Cloud computing is evolving rapidly with new options and providers and services appearing on the scene daily. Many are also disappearing. VARs and MSPs choosing to leverage a cloud provider to deliver a service to your customer, you need a consistent process and criteria to select the right cloud provider and evaluate them going forward.
Here are a few things to consider as you create your selection criteria:
Reputation: Look into the provider’s history, who are their customers? What problems have they had in the past and most importantly, how do they react when they have a problem? Do they list a number of testimonials on their site? If so, perhaps you can actually interview one of those clients without a formal introduction from the provider.
Longevity: The industry is experiencing a major consolidation. OpSource, NaviSite and TerraMark were all recently acquired. Additionally, business models are rapidly changing. None of this is necessarily a bad thing and could even be a good thing for you and your customers. The point to understand is, if you build a service around this provider and sell that service to your customers will this provider’s service be available to you on an on going basis. Be sure the provider has the staying power and the contract terms ensure you will have access to the service you need even if their business model changes.
Security: Your customers will always have questions about security. Be sure you understand the security policies and practices of the perspective service providers and make sure they meet any special requirements your customers may need. In general, the provider should be a member of the Cloud Security Alliance, be SAS70 Level II audited and ISO 27000 certified. Beyond that, look for specific certifications to meet the specialized needs of your customers.
Flexibility: Flexibility comes in two parts: technical/operational and contractual. On the technical side, does the provider’s environment provide you with sufficient flexibility to create and support the services you want to sell. Are they making use of the tool sets that your team understands and do they integrate with your internal systems? Contractually, you need to be sure you can consume the service as you need it and scale up and scale down as needed without financial penalties.
Pricing: Be sure to understand their pricing model and how it will effect your ability to offer a competitive service to your customers. It is also important how the perspective vendor changes the price. Consider how often and with what notice. Realize that if they can change your cost with little or no notice, you may not be able to do the same to your customers.
Data Recovery: Be sure to understand the vendor’s disaster recovery and business continuity plan. Ask how long your customers will be without their service if they vendor suffers a major disaster.
Data Export: Understand how you can export any of your customers’ data and move it to another vendor in case you decide to switch vendors or if the vendor goes out of business. Be sure to ask how long it will take to export your data and the format in which it will be provided. Understand any costs related to the data export.
Failover: Well designed cloud platforms have built-in failover. Question a perspective cloud vendor about how their system works and ask to see a demo. Be sure to understand how the provider deals with local and wide-area failures and make sure their capabilities meet the needs of your customers.
Green Tech: Everyone in interested to know how their business impacts the environment. You should know that just because your perspective vendor is a cloud provider does not mean they are green. Ask the vendor if they are a member of The Green Grid. Find out about their energy planning process and find out if they participate in a carbon offset program. This is all good to understand so you can answer questions from your customers and use the information in your marketing.
Test it: Create a test with some internal resources. See how the service works. Was the implementation as easy as advertised? Test the vendor’s support and service organizations. Once you are satisfied with the results, then begin moving customers onto the new service. Proceed slowly, moving a small number of customers and ensuring everything is working before moving more. This will give your new vendor an opportunity to learn how to best work with you and for your team to learn how to best work with the new vendor.
Hopefully these tips will help you develop a successful relationship with a new cloud vendor and avoid potential problem vendors.
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