Transitioning to the cloud is a critical business decision and necessitates a large investment. There are many benefits including automated backups every hour, fully virtualized servers, disaster recovery, and secure hosting. There are seven main considerations before making the switch.
1. The Privacy of Data
There are companies who sell client information to brokers and partners to make money and some companies keep the information confidential. Make certain you know how your data will be handled by your provider and read their privacy policy to protect any sensitive data.
2. The Terms of Service
The terms of service of any vendor must be agreed on before system implementation and this can affect your asset management software. These terms must be read and the parameters understood. An account can be terminated for failure to adhere to the terms. The notification policies and data ownership are the most critical factors. The terms should include an affirmation that the company has their data. Also, it should be clear that you have the right to get back all the data that has been stored on their system. Be careful when a company says they can update any terms without notice.
3. Acceptable Use Policy
This confirms which employees can use the provider’s solution. All behaviors classified as prohibited by the vendor such as spamming and hacking are included. Penalties include termination and fees. This can change without notification so make certain the policy is understood before accepting the vendor.
4. Data Security
Data is stored at an off-site location and another company is responsible for the operations. Research and references are important to establish trust with the vendor. Logical and physical security are critical for data protection and may include armed guards, encryption, and a secure facility for data backup. Make certain the provider has adequate security.
5. Long Term Reliability
An uptime guarantee and an agreement for the service-level should be included in the contract. The golden standard is 99.999 percent regarding uptime or under one minute of unexpected downtime in a month. This standard reflects the commitment of the provider. A protocol with a financial penalty for excess downtime or low standards of performance is ideal. Penalty exclusions may be a negative warning sign.
6. Solutions for Disaster Recovery
Despite cloud services using a data center disaster recovery services, are not standard with all providers and a separate purchase is often required. A written copy of a provider’s recovery process should be attained and read. A clear outline of their time objective for recovery and the amount of data subject to loss should also be included.
7. The Transparency of The Termination Clause
The termination clause must be read thoroughly and carefully. A transparent termination clause protects the business in the event the contract is ended prematurely. Some providers have a buyout clause which makes terminating a contract early very expensive. The most important aspect of any provider is the fine print within the contract. Understanding exactly what is being agreed upon is critical for the IT structure of the business and a successful transition to the cloud.
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