Things to Look Out for While Choosing A Cloud Service Provider

Today, the majority of industries,  ITES, construction, healthcare, accounts, or BPO, are moving to the cloud. Businesses have realized the capabilities of cloud computing and its benefits. However, migrating the entire business process to the cloud needs thorough research and consideration.

Among all the aspects, choosing a Cloud Service Provider (CSP) is probably the most complicated part of the entire process of transition to the cloud. Cloud desktop service providers are companies that offer cloud components such as Desktop as a service (DaaS), Hosted virtual desktops, and Platform as a service (PaaS) to the client businesses by hosting cloud infrastructure for them.

Having a cloud computing provider saves you from huge data center investments and compute resources to offer a pay-as-you-go model. This model is charged as per the resources you utilize and thus makes space for other essential funds. For cloud-based desktop as a service, a cloud service provider delivers you the managed virtual desktops where users can access and work from any location. This managed model generally utilizes the hybrid cloud.

Read more: All about Hybrid Cloud Infrastructure(HCI) & Its Benefits

From performance stability to customization, one must consider various factors depending on the business needs. Therefore, it is essential that you give serious thought to choosing a cloud computing provider.

How To Choose A Cloud Service Provider?

The cloud computing market is overflowing with cloud service providers, from accomplished cloud giants to those with small budgets. While every cloud provider comes with additional benefits, it becomes difficult for users to choose the most suitable one.  

1. Infrastructure Advancements

Know if the service providers incorporate a multi-cloud approach in case you wish to shift from private to public or to hybrid cloud. Hybrid cloud is a combination cloud where you can leverage both on-premise and public clouds simultaneously. This means the users will have to leverage cutting costs and have a scalable, real-time model with remote access. One thing to note is that hybrid cloud is cost-effective as it has the benefits of both public and private cloud. Therefore, businesses don’t need to buy cloud storage and data servers.

Here are a few components that comprise infrastructure advancements.

a) Data Center Setup

Data centers should be set up at differently located sites. In normal conditions, it enables you to use services from the closest data center, which enables a least-latency network.

In case of any disturbance, such as a hurricane, the separately-located data center will enable continuity of the services. So, it is essential to understand how strong and reliable a provider’s data centers are.

b) HPC

Modern-day operations don’t allow the luxury of waiting. When you are working with multiple users,  co-workers and your clients, you don’t want to face performance issues.

That is where High-Performance Computing (HPC) servers come into need. It empowers powerful and real-time performance even with loaded applications and multiple users working simultaneously on the same server.

So, ensure that the cloud provider deploys HPC servers in the cloud architecture to give your distributed workforce optimum performance.

c) Multi-Layer Security

When it comes to security, you simply cannot afford to compromise. A reliable cloud service provider must be able to manage security at all three layers: host, network, and physical setup.

To ensure that your data is in right hands, check whether they implement advanced security features such as multi-factor authentication, Intrusion Detection and Prevention Systems (IDS & IPS), data encryption, access control system and enterprise-grade firewalls are part of the cloud service provider’s security procedures.

2. Company Experience and Profile

Opting for a cloud provider whose services align with your business strategy is crucial. Before finalizing a cloud service provider, know their industry experience and whether their cloud model and infrastructure suit your needs. Lastly, keep a record of their security protocols to ensure they are in line with your corporate data strategy. 

3. Backup

Almost every service provider offers a data backup facility. However, what matters is up to what extent or how quickly the backing up process provided by them There is no point in settling for a backup facility that is not at least backing up the data every day.

Many leading service providers, such as ACE Cloud, offer backup for 45 days. They even have the customized option to extend this duration on your request. Moreover, the security of the backup process and how to restore it when needed are questions that you should ask them.

4. Business Continuity Standards

BCDR stands for Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery. It indicates the service provider’s ability to reinstate hosting service after glitches caused by a disruptive event such as a natural disaster. The CSP should be able to identify the types of risks that can hamper the business process and define procedures to mitigate them.

Replication of data at various points and multi-level redundancy of infrastructure are some other factors that reflect the BCDR standards of a provider. This is an essential offering of any cloud hosting service provider that you should not pay additional charges for.

5. Uptime

Uptime guarantee shows the duration of service a cloud provider guarantees to deliver. Some service disruption, which could be caused due to upgrades and maintenance, is acceptable. Typically, uptime is counted in percentage on the annual durations. 

The leading cloud service providers guarantee 99.999% uptime, which implies downtime of fewer than 6 minutes in a whole year. High uptime is an essential aspect that gives you access to your business process at all times.

Also Read: How Managed Cloud Service Providers (CSPs) Help Your Business With Virtual Desktops

6. Service Level Agreement

A service Level Agreement (SLA) is a documented list of service standards, terms, and conditions. This document also defines how the hosting provider compensates for failing to serve up to well-defined standards. For custom cloud solutions, you can request the service provider to define an exclusive SLA.
Evaluate the following factors thoroughly before choosing a cloud hosting provider.

• Vendor lock-in: Know the cloud provider policy so that you can switch to another vendor in future without hassles.
• Migration Support: Go for a cloud service provider that assists you in migrating your applications and data from a previous vendor or cloud.

7. Support Team Availability

For having a reliable service, support is a necessary consideration in deciding a hosting provider. Some of the hosting providers offer limited support restricted by a few instances and working hours. However, if you expect yourself and your staff to work on weekends or holidays, then opt for a hosting provider with free 24×7 support that includes weekends and holidays. Also, check how they handle server downtime and how their support team resolves customer issues.

The support delivery medium offered is also important. How do you want them to be available – via phone call, chat, or email? 

8. Cost Factors

Eventually, everything comes down to pricing. Cost is an essential factor when a business is choosing a cloud service. Although a CSP offering service at a low cost seems tempting, it may not offer the optimum level of services.

However, it does not mean that the most expensive cloud provider is the best. While enterprises have dynamic needs, the pricing plans offered by the CSP should be flexible to incorporate all the services you need in the desired price range with no lock-in periods.

Moreover, you should check the refund policy, or free trial offers in case you do not like their services. It helps to opt-out of the services quickly without any commitment.

When you are looking for the right cloud service provider for your business, make sure that you get the following cost benefits:   

• Get discounts on annual billings
• Pay-as-you-go billing models 
• Quick Scaling
• Adjustable Bandwidth

9. Type Of cloud

A private cloud is a term used for a server that offers you dedicated resources without interruption from other users. Some businesses require a private server as their business process consists of highly confidential data.
Your hosting requirements are unique in different ways – the apps you need, the number of users you want to work with, or the resources your app requires. To achieve optimal performance with these unique needs, go with the hosting provider that can offer a private server or, in other words, choose the service provider that delivers custom cloud solutions.

10. Deployment And Migration Support

You may be working on the desktop version or looking to switch from one hosting provider to another. In any case, the help that your new cloud hosting provider offers is of critical value. Migration of data and setup of the applications on the cloud are some of the services that your hosting provider should be able to offer without any additional charge.
Without the help of a cloud provider, you may have to deploy a team of your own for migration and setup. 

Why Choose ACE As Your Cloud Service Provider? 

Many companies are still hesitant to add public cloud services to their IT infrastructure. The decision to make the switch can be difficult, but once you’ve made that decision, you shouldn’t have to worry about your data being vulnerable. Public cloud services are the most common choice for SMBs because they allow companies to scale up and down as their needs change.

Also Read: Top 5 Hosted Desktop Providers in 2022

The data center partner of the CSP should be equipped with state-of-the-art infrastructure offering you the highest level of security and hardware redundancy. The servers hosting your business process should offer HPC.

BCDR plans are vital to ensure data protection. We offer 99.99% uptime so that you are assured of our services. Our comprehensive security suite helps protect your public cloud data as well as private on-premises data and other sensitive information from cyberattacks.

Connect with our solutions consultant at 855-321-6576 and make your move to the cloud now.