Moving to the cloud is a big decision for any business. With so many providers out there, it can feel overwhelming to choose the right one. This guide breaks down the key factors to consider when adopting cloud solutions to help make the process easier.
Know Your Needs
Before diving into provider research, take a step back and get clear on your business needs and goals for cloud migration. Are you looking to cut costs? Increase flexibility and scalability? Boost security and compliance? Different providers excel in different areas.
Make a list of must-have features and nice-to-haves. For example, if you handle sensitive data, encrypted data storage is likely non-negotiable. But unlimited data transfers may just be a nice perk. Prioritize what matters most.
Keep in mind any industry-specific requirements, such as HIPAA compliance, for healthcare organizations. This will narrow down compatible providers from the get-go.
Providers that offer email archive migration are an ideal match for healthcare organizations because they securely transfer historical communications, ensure HIPAA compliance, and protect sensitive patient information.
What Exactly Are You Moving to The Cloud?
Not all cloud needs are the same. Carefully consider what parts of your IT infrastructure you want to migrate. Is it:
- Your whole data center?
- Just certain applications or workloads?
- Data storage and backup solutions?
The cloud technologies you need will depend greatly on the specifics of your cloud adoption goals. An experienced provider, such as Resultant’s IT Services in Dallas, can assess your architecture and make recommendations.
Evaluating Cloud Service Models
There are three main models of cloud services: Software as a Service (SaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS). Understand the differences to pick the right fit.
SaaS
With Software as a Service, you simply rent the use of pre-built cloud applications from the provider. Popular examples are Microsoft Office 365, Salesforce, and Google Workspace. SaaS is plug-and-play, requiring little technical management.
PaaS
Platform as a Service supplies the underlying infrastructure and tools to build, test, and deploy your own custom applications in the cloud. PaaS handles the back end so developers can focus on coding.
IaaS
Infrastructure as a Service offers virtual computing resources like storage, networking, and servers on a pay-as-you-go model. IaaS is the most flexible but also requires the most technical management from your team.
Many providers bundle all three models. But others specialize in just one or two. Map out exactly which combination matches your organization’s needs.
Public vs. Private vs. Hybrid Cloud
According to Micro~Tech, another key decision is what type of cloud deployment suits you best:
Public Cloud
These are cloud services offered over the public internet by third-party providers like Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud. Public cloud services are highly scalable and affordable since resources are shared across many users. The downside is less control over security and management.
Private Cloud
A private cloud refers to dedicated resources, either on-premises or hosted privately, used solely by a single organization. While less scalable, private clouds offer more control and data privacy. They tend to be more expensive to set up and maintain alone.
Hybrid Cloud
A hybrid approach combines both private and public cloud resources depending on each workload’s requirements. For example, sensitive data can be kept in a private cloud while using public data for less critical tasks. Hybrid is flexible but also more complex to manage and secure.
Most businesses integrate some blend of public and private resources. However, lean towards the deployment model that balances security, scalability, and cost priorities.
Pricing Models and Hidden Costs
On the surface, it may seem like providers with the lowest sticker price are the cheapest choice. But dig deeper – there can be plenty of hidden cloud costs and fees to catch you by surprise.
Some critical cost factors to examine:
- Usage-based vs fixed pricing: How are you billed for the services you use? Per hour, month, gigabyte, etc. Forecast usage patterns.
- Data transfer fees: Cloud service providers charge to move data in/out of their cloud. High-traffic apps can get expensive.
- Storage fees: Look at rates for data storage tiers, backups, archiving, etc.
- Professional services: Will you need to hire experts from the cloud service provider for setup, cloud adoption, ongoing monitoring, etc.?
- Cancellation/early termination fees: Understand any penalties for changing providers before contracts end.
- Future price hikes: Have rates increased significantly in the past? Expect incremental rises over time.
Also, consider any potential cost savings, such as reduced staffing needs, data center costs, energy bills, maintenance, etc. Crunch all the numbers to accurately compare the total costs of ownership.
Reliability, Performance, and Uptime
Downtime is hugely disruptive and damaging for any business. So, a provider’s reputation for reliability and high-performance uptime is critical – especially for mission-critical applications and workloads.
Research each contender’s historical uptime stats and performance metrics like response times. But look beyond just the marketing hype.
Are their Service Level Agreements backed by strong financial guarantees and refund policies if targets aren’t met?
Pay attention to details like:
- Their global data center footprint and ability to intelligently route traffic
- Redundancy and disaster recovery capabilities
- Scheduled maintenance windows
- Support response times and troubleshooting processes
You’ll also want to examine connectivity and bandwidth options in the regions most important for your business. Things like physical proximity to customers/users and high-speed, redundant internet paths impact performance.
Security First
Data breaches, cyberattacks, and regulatory penalties are a nightmare for any company. Don’t cut corners when it comes to assessing security posture.
Ask very detailed questions about physical data center security controls like biometrics and surveillance. As well as processes like background checks for personnel.
Zero in on certifications and compliance standards relevant to your industry. HIPAA, PCI DSS, SOC 2, ISO 27001, and FedRAMP are common ones.
Look under the hood at technical safeguards, too:
- Encryption capabilities for data in transit and at rest
- Secure access controls and identity management
- Network security monitoring and breach detection
- Patch management processes
- Independent third-party audits and testing
Data privacy regulations vary around the world. If you operate internationally, understand each vendor’s data handling practices and any limitations on storage locations.
The provider’s own security track record is telling as well. Any major incidents or breaches in the past? What preventative measures were taken afterward? Responsible vendors will be transparent about their history.
Customer Support Considerations
Sometimes, even the best-laid plans hit a snag. When the cloud goes down or an application breaks – you’ll want a provider who can get you back up and running fast.
Support resources available can make or break that experience. Some factors to weigh:
- Global 24/7 support availability across channels like phone, chat, and tickets
- Fast response times with clear escalation paths for severe issues
- Quality of support staff, their training and certifications
- Self-service resources – online knowledge bases, forums, documentation, etc.
- Active user communities to tap for crowd-sourced expertise
Read reviews and case studies from other customers, too. Peak behind the curtain at the typical support experience. Issues should be resolved collaboratively with clear accountability.
Final Thoughts
Staying ahead of the evolving global data privacy and protection landscape is critical. Evaluating local support, data residency safeguards and compliance certifications early on will avoid major headaches.
Mika Stenz
Mika Stenz is a seasoned technology writer specializing in cloud computing and digital transformations. With over a decade of experience, Jane has contributed to various major tech publications and platforms, offering insights into the evolving cloud landscape. Her expertise is particularly focused on helping businesses make informed decisions about cloud services to optimize their operational efficiencies and data security. Jane holds a degree in Computer Science and is certified in cloud architecture and security standards. Her work emphasizes the practical implications of technology adoption and aims to bridge the gap between complex tech solutions and business needs.
