Source: Freepik
Companies keep adopting cloud technologies at an astonishing pace. Statistics say that 94% of companies already use cloud technologies.
The cloud infrastructure can benefit your startup in multiple ways, from reducing your operating costs to running your infrastructure more efficiently. Instead of building data centres on-premises, your computing services (software, intelligence, servers, databases) will be handled over the internet. Migrating to the cloud is also flexible – you are paying for what you are using and you can scale as your business’ demands change.
Still, with so many cloud service providers out there, how to know which one to choose for your startup? Here are a few simple criteria to consider.
The Types of the Cloud
Once you start learning more about cloud infrastructures, you will notice that there are many different classifications of cloud services. For starters, you need to understand what each of them means.
Private vs. Public vs. Hybrid
First, cloud technologies can be broken up into private, public, and hybrid, based their deployment.
- A private cloud is used by your company solely. You can either keep it in-house or outsource it to the third-party cloud provider.
- Public cloud solutions are delivered over the internet and all cloud resources are owned and controlled by a third-party provider.
- Hybrid clouds combine the features of public and private clouds.
IaaS vs. SaaS vs. PaaS
Based on the technology model of the cloud, cloud services can be divided into Infrastructure as a Service, Platform as a Service, and Software as a Service.
IaaS lets you keep complete control of your applications and data and yet, you are paying only for what you are using. Those services are often provided by private cloud providers like Amazon Web Services, Google Compute Engine, or Microsoft Azure. Their major benefit is flexibility, as they let you scale the cloud infrastructure up and down, based on your current needs.
PaaS is often used by developers, as it provides them with the servers, software development tools, and databases they need to create, test, and implement applications.
SaaS is perfect for companies of all shapes and sizes. When investing in SaaS, a vendor is responsible for managing and maintaining both hardware and software components, letting you save money on IT teams and grow your company faster.
The Implementation of the Cloud
Each of the abovementioned cloud models has certain advantages and disadvantages. This is why you should consider different options and choose the one that works for your startup.
When choosing a public cloud provider, invest in an option that will be easily integrated with your existing workflows. For instance, if your startup already uses Microsoft, then why not proceed with Azure cloud enablement? If you, on the other hand, rely more on Amazon or Google’s services, then investing in their cloud services will be a logical move to make.
Security
Data security remains one of the major concerns for businesses adopting cloud technologies. According to the 2019 Cloud Security Report, 28% of companies experienced a cloud security incident in 2019. The most common type of cloud security issues businesses face is data exposure, followed by malware infections and compromised accounts. If you are wondering what malware is, it is malicious software that causes disruption and damage as it gains unauthorized access to your computer system.
Given that, it is not surprising at all that businesses still have many online security concerns when investing in the cloud. As per the Cloud Security Report, some of them are:
- Data loss and leakage
- Data privacy
- Legal and regulatory compliance
- Accidental exposure of credentials
- Data control
- Incident response
Before investing in the cloud infrastructure, you should know what your major security goals and threats are. Then, analyse each provider and pay attention to the criteria, such as security policies, security infrastructures, data backup and retention, and physical security.
You need to understand what security features a cloud provider offers for free and what additional services you can invest in to strengthen data security. Big cloud service providers like Google, Azure, or AWS list their security features, integrations, and paid products so users can easily know what to expect and how to scale plans to improve data security.
Industry Compliance
The next step is making sure that the cloud service provider you choose lets you meet compliance standards. There are many local, national, and international standards you need to comply with when migrating your data to the cloud. Luckily, cloud service providers are now providing detailed guidelines and working continuously to improve compliance.
Before investing in the cloud service provider, you first need to know what regulatory policies and procedures your startup needs to comply with and whether a cloud architecture platform allows you to meet those compliance standards. Above all, you need to know how to achieve compliance once you migrate to the cloud and understand your responsibilities are in this scenario.
Some of the most frequent regulatory requirements are Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), SOC 2, and Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA).
Performance and Administration Support
There are many ways to measure cloud providers’ reliability. For starters, you could measure the performance of the cloud provider and compare it against their service-level agreements for a few months. It is important to understand that, no matter how reliable a cloud service provider is, downtime happens to anyone. It’s all about how professionally a CSP handles it.
When choosing a cloud service provider, choose a transparent and authoritative one. Here is what you should require from them:
- A documented disaster recovery and business continuity plan. It should include data sources, scheduling, backups, integrity checks, and so forth.
- Service-level agreements (SLAs) usually consist of service level objectives, remediation policies, and exclusions. Their goal is to strengthen your relationship with a cloud service provider and provide you with the right service solutions.
- Performance reporting – a cloud provider should send you detailed performance reports to help you understand where you stand.
Over to You
Sure, these are just some of the numerous criteria to keep in mind when choosing the right cloud technologies for your startup. They will help you assess the reliability of a cloud service provider.
For starters, pay attention to your startup’s specific requirements. Always remember that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to choosing the cloud infrastructure. The plan should meet your needs, comply with the industry regulations, and integrate well with your existing tools and workflows. Most importantly, data security should remain your top priority when comparing different CSPs.
What cloud solutions do you use? What criteria did you use when choosing them? We are listening!
