Cloud computing is the perfect means to store, maintain and remotely back up business data digitally. It’s then made available over a network, usually via the internet. The number of businesses adopting cloud services is on the rise, and so too is the number of companies offering such services. It can sometimes be difficult to know which cloud computing provider to choose.

In this article, we ask: What should you consider when choosing a cloud computing provider?

Pricing – Budget requirements will need to be set against performance. Providers should be able to offer you a range of service levels and fee agreements to best suit your unique business computing and backup needs. Many clients opt for the less expensive option of capital expenditure - CAPEX - rather than being persuaded to transfer their cloud backup arrangements from CAPEX to OPEX (operating expenditure taken from the revenue).

Extras - Are licenses/uploads/downloads/maintenance and set up fees included in any quote provided to allow visibility of expenditure and fewer shocks for you as the purchaser, and are you tied to a contract for a set period? If it isn’t working for you, can you get away from this arrangement without penalty – data or financial?

Performance – A cloud back up system will save the business time by reducing the amount of data transferred daily and leading providers have been forced by competition to maximise efficiency for data compression and file scanning and have “incremental forever” facilities, which means that only the altered data from existing files and folders is sent to the cloud during back up.

Consider your future requirements as much as today’s, you need to be confident that the cloud computing will work for you as you expand and if you change your platform or applications, for instance, from Windows to Mac.

Security – You will also need to be wholly confident that staff, in house and client data is never compromised. The leading providers will be able to guarantee that encryption is in place and very often not even the provider can access the data. For maximum security, you should have sole management.

Standards - For your peace of mind, it’s strongly recommended that you only work with an ISO9001 and ISO27001 accredited company, these are external codes and are more reliable than the industry certifications.

Geographic restrictions – Some companies are restricted by law regarding where their cloud can be. For instance, does your data have to be stored within the U.K. or within Europe, or are you free from any such restrictions? You need to know where your cloud providers are based.

Storage options – Private/Public/Hybrid storage solutions are offered so evaluate your needs carefully. All cloud storage can be scaled to meet your unique operational needs.

Private clouds are protected by the company’s dedicated firewall. It’s ideal for users that need greater control over their data and customisation facilities.

Public cloud storage is offered by service providers on a multi-tenant basis and this is suitable for a business’ unstructured data.

Hybrid cloud storage is a combination of the above options with at least one private and one public cloud.

It’s sensible to make a checklist of your requirements and then compare quotes from a selection of cloud service providers that offer what you’re looking for. This will make it easier to choose the best provider for your business.

If you are looking for a reputable cloud computing provider in Worcester and the surrounding areas, contact Midland Networks today.

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