8 Important Factors to Help You Choose the Right Cloud Service

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July 1, 2021 Business

When choosing your cloud storage, you can make a massive impact on your business by picking a service that makes sense for your business needs. However, most people don’t have the time to thoroughly research dozens of online storage providers and figure out which one offers the most features for your business and your budget. But what are some of the most critical factors you must consider when deciding on a cloud service for your business?

What Is Cloud Computing?

Cloud computing, commonly known as virtualization, involves using software that allows you to store, use, and access data from different locations through a network connection instead of making that data on your computer. You can use it for backing up, storing, accessing, and sharing data and information. As data and devices move from our computers and phones to the cloud, more and more of your data is stored and used to create personalized experiences.

When Selecting A Cloud Service, What Are The Main Things To Consider?

All cloud service providers have their strengths and weaknesses; all have their strengths and weaknesses, but what do you need to know before deciding which cloud service provider you should use?

1. Security

The cloud has been a massive boon for all industries worldwide. It is excellent because it makes it easy for businesses to store and access their data. However, it makes it easier for hackers to access and steal your data. Cloud security is a growing concern for IT professionals as more and more companies depend on public cloud services.

Security is of utmost importance because your entire business could shut down overnight from a hack that causes downtime. For example, Azure Cloud Services uses a secure network infrastructure that isolates and compartmentalizes different parts of their network. As a result, you’re still protected even if another part of their servers is being attacked. To mitigate the risks associated with cloud security, it is crucial that organizations create a cloud security policy clearly outlining procedures for managing cloud resources. For this policy to remain effective, it should be reviewed regularly and updated as organizational needs change.

2. Price

Each cloud provider has different pricing tiers, but they often have similar structures. These include:

Amazon AWS:

Pay-as-you-go: Pay for what you use without a high up-front cost. This is useful when starting, but it can quickly add up as you begin to scale.
Reserved: You can pay upfront in yearly increments along with an upfront cost based on estimated usage. This is a better option for those with larger organizations that need to hit the ground running.
Volume discounts: Take advantage of volume discounts as your company grows. The more you know you will use (based on previous years and your forecasts), you can buy in advance and often receive a discount.

There are also specific instances of billing that other cloud providers use.

Google Cloud Platform (GCP):

The Google Cloud Platform bills per second. Interestingly, Google offers an equally elastic and straightforward pricing model compared to AWS’s reserved instances, along with sustained-use and committed-use discounts for computing services.

Microsoft Azure:

The Azure cloud service bills customers based on an hourly rate, gigabytes, or millions of executions, as appropriate for the product. Additionally, they offer the option to reserve instances like AWS.

3. Data Storage Location

The cloud is a crucial resource in today’s world, and storing data there is a strategic imperative. Although the information is stored electronically, it is located in a physical location. You need to know where the provider will hold your company’s data with a cloud provider. You should be aware that laws in other countries may affect who can access your data and how the cloud service can control it.

For example, Alibaba is one of the world’s largest cloud computing providers, but they are virtually unused outside of China. This is not because they offer an inferior service but instead because companies are worried about how China might force them to hand over intellectual property. In addition, natural disasters such as tornadoes, earthquakes, and hurricanes may be at risk at the datastore location. In deciding which cloud vendor to go with, knowing that your data will be protected and saved in an emergency can play a crucial role.

4. Service Level Agreement

In a nutshell, a service level agreement (SLA) is a formal agreement between an organization and its customer, outlining the service level the customer can expect from the organization. It is a contract between two parties and is often associated with service-oriented architectures (SOA). Ensure to read the fine print in each service level agreement to check if anything might affect day-to-day operations.

5. Tech Support

While you may have a competent IT team in-house, they will still need to liaise with your cloud provider of choice. High-quality tech support is vital to provide support to solve any problems that might arise. It can also involve training users on how to use various new technologies. Implementing cloud technology is complex, and you will need help to set it all up adequately.

6. Architecture

Be aware of how you will incorporate your workflows into a cloud provider’s architecture and how this will affect your future decisions. Those who have a significant investment in Microsoft may be wise to consider Azure since Microsoft provides customer licenses for numerous Microsoft products. Using Amazon and Google for integration and consolidation can be the best choice if your organization relies more on those vendors.

7. Manageability

The cloud service you choose should be easy to use for your employees. It is not used to set something up only to find that your staff cannot comprehend how it works. This is just as disastrous as any downtime.

8. Scalability

Finally, you will need to keep in mind how easy it is to scale up as your company grows. If your chosen vendor has bottlenecks at a particular scale, you might have to move to another, causing many headaches. By checking what their upper limit is concerning usage, you will save yourself a lot of time.

Selecting the best cloud service provider can be difficult because you want to choose a provider that offers the features you need at an affordable price. In this way, you can grow your business to new heights by ensuring that they provide everything you need within your budget.