Cloud computing has been at the forefront of technology for quite some time now. It has made every preceding technology look a minnow and will continue to do so because it is being the integral part of every innovation that is being made these days.
More importantly it is repaying the faith companies are putting in the cloud. This may come as a surprise for you but currently cloud industry is worth $150 billion, which is mind-boggling, considering that it was an unheard term in 2009.
Every company nowadays faces a daunting task of deciding whether to go to cloud or not. The question remains whether cloud will be good enough for my company or not? Well this is not just the only question that one should ask when moving to the cloud.
Here are 5 other questions an entrepreneur should ask before switching.
Is your cloud secure?
- Security has been cloud’s Achilles heel ever since its inception. Despite providers claiming that full proof measures have been taken to secure the cloud, cases of data breach have been regularly reported.
- Also keep in mind that the provider is taking strategic as well as tactical steps to make sure that your data is at maximum safety.
- The data encryption should be in place and enough firewalls should be installed in the servers.
- One other thing to consider is how much secure is the data center, physically. It might happen someone forcefully enters the premises and take away the servers.
Where The Servers Are Located?
- The location of the servers where your data is going to be stored is of critical importance. Some countries do not allow other country’s critical data to be stored in their country. Moreover the European Union prohibits the storage of the European data to be done outside Europe. Make sure the data centers are not in such areas as this will create complications in due course of time despite the providers’ words suggesting otherwise.
- Some countries are notoriously known for misusing the data from other countries to get the inside knowledge. Placing your data in such places can compromise not only your position but your community as a whole.
If I Am Not Satisfied With The Service, Will I Be Able To Change The Provider?
- This is a scenario most of the users face. Once they get into the trap of the provider and are not able to escape it.
- The poor performance of servers, denial of service or poor customer support is some of the reasons that might force you to change allegiance.
- In such scenarios the company would like to change the host, so make sure that you are liable to do that at any point of time without any compensation or prior notice. If not you should not get your services from such a provider.
- And if yes what conditions are there for contract termination.
- Not being able to change the provider can affect your business in serious ways. Your clients will go away regularly and your employees would get dissatisfied. Moreover the IT team would feel hard done as the technology replacing them would not be half as good as they were.
Who Else Will Have Access To My Data?
- The right to access the data is an important issue in cloud environment as there would be people other than yours who will view your critical data.
- Make sure that these people are few and are reliable aides of the provider. In a private cloud no one should be able to view your data.
- Plus are there any encryptions put in place so that no unauthorized personnel is able to get hold of the information, cause if this happens the integrity and profits of your company can be hugely affected. No one wants to share their personal belongings and the borrowed belongings are completely off the limits.
If Any Security Breach Or A Case Of Denial Of Service Happens, What Kind Of Compensations Will Be Offered?
- No technology invented till date, is in fallible. And it might happen that even after taking every necessary step necessary, the breach might occur.
- In such a case who would be held responsible. And how the company would be compensated?
- Make sure that the compensation is direct money transaction and no compromise is done on this front.
- If compensation is not monetary, it should come as a commodity useful for the organization like free services for a stipulated time or so.
Conclusion
The cloud hosting technology has proved to be a boon that even the novices are able to take advantage of. It can be undoubtedly said that in future this technology is going to play a huge role in the success and demise of companies. Asking these questions not only will make you a stress free user but will also ensure that your clients will remain satisfied and will keep using your services.
