Cloud Providers are about a dime a dozen these days, but when you want to bring in a cloud provider, the problem isn’t finding a firm who can give you the capacity you need – there are about 1,000 of them a Google search away.
What you really need to do is find one that actually adds value and not just another server.
Migration Plan & Guidance
It is important to make sure you select a provider that can truly provide you a migration plan and guidance for how to benefit from economies of scale that the cloud offers. Those looking at cloud providers, both public and private, need to understand complex issues to consider such as integration and security. While it would be nice if there was an approach that fits all, the reality is that every business offers different challenges. Customer’s selecting the correct service provider that meets the customer’s business needs and helps them navigate through this amazing technology will benefit from substantial cost savings.
The key to using cloud services is to do it without much effort. Cloud services needs to be rapidly provisioned with very little management effort. This means a customer can use more or fewer servers, applications, etc. or even configure the ones it uses to meet their customer requirements. A strong provider will perform a full cloud assessment which includes; financial, security, technical, and tools that can be reused. This helps create a strong plan and will identify the gaps between the customer’s legacy architecture compared to the new cloud environment.
Secure Cloud
You have to be comfortable with your cloud providers’ security. Security is a major consideration for all customers when storing critical information. A cloud company should show that it takes security seriously. Dedicated firewall, SSL certificates, DDoS mitigations, threat and log management are a few of the protection measures a provider needs to clearly explain to their customer that it uses to secure information they have entrusted with them (including a host of other key considerations).
In the end, don’t assume every cloud provider is the same – they’re not. You should get actual value from your cloud provider. If you just want someone to store your files and sit there, buy another server yourself or explore other options that work for you.
Look for a cloud provider that allows your company to use the architectures and tools you’re already using. Why? Because nothing gets your project beheaded quicker than telling an executive they’ll have to learn something new. And let’s be serious, you don’t want to teach them how to set up another dashboard, do you? If everyone’s all nice and comfy using VMware’s vCloud Director to manage their servers, don’t make them learn something new. Look for ways to simplify the process to execute services to quickly enhance the customer experience.
CloudSmartz delivers the promise to help businesses work smarter by providing flexible, cost-effective access to the cloud to help companies manage their infrastructure. The primary incentive for companies to move to the cloud is economic however there are other benefits that cloud offers such as consistency and agility.
- Consistency – CloudSmartz implements consistent and strict repeatable change management procedures that adhere to the demanding SOX and HIPAA mandates. CloudSmartz provides HIPAA Compliant Hosting for customers in the healthcare and or anyone who must comply with the HIPAA and HITECH Act security standards surrounding the storage of Protected Health Information (PHI).
- Agility – CloudSmartz will get your business to the market faster and help you win those new customers. Our team of professionals will work very closely with you to guide you through migration and the easy process of turning up new applications. No more waiting to purchase, install and provision equipment and software.
Contact us for more information or cloud migration questions.