{"id":6661,"date":"2020-06-25T14:35:23","date_gmt":"2020-06-25T18:35:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.atyourbusiness.com\/blog\/?p=6661"},"modified":"2020-06-25T14:35:48","modified_gmt":"2020-06-25T18:35:48","slug":"6-questions-to-ask-before-choosing-a-cloud-provider","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.atyourbusiness.com\/blog\/6-questions-to-ask-before-choosing-a-cloud-provider\/","title":{"rendered":"6 Questions to Ask Before Choosing a Cloud Provider"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Around 90% of large businesses<\/a> have embraced cloud technology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The cloud is a fantastic way to safely store important documents, improve team collaboration, and grow with your business. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you want to find a cloud provider but aren\u2019t sure which questions to ask, you\u2019ve come to the right place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are the top six.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

1. What Security Measures Do You Have in Place?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When it comes to professional and personal data, security is paramount.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A reputable private cloud service<\/a> will perform a vulnerability assessment to ensure your data stays safe.

The company should have a layer of protection against threats and uphold industry standards such as the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. How Flexible Are You? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Regardless of whether it\u2019s cloud providers or customer support services, they must be able to scale with your business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scalability is crucial especially if you\u2019re busy during certain parts of the year or are about to boom. Find a cloud provider with a flexible consumption license model as they can improve capacity when needed and remove it later on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Can You Provide References?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Checking a cloud provider\u2019s references and reviews is a fantastic way to glean their competence. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ask to talk with current customers when the provider isn\u2019t present and Google \u201c(cloud provider name) review\u201d to see their customers\u2019 feedback.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. How Often Are Your Service Outages and How Long Do They Last?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t write off a cloud provider because they experience outages as it happens to them all. As a general rule, a great provider has few outages and they don\u2019t last long.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alongside the cloud provider\u2019s types of services, ask about maintenance outages. These are scheduled ones where the cloud provider upgrades its software. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Find out when these occur so you can plan around them and if they occur during your business hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. How Are You Protected From Natural Disasters?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s important you can access business information whenever so ask the cloud provider how they plan to protect your data. Regardless of the location, they\u2019ll experience some form of a natural disaster<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Good questions to ask include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n