The public cloud has become an integral part of most enterprises’ IT solutions – and for good reason: it reduces the need for capital expenditure, outsources IT management, delivers unparalleled scalability and puts the latest technologies, like AI, ML, automation and big data, at their fingertips. However, while public cloud might be the ideal environment, organisations also need to make sure they choose the right cloud vendor. Here, we examine some of the key features to look for.
1. Availability and performance
If you are running critical websites or applications in the cloud, then high availability and exceptional performance are not areas on which to make compromises. High availability comes from having servers that provide separation between storage and compute, enabling them to float between physical hardware locations. With this, together with hyper-converged, redundant architecture in place, as at Hyperslice, availability can be maintained and 100% uptime can be guaranteed by SLA, even if there is a failure elsewhere in the network.
Performance, on the other hand, is dependent upon the quality of the service provider’s hardware. If you need to run large workloads or handle significant traffic, then performance is vital. In this case, look for vendors that deploy the latest Intel Xeon CPUs and enterprise-class SSD storage.
2. Cost-effective scalability
Scalability is one of the most attractive features of public cloud hosting as it gives enterprises the flexibility to acquire and dispense with additional computing resources on-demand. This makes it ideal for those that need a temporary expansion in resources but who do not want to have to upgrade their hosting package to do so.
With a good public cloud provider, there should be no practical limit to the resources a company can have, ensuring that all workloads and traffic peaks can be handled comfortably. At the same time, its pay-per-use fee structure means that costs can be kept to an absolute minimum, i.e., when additional resources are no longer required, the payment ends.
3. Security and compliance
The growing reliance that organisations have on IT systems and the vast amount of data many of them now collect mean keeping systems secure and complying with regulations like GDPR are major priorities.
While enterprises are, ultimately, responsible for ensuring their own security and compliance, many take into consideration the role a cloud vendor can play in these areas. This includes putting in place security policies that keep their customers’ systems secure, such as advanced, FortiGate, Next-Generation firewall with built-in application security, intrusion, malware and botnet protection, web security and web filtering.
4. 24/7 expert technical support
Migrating to the cloud or even working with a new vendor can cause challenges when an enterprise’s IT staff are working in unfamiliar territory. In situations like these, organisations need to know that, should an issue occur, assistance will be provided quickly. A good cloud vendor will provide expert-led technical support around the clock to ensure that whatever the problem and no matter what time, help is on hand when a customer needs it.
5. Managed services
Not every enterprise wants or needs its cloud services to be managed, however, having the option can provide numerous benefits. One of the main advantages is that by having some of the IT tasks carried out by the vendor, the burden on in-house IT teams is reduced, freeing them up for more business-oriented tasks. In this way, the service provider will look after the hardware and networking infrastructure, monitor the server and keep the operating system updated and patched. It should also be possible to create bespoke managed solutions that better match the needs of the enterprise.
6. Best in class control panels
Good control panels make a real difference when it comes to administering a cloud environment as they provide organisations with a wide range of management tools that can all be accessed via a single, user-friendly interface.
The quality of the control panel on offer is often an indication of the quality of the hosting service overall as it shows the host is not scrimping on the important little details. The two control panels to look out for are the industry-leading cPanel (for Linux) and Plesk (for Windows and Linux). With years of continuous development, they deliver an exceptional range of features with unrivalled ease of use.
7. Assistance with migration
Migration to the cloud or from one vendor to another is a sticking point for many companies because of the technical challenges it can raise. While the use of containers is making it easier to avoid compatibility issues, there can still be problems with disruption as applications and data are transferred from one environment to another. Ideally, a cloud vendor should offer expert support with this, ensuring that migration goes ahead smoothly and to schedule.
Conclusion
While more enterprises see the benefits of the public cloud, it is important that they understand what they are looking for when choosing the right cloud vendor. Hopefully, the points raised in this article will have provided the guidance needed to make a more informed decision.
For more information about our enterprise public cloud solutions, visit Hyperslice.com.
