5 Steps to properly select a cloud service provider

The independent Certified Partner APM Group of the Cloud Computing Industry Summit Forum provides end users with five steps to choose cloud vendors to follow, and these five steps can help organizations avoid some of the most common problems.

"Just because the cloud provider did not get the CIF certification," said Richard Pharro, chief executive of APM Group, http://www.aliyun.com/zixun/aggregation/32086.html > Does not mean that companies should exclude them, and indeed there are many very reputable suppliers who do not pass our certification process. But the opacity of some cloud service providers and their SLAs makes it hard to understand what services they provide, so companies need to ask potential cloud service providers more specific questions to get the information they need to make informed choices. ”

"The latest CIF study shows that there is still a lot of inexperience in this relatively new IT delivery model," says Pharro. "Over the next 12 months, about One-fourth of non-cloud users want to use cloud services, while 76% of users plan to increase their current use." The lack of end-user experience in cloud computing, coupled with concerns about security and migration processes, means that end users must acquire enough knowledge to elect a trusted, reliable, and responsible cloud provider. ”

End users should carefully consider the following five steps before migrating to cloud computing:

1. Make sure you know who you're dealing with.

An enterprise website is not a legal entity, so you cannot give you any specific instructions as to who you are dealing with. Make sure you find the name and location of the registered business, the legal situation, the main shareholder and the board of Directors information. Be cautious about suppliers that do not provide their actual addresses and telephones. It is also important to identify the availability of suppliers ' supply chains and whether they provide services directly or through third parties.

2. Service level agreements and contracts

Cloud computing is a service, so you need to get a clear and enforceable service level agreement and contract to ensure that your suppliers deliver the services they promise. This should include pricing policy, payment terms, contract duration and termination conditions (both sides). More importantly, service level agreements need to be clear about how your suppliers will take responsibility and how they will solve problems when problems arise. In addition, the enterprise should be clear about the problems caused by the enterprise losses, suppliers should pay the amount of punishment.

3. Experience in migration and integration is critical

How will vendors provide support as you migrate it to cloud computing, and how will they integrate cloud services with existing systems that you may still be using? Dig into this information and figure out what level of responsibility potential vendors will accept during the migration process and throughout the contract. And when you want to check your existing settings, how will they fit in?

4. Do you have the right to audit?

You should not believe what the supplier says. They should provide you with audit capabilities, including auditing of everything from data security to license compliance.

5. Exit strategy

As with any service contract, the moment you select the supplier, you also enter the countdown to the replacement supplier. Over the years, vendor lock-in has been in the technology industry, as is the case with cloud computing. Make sure that you specify the responsibility for data processing and relocation to the new shipping provider in the contract with the supplier. (邹铮 Compilation)

(Responsible editor: The good of the Legacy)