As your cloud environment becomes more complex, you may begin contemplating the value of partnering with one of the cloud managed services providers emerging in the market as powerful resources for your infrastructure. Before choosing a provider, there are a few key questions you should be asking them, as well as your team.
Questions for Your Team
What Are Our Cloud Goals? Assess where you are in your digital transformation and your goals for cloud migration, and where a cloud managed services provider might benefit your organization. Having a clear idea of why you need managed services will help you stay focused throughout the selection process, rather than being dazzled by a particular provider that has a lot of flash but can’t meet your needs.
How Long Do I Expect This Partnership to Last? Are you looking for an extended partnership with a single provider, or do you anticipate using a provider as part of a shorter-term strategy you’re trying to execute?
What Are My Timeline and Budget? Are you simply kicking the tires, or do you have an immediate need to evaluate cloud managed services providers? Establish what your budget is for outsourcing this part of your IT management and determine which providers may be able to work with you.
Questions for Cloud Managed Services Providers
Do You Support Hybrid and Multi-Cloud Environments? You may be comfortable using a single public cloud provider to augment your legacy systems right now, but what are your plans for the future? Find out whether your managed services provider can support different environments as your organization changes and modifies its cloud strategy.
What Is Your Security Policy? From monitoring to encrypting data in transit and physical protection of data centers, you need a clear idea of how your data and systems are protected by each cloud managed services provider you’re considering.
What Are Your Growth Plans? Don’t discount a provider just because they’re relatively new to the market or small in size. This industry is far from maturity and many providers are just getting started. Find out if their growth plans align well with those of your organization.
What If It Doesn’t Work Out? Whether the provider goes out of business or you simply find that the cultures of your two organizations don’t align, find out what the escape plan is. You need to be able to change direction if you find that the provider doesn’t adhere to the service level agreement or if they routinely struggle with meeting cyber security goals.
Are you beginning to shop around for cloud managed services providers? While it can be a beneficial investment for your infrastructure support, you may need some assistance choosing the right provider. Contact us at eXemplify for guidance.