Solution Provider Lists Six Key Questions to Ask Before
Selecting a Cloud Partner
Farmington Hills,
MI, February 7, 2012 – When it comes to the cloud,
selecting the right cloud provider can be challenging at best and
nightmarish at worst. The cloud includes a variety of ways to
deliver technology services, from standalone software applications
like hosted email or databases to very new and exciting uses that
include disaster recovery as a service (DRaaS), storage as a
service, or platform as a service (PaaS) applications. While there
are obvious advantages to entering into a cloud partnership –
including decreased IT costs, increased flexibility and a reduced
focus on IT maintenance issues – selecting the right cloud provider
is a critical first step in realizing those benefits in a way that
creates a synergistic, long-term and fulfilling relationship.
That’s why Logicalis, an international solution provider (http://www.us.logicalis.com/),
has put together a list of the top questions IT pros should ask
when they’re considering a cloud partner for the long haul.
“For a CIO or IT manager, choosing a cloud
provider can feel like choosing a spouse,” says Tom Roberts,
solution architect for Logicalis. “Joking aside, the
relationship between the client organization and the cloud provider
they choose is a deep and meaningful one. The client trusts
the cloud provider with what oftentimes amounts to mission-critical
data and information and relies on that provider to keep that
information secure and available in sometimes heavily regulated
environments. Therefore, choosing the right provider is a
serious decision that has to be made with the utmost care and
concern.”
Six Important Questions to Ask Before
Selecting a Cloud Provider
- Uptime? Is the cloud infrastructure backed by
at least a 99.9 percent up-time SLA, and is there financial
compensation for not meeting it?
- Processes? Is there a defined change control
process for scheduled maintenance, upgrades and security
patches?
- Charges? Are there additional charges for
services like backup, OS License, security patch deployment and
system management/monitoring?
- Security? What type of security and monitoring
practices are in place at the data center (i.e., firewalls, IDS,
vulnerability scanning, etc.)?
- Scalability? Does the cloud provider allow for
easy scalability and addition of resources, including CPU, memory,
storage and bandwidth?
- DR? What kind of disaster recovery services
does the provider offer?
To learn more about cloud computing, visit
Logicalis’ dedicated cloud Web site here.
Get comfortable with the cloud; read
Logicalis’ feature article “Cloud
Computing 2.0.”
About Logicalis
Logicalis is an international IT solutions and
managed services provider with a breadth of knowledge and expertise
in communications and collaboration; data center and cloud
services; and managed services.
Logicalis Group employs over 2,500 people
worldwide, including highly trained service specialists who design,
specify, deploy and manage complex ICT infrastructures to meet the
needs of over 6,000 corporate and public sector customers. To
achieve this, Logicalis maintains strong partnerships with
technology leaders such as Cisco, HP, IBM and Microsoft.
The Logicalis Group has annualized revenues of
over $1 billion, from operations in the UK, US, Germany, South
America and Asia Pacific, and is fast establishing itself as one of
the leading IT and Communications solution integrators,
specializing in the areas of advanced technologies and
services.
The Logicalis Group is a division of Datatec
Limited, listed on the Johannesburg and London AIM Stock Exchanges,
with revenues of approximately $5 billion.
For more information, visit http://www.us.logicalis.com/