Moving to the cloud is an inevitability that organisations must understand and be ready to implement if they want to streamline processes and take advantage of the other benefits, however, the reality is that selecting a cloud hosting service provider is no easy feat.
If you’re in the market for a new cloud hosting service provider be sure to ask them the questions in this post.
Which cloud services do you offer?
Knowing what your business needs are will determine the service you need. From basic data storage services to accounting, customer relationship management and everything in between knowing what cloud services your potential vendors offer can help you make your decision.
What is your pricing structure?
The main benefit of moving to the cloud for many is cost effectiveness. Find out what the upfront costs are and how their pricing structure works. Ideally you should be paying for services as you use them.
How secure is your cloud?
Security is a primary concern when it comes to moving to the cloud so find out what security measures your potential vendors have in place look out for firewalls, data encryption and anti-virus detection. In addition, you should find out where their data centres are located and what security measures they have in place on site.
What customer support services do you offer?
The cloud computing journey is an ongoing one so you need a cloud hosting service provider that can offer you customer support. Technical support should be available to you online or by phone 24 hours a day, every day, including holidays. You should find out about average response and resolution times and whether you’ll be talking to a knowledgeable engineer or customer service rep.
Can your cloud scale up to my needs?
As your business grows so will your cloud storage and computing needs. Can your service provider scale up or down as needed? You need a flexible partnership that allows you to add additional services and users without any hassle. You should also consider the costs that come with this flexibility.
What’s your downtime history?
Downtime is something you should always consider especially since it can be so costly for your business. Make sure you get a downtime history log, ideally you want a service provider that has little to no downtime issues.
