With the business landscape experiencing dynamic shifts every passing day, firms are left with little option but to dance to the tune of the market. In this guide though, we shall take a close look at what to look for in your cloud service provider as a business.
What is a cloud service provider?
Let’s get this out of the way before we get into the intricacies of choosing a cloud-based service provider.
A cloud service provider (CSP) is a firm that offers cloud computing services like infrastructure, service or platform.
Cloud Service Providers involved in infrastructure are generally concerned with servers, storage and network components of a system. As opposed to having a physical data center, cloud service providers offer virtual support.
Service providers concerned with software helps businesses streamline their services through the Human Resource Management (HRM) software, Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and productivity suites.
CSP vendors offering platform are usually associated with software development. These service providers are responsible for the provision of operating systems as well as a favorable app development environment.
What to look for in a CSP
There are several cloud service vendors in the tech market today. Before you decide to settle on one, you might want to consider just how elaborate their services are.
Cost
Well, fixing your eyes on the price tag of some of these cloud service providers may make you miss the mark. However, you can only spend whatever is within your budget. As a company, you should negotiate what is affordable and also provides value for money spent.
Data Security
The last thing you want in your business is a case of third-party accessing valuable customer data. Because businesses are built on trust, you would want to look into detail the data security policies of the cloud service provider before you sign on the dotted line.
You should agree on the level of privacy and security that you expect from the service provider. The cloud service provider should also be able to clearly outline how they deal with sensitive client data and convince you that you are getting a better deal. You could compare the different CSPs and see how different to each other they are. Read more to find out,
Critical to note also is the backup and recovery plans of the organization. As a business, you have to access where your data is stored. You have to know where the vendor is storing your backup data. This way, you get to understand what to do in case there is a breach to your business data.
Disaster Recovery
Top on the consideration of a cloud service provider is an elaborate disaster recovery plan. Without a comprehensive disaster recovery plan, you could lose all your client data, leading to less trust from customers.
In a world controlled and informed by data, losing company data could spell a death wish for your business. A great cloud service provider should be able to sufficiently address your data security, recovery, and restoration questions.
Terms of engagement
While it is important to know how a cloud-based service provider will take your business to the next level, you should ensure that the engagement allows you to exit any time you feel like moving on.
Conclusion
As an influential member of the team tasked with choosing a cloud service provider, you should involve the other members of the team. Similarly, you should keep the top management throughout the negotiation process so that the idea comes out as theirs.
With this guide, you should get by just fine by knowing what to look for when outsourcing a Cloud Service provider.
