. When reviewing potential providers it is important to consider the following:
Ease of Use
In order to obtain complete buy in from your end-users and customers the interface and method of access needs to be as simple as possible to get maximum adoption and return.
Proven Track Record
One of the most fundamental aspects of selecting a cloud service provider is their track record. After all, you don’t want to be a guinea pig when the stability and security of your critical systems and data are at stake. Research the provider, speak to their customers and look at the investment they’ve made in their infrastructure as a guide to how committed they are.
Failover
Most businesses recognise that physical hardware, single lines and the office itself represents a single point of failure. Outsourcing to a partner that doesn’t have a completely fault tolerant infrastructure will not add any value to the business. Request to see their data centres, ask about redundant connections and ask what their DR plan is.
Market Understanding
If the provider has experience in your industry sector chances are they will appreciate the issues you face, the challenges that lie ahead and what will benefit your business.
To conclude, you cannot deny the impact that Cloud Computing has already had on the IT industry and the scope it has to completely revolutionise how we do business going forward. In today’s economic climate especially, the benefits of Cloud Computing are available to businesses of every size and in every sector but to what extent is dependent on the careful appointment of the correct partner. One thing that is for certain though is that Cloud Computing has established itself as the catalyst for change and is here to stay.
