...there is only someone else’s computer. With all the momentum (some might say “hype”) in “cloud computing” these days, that’s an important fact worth considering, before moving some or all of your business’ IT “to the cloud”. There is no cloud, there is only someone else’s computer.
With that in mind, one of the first issues in considering the “cloud” is “whose computer is it?” After all, if you move to the cloud, that is where your data and programs are going. If it’s a very well-known and stable entity, like Microsoft, Google or Amazon, “whose computer is it?” probably isn’t that great a concern. But those companies don’t do everything, and don’t always do everything well.
And there’s a whole tier of lesser known “cloud providers” out there successfully carving out niches in an increasingly confusing and crowded marketplace. But would you move your business to “Jim’s Cloud”? Seriously, we did come across a cloud services provider with a very similar name (a common guy’s name with “Cloud” after it, that we won’t share here). They looked “real enough,” but it’s not very confidence inspiring, is it?
That said there are several excellent, stable cloud providers we’ve worked with for years that offer superior function, some features not available with the really big boys, and at a good value, compared to their better-known competitors.
So, how do you choose a cloud provider? First, you should be clear on what benefits you hope to get from a cloud move. Some of those might be avoiding capital expense of regular server purchases, a more predictable IT spend, better up-time, faster performance, meeting regulatory and compliance requirements that can’t be met at your premises, and/or better remote access for a mobile or off-site workforce, to name just a few.
THEN, if a cloud solution seems like it would make sense for any of those reasons, it’s time to choose a provider or providers. And if you’re concerned about the “cloud,” when and how it might be right for your business, and how to choose the correct “someone else’s computer,” we can help.
