If you have made the decision to adopt cloud computing for your business, you have only taken the first of many steps in your cloud journey. Finding the right cloud platform for your business is, in itself, a multi-step process that requires a lot of research so that you can choose the one that will suit your business best.

Here are some important considerations you must address before you choose:

Your specific business needs

First and foremost, you have to get your business needs and expectations in place. What is it that you want to achieve by moving to the cloud? Which features of the cloud will be your priority? Depending on these, you will be able to shortlist a few cloud platforms that are optimized for the capabilities you are looking for.

Also take into consideration the type of data you want to store, the type of flexibility and scalability you expect, and your budget.

Your preferred cloud type

Both public and private clouds have their own benefits and limitations - the former being the more cost-effective cloud solution while the latter is said to be more reliable for storing sensitive data. A hybrid cloud is a mix of both, customized for each organization. Your decision to choose a public, private or hybrid cloud environment will further narrow your options.

Your industry’s compliance standards 

One of the aspects you must never compromise on while choosing a cloud platform is compliance to standards. For this, you need to ensure that the cloud platform:

• Prioritizes data security and data privacy (here’s how the two are different)

• Has the certifications required to be compliant in your specific industry and geographical region (recognized standards, quality frameworks and more) 

The cloud provider’s reliability

Before you narrow down on a particular cloud platform, you need to do a background study of the provider. Ask the following questions:

• Do they provide implementation support and training for your employees?

• What kind of availability do they offer for their cloud platform and services? How often and how much downtime will they require?

• What is the level of support they are willing to offer in case you need help with troubleshooting?

• What are the SLAs and promised turnaround time in case of issues?

• What kind of track record does the provider have, and what do their clients have to say?

Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud Platform (GCP), Microsoft Azure, and Oracle Cloud are the leading enterprise cloud platforms in the industry today. At CloudNow, we are cloud consultants and cloud migration experts who have also partnered with these cloud service providers. We can help you identify your needs and priorities, analyze the capabilities of different platforms, and choose the right cloud solution for your business.