Week 7 - What to look for in a Cloud provider

When looking at a Cloud provider, you will want to consider several things.

• You will want to know your business objectives for moving to the Cloud and communicate it to the vendor. The vendor will need to understand your objectives. They will need to take the time to listen to what you are wanting to accomplish and not just push their agenda.

• You will want to know the location of the Cloud provider’s data centers. This will take into consideration network bandwidth for your users. Also, if you are a global company, there will be regulations on where data can be hosted.

• You will want to know their security policies. The Cloud Security Alliance setup the Security Trust and Assurance Registry certification program. The Cloud providers go through a third-party assessment of the security of their facilities. If they “pass”, they will be listed in the CSA STAR registry. You will want to make sure that the vendor is in there.

• Look for a provider with success in the field. Do they have experience with companies your same size? Have they setup a similar type of cloud for another client? Do they have references that you can talk to?

• Other things to consider: Can you understand their Service Level Agreement? Do they have written processes and procedures? Are they willing to help with a pilot test?

https://cloudsecurityalliance.org/

http://searchcloudcomputing.techtarget.com/feature/Top-considerations-for-choosing-a-cloud-provider

http://searchcloudcomputing.techtarget.com/tip/What-makes-a-good-cloud-provider