How Can IT Solution Providers Make Money With Cloud Services?
More regularly than not, it's not the cloud itself which lets businesses down, oahu is the cloud provider, but can service providers realistically guarantee zero downtime? There have been several high-profile cases of'cloud failure'within the last couple of years, which have done little to enforce public opinion of cloud reliability. However, what individuals often don't acknowledge is that it's not the cloud which can be unreliable, it's the cloud providers. Such cases of cloud service failure shouldn't deter people from using cloud services, but rather reinforce the requirement to employ the right provider. But even with the right provider cloud services, can zero downtime ever be guaranteed? With these key ingredients set up, there's no reason not. Next generation data centres A cloud service provider should be making investments in the most effective, next generation data centre technology, to deliver an uninterrupted service, which can grow with the customer over time. Data centre security should abide by best practice standards, ideally with a ISO 27001 certification, and offer round-the-clock monitoring and support. Data centres which provide anything less are best avoided. A proactively monitored network All cloud services providers will claim to provide round-the-clock support, but unfortunately not absolutely all can deliver that promise. It's essential that the core network is proactively monitored 24/7/365, to make sure unbroken access to data and applications when they're needed. Resilient application platforms Cloud applications, including voice, data and desktop must be highly resilient, while at the mercy of round-the-clock support from maintenance teams. Platforms should really be PCI-certified and ISO 27001 compliant, meeting the highest standards in security and service. When these three elements combine, the chances of downtime are significantly reduced. If cloud providers apply these standards, and make ongoing commitments to help expand improving their service, there really is no excuse for downtime at all. It's possible for businesses to have drawn into attractive looking SLAs (Service Level Agreements), which promise 99.999% uptime. However, the provider struggles to honour such assurances which puts its customers in a compromising position. There's little which can compensate for the damage due to lengthy outages, which can potentially damage the reputation and credibility of a business, and cost tens and thousands of pounds in lost revenue. So, the next occasion you hear about cloud failure, don't assume it's the cloud that is the issue, because behind every unreliable cloud service, is an unreliable cloud service provider.