IT Experts Weigh in on the Four Steps to Choosing a Cloud Services Vendor

IT Experts Weigh in on the Four Steps to Choosing a Cloud Services Vendor

IT Experts Weigh in on the Four Steps to Choosing a Cloud Services VendorWith so much attention paid to cloud services, you might be surprised to know that only 5 percent of the senior IT professionals we recently polled currently use cloud services for storage, and nearly half have no plans to migrate this year.

With so many practitioners still uncertain and weighing their cloud services options, our team at Wisegate got a roundtable together with senior IT practitioners in medium and large companies who have been through the selection process. Whether your organization is planning a full-scale migration or just moving in that direction with small amounts of data, here are four steps that your peers say should be taken to streamline the process of choosing a vendor.

Step 1: Determine clearly stated objectives for your organization.

There are an overwhelming amount of options when looking for cloud service providers. Having a well-scoped plan in place before you start your search will make it much more efficient. Part of this plan must include clearly-stated objectives outlining what purpose(s) your organization wants to use the cloud. Do you want to use the cloud for storage, development, disaster recovery, backup or testing? Some vendors are stronger than others in these areas and the cloud should not be used as a Band-Aid solution.  Your best bet may end up being a combination of several vendors; however, having your objectives clearly stated will ensure that you find the right cloud vendor.

Step 2: Cast a wide net, and include contractors in your search.

Don’t feel that you have to limit yourself to any certain vendor. Seeking multiple bids is vital to the search process. You may find it helpful to break up your RFPs by objective and seek bids from a wider pool of experts.

While Amazon Web Services is on everyone’s tongues of late, it is not the only option to consider. In addition to Amazon, Wisegate members identified Microsoft, Google and Rackspace as private cloud vendors with whom they are considering contracting. If you run a Microsoft-centric environment, for example, our experts advise you to consider Azure over AWS as a solution.

Once you’ve chosen your vendor, you’ll also want to identify a contractor to operate through. Our members recommend value-added resellers, like Smartronix and DLT Solutions, as valuable tools. Most vendors are generally hands-off when it comes to customer support and having a contractor can make a world of difference. While this may add an extra step to the cloud transition, it may well protect you later on down the line when your organization is actually using the vendor.

Step 3: Plan, plan, plan.

If we’ve found one thing from surveying our members about cloud computing and beyond, it’s that planning is key. Once you’ve chosen your vendor, be prepared to pump the breaks on migration while you re-architect applications. Forklifting large amounts of data into the cloud will only create more work and potential problems for you later. Realistically, you should budget at least a year for migration, and all applications need to be cloud ready before the move. Sensitive data should always be moved last in order to avoid potential security breaches doing major damage.

As any security expert knows, it all comes down to good planning. The cloud is no exception to this rule, and a good plan will help protect your organization.

Step 4: Run your own audits.

The services that are most commonly chosen have their own internal auditing systems. For example, AWS auditing is done through Cloud Trail that records API activity and provides customers log files, including the source IP address of the API caller, the request parameters and the response elements returned by Amazon. Many customers are satisfied with these results; however, the jury is still out on whether they are truly reliable.

Once your organization migrates their most sensitive data, you should be sure to run your own audits on a regular basis using your own PaaS tools. This reiterates the importance of putting sensitive data on the cloud last. Once you know your service is secure, you’ll feel better about moving your most sensitive data onto the cloud, and you’ll feel a greater sense of control over the security of your organization’s data.

Cloud computing should not be discounted as a possibility in your organization. It can be a valuable solution and doesn’t need to be a headache for you, nor does it have to jeopardize your information’s security. With careful planning and a hands-on approach to the search and migration processes, moving to the cloud is not an impossible task. One of the best ways to avoid the pitfalls and learn the real practices that work is to talk to peers who have been through what you are now going through. Our research shows that peers are the #1 most trusted source of information – so start there.

About the Author

Sara Gates is the CEO of Wisegate.

Featured

  • Allegion, Comfort Technologies Implement Mobile Credentials at the Artisan Apartment Homes in Florida

    Artisan Apartment Homes, a luxury apartment complex in Dunedin, Florida, recently transitioned from mechanical keys to electronic locks and centralized system software with support from Allegion US, a leading provider of security solutions, technology and services, and Florida-based Comfort Technologies, which specializes in deploying multifamily access control, IoT devices and software management solutions. Read Now

  • Mall of America Deploys AI-Powered Analytics to Enhance Parking Intelligence

    Mall of America®, the largest shopping and entertainment complex in North America, announced an expansion of its ongoing partnership with Axis Communications to deploy cutting-edge car-counting video analytics across more than a dozen locations. With this expansion, Mall of America (MOA) has boosted operational efficiency, improved safety and security, and enabled more informed decision-making around employee scheduling and streamlining transportation for large events. Read Now

  • Security Industry Association Launches New “askSIA” AI Tool

    The Security Industry Association (SIA) has unveiled a brand-new SIA member benefit – askSIA, a conversational AI agent designed to help users get the most out of their SIA membership, easily access SIA resources and find the latest information on SIA’s training and courses, reports and publications, events, certification offerings and more. SIA members can easily find askSIA by visiting the SIA homepage or looking for the askSIA icon in the top left of webpages. Read Now

    • Industry Events
  • Industry Embraces Mobile Access, Biometrics and AI

    A combination of evolving workplace dynamics, technology innovation and new user expectations is changing how people enter and interact with physical spaces. Access control is at the heart of these changes. Combined with biometrics and AI, mobile access control has become increasingly crucial for deploying entry solutions that are seamless, secure and adaptive to user needs. Read Now

  • Sustainable Video Solution Delivered for Landmark City of London Office Development

    An advanced, end-to-end video solution from IDIS, with a focus on reducing waste and costs, has helped a major office development in the City of London align its security with sustainability objectives. Read Now

New Products

  • Camden CV-7600 High Security Card Readers

    Camden CV-7600 High Security Card Readers

    Camden Door Controls has relaunched its CV-7600 card readers in response to growing market demand for a more secure alternative to standard proximity credentials that can be easily cloned. CV-7600 readers support MIFARE DESFire EV1 & EV2 encryption technology credentials, making them virtually clone-proof and highly secure.

  • 4K Video Decoder

    3xLOGIC’s VH-DECODER-4K is perfect for use in organizations of all sizes in diverse vertical sectors such as retail, leisure and hospitality, education and commercial premises.

  • Camden CM-221 Series Switches

    Camden CM-221 Series Switches

    Camden Door Controls is pleased to announce that, in response to soaring customer demand, it has expanded its range of ValueWave™ no-touch switches to include a narrow (slimline) version with manual override. This override button is designed to provide additional assurance that the request to exit switch will open a door, even if the no-touch sensor fails to operate. This new slimline switch also features a heavy gauge stainless steel faceplate, a red/green illuminated light ring, and is IP65 rated, making it ideal for indoor or outdoor use as part of an automatic door or access control system. ValueWave™ no-touch switches are designed for easy installation and trouble-free service in high traffic applications. In addition to this narrow version, the CM-221 & CM-222 Series switches are available in a range of other models with single and double gang heavy-gauge stainless steel faceplates and include illuminated light rings.