With all the cloud connectivity providers vying for business, it can be quite challenging to choose the right partner. All cloud providers are not created equal. A company’s choice for a cloud provider can affect the business itself.
For example, at the beginning of 2020, Accenture reported that less than 50% of companies that rely heavily on cloud computing were satisfied with results, while only 30% of new companies with moderate cloud adoption were satisfied with results.
When searching for a cloud provider, it is important to first perform an internal audit of specific needs and requirements that your company expects. Get feedback from every department head that will soon be relying on your cloud provider choice.
Here are 4 crucial considerations your company must consider when choosing a cloud connectivity provider:
Supporting Multi-cloud and Hybrid Cloud Strategies
There are mid-size providers in the cloud market that offer the best of both worlds: robust cloud computing resources and the support you can’t get from one of the big players. If you choose such a provider, they should also support your network needs and any multi or hybrid cloud strategies that you may be considering.
Connectivity is a critical factor when it comes to performance, and placing your applications in the right cloud that has the right network supporting it can be the difference between a cloud strategy that works and one that doesn’t. Consider that redundancy, use of multiple cloud providers and connectivity into your existing data center should also be seamless and easy to architect.
Flexibility
If 2020 has taught us anything, it is that IT has to stay nimble and be able to adapt to sudden changes. A good cloud provider should offer flexible options, be able to support changing IT models and should work with you to be sure that you have everything you need to be successful.
When it comes to network connectivity, low latency and scalable bandwidth are must-haves. Many cloud providers rely on third-party networks to connect your users or locations to the cloud. The right cloud provider should be able to offer both network and cloud, providing an end-to-end quality and one hand to shake approach.
Options such as managed services and data center co-location don’t hurt either. Having managed services can reduce the burden on your staff and give time back to your company to focus on revenue-generating tasks. With co-location, companies that have legacy applications not ready for a multi-tenant cloud can move servers into the same facility and share network resources and get support from one provider for both cloud and data center.
Experience
Your choice in a cloud provider should both be able to demonstrate their experience and have the credentials to prove it. Look for things like the number of years a provider has been offering cloud services. Check into their service level agreements and customer references.
Does the cloud provider also comply to industry-best practices and standards? This is even more important if your business must be compliant with HIPAA or PCI-DSS policies and procedures.
Expertise
When choosing a cloud provider, you’ll want to meet with the team of experts that will either oversee or be there to help you with your cloud migration. Going it alone when moving to the cloud can be a daunting proposition and the right provider will have the level of support you need to make it successful.
FirstLight as Your Cloud Provider
FirstLight has been a cloud and managed IT provider for over 20 years. Our team can help design, implement and manage your cloud workloads and work with you to pick the connectivity options that make the most sense for you.
Ready to talk? Contact FirstLight today.
