Essential Factors for Cloud Security Provider Evaluation

Business operations have shifted to digital platforms and consistently require robust data management, storage means to prevent fraud and data breaches. Amidst this, cloud security has become an integral part of the company’s risk management systems. While you’ve decided to reach a cloud service provider, you should make sure that the service provider company is effective enough to meet your needs.

The IT industry is wide and there are thousands of cloud service providers in the market. How could you pick one perfect company to leverage cloud security services at best? The answer to this is by analyzing your needs, examining the company’s services, and determining if they can fulfill your requirements.

Here’s a list of the most usual determinants that could help you choose the right service provider.

1. Business Certainty

Before getting into the deal, you should ensure that the provider has a legitimate history, possesses a business stability record, and doesn’t suffer from any financial crisis. If the company you select has an uncertain performance history, consists of insufficient capital, and isn’t able to operate smoothly, it won’t be able to offer you effective cloud services.

Further, ensure that the company is well-established, conducts smooth business operations, and follows a formal organizational structure. This will make it easy for you to reach the service provider in a quick way. Further, if they’ve perfectly outlined risk management strategies, the threat related to fraudulent activities will be dramatically reduced.

Once you’ve assessed financial capabilities, the next question you should answer is, how reputable the cloud service provider is? Select the one who doesn’t belong to any sanctions lists, or corruption lists and possesses a good reputation. Further, research the experience level of your service provider, so that you can get an idea about whether to rely on their services or not. The company would be able to meet your requirements only if they have experience in your field and they understand your activities appropriately.

Key Points to Consider:

• The cloud service provider is financially stable and bears the favorable reputation
• The service provider company should be well experienced
• The cloud service provider must have the apt business knowledge
• The service provider company does have a well-arranged organizational structure which is easier to reach/connect

2. Capability to Offer a Suite of Cloud Services

Cloud services are distinguished into four different types – SaaS, PaaS, IaaS, and XaaS. When deciding on choosing the cloud service provider, you should ensure that the company can offer you all these types. What you need to do is – first analyze your business needs, check your requirements related to data storage, deployment, API integration, and more, and later select the most reliable service provider.

You must also ensure whether the cloud service provider can meet your future needs of scalability and extended data support system. This will help you make a shift from traditional data systems to digitized ones in an easy way.

Key Points to Consider: 

• Analyze your business needs
• Check if the service provider fulfills your needs
• The service provider can provide you with dynamic cloud computing solutions

3. Extensive Management Support

Cloud computing and cloud security solutions include a lot of services such as building cloud infrastructure, managing applications, determining threats, and preventing data losses. You should check if the cloud service provider company will be able to provide all these services. You should make it clear at the start about which services you want and can the company offer you all of them precisely. You must sign an agreement that includes which services and to what level will be facilitated by the service provider.

Once you’ve sorted out the services, ensure that the company delivers you performance reports at regular intervals. This will help you keep track of the cloud activities and get knowledge about how your data is managed. The service provider must also be able to deliver reports about the customer activities and alterations made to the systems. They should also provide you with constant support, budgeting details, and cost structure.

Further, the service provider should also agree to SLAs, and Service Level Agreements. These agreements establish better relations between a user & service provider and help to calculate the level of speed, volume, efficiency, and more. This will help you know the cloud management done by your service provider.

Key points to consider:

• The cloud service provider lends you adequate services
• The service provider agrees to a Service Level Agreement
•  The service provider keeps you informed about the costs incurred
• The cloud service company offers reliable performance reports

4. Usage of Advanced Tech Tools and Process

When choosing a cloud service provider, ensure that the company has advanced technology that makes it seamless for you to integrate, deploy and update your software applications. The friction involved in the processes can deteriorate customer satisfaction and often invites the fraudsters to take advantage of loopholes. Therefore, a service provider with modern technical competencies such as AI-powered tools and digitized systems can help you manage system applications effortlessly. Further, the service provider company must use standard interfaces to secure the data transformation process and help you maintain cloud security efficiently. 

A well-organized management system at the service provider’s end could help manage and monitor cloud activities in a timely manner. Further, it should have a functional, comprehensive system that follows a definite approach – Receiving a request, approving it, testing it thoroughly, and making necessary changes. The provider should also be capable of enough tools and techniques to adapt to your business growth needs if you think of integrating a hybrid cloud in the near future. 

Key points to consider:

• The service provider should make the deployment, monitoring process easier
• The service provider must offer standard APIs
• The service provider must evolve with business change management
• The cloud computing company must fulfill your hybrid cloud requirements

5. Database Administration & Security

While you’re running business operations via a cloud server, you will be having extensive data in varied categories. It could be anything from business-sensitive data to policy databases. To safeguard this data, you need a service provider who offers stringent data security and management solutions. If your data storage requirements are specific, you must seek a reliable service provider who remains transparent about jurisdiction, compliance laws, and cloud infrastructure locations where your data is stored, and managed. Before choosing a service provider, you also need to check if they follow any encryption models. 

Key points to consider:

• The service provider must know the risks related to your business
• The provider must adhere to laws and obligations 
• The provider should share cloud infrastructure locations 
• The cloud provider must notify you about the red flags if identified

6. Software Accuracy and Reliability

Even if you have been selected over the service provider, you should measure the accuracy and reliability at regular intervals. You can analyze the performance against the Service Level Agreements consistently. If your cloud infrastructure experiences downtime more often, you should think of replacing the hosting provider. Further, if downtime occurs rarely, the service provider must be capable of dealing with unplanned situations. You should further assess if the tools and technology offered by the cloud service provider are advanced sufficiently to fulfill your business requirements.

Key Points to Consider:

• Examine the reliability of the cloud hosting provider
• Measure their accuracy against SLAs
• Check if they can resolve downtime situations effectively

7. Meets Security Standards

Select a service provider who remains compliant with necessary certifications such as ISO 27001 or the government’s cyber security programs. If the company has a formal structure, reliable government certifications, and enhanced service support systems, you must reach out to get cloud services. 

Further, the primary industry-leading practice is having a firm security infrastructure. Check if the service provider has a comprehensive infrastructure that maintains utmost security for all types of cloud services (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS, and XaaS). Security controls should also be equipped at the ends of the customer as well as the service provider’s servers. This helps to easily access and control the activities in cloud infrastructure. Further, the service provider must integrate identity verification solutions to monitor application service, track changes, and authenticate the attempts easily. This can help in determining the legitimacy of the customer. 

• The security provider should have a robust security infrastructure
• The security provider is required to adhere to data security policies
• The cloud service provider must give you access to data and system security
• The service provider must support your security policies

Conclusion

There are numerous prospective alternatives available for you to choose the most effective cloud hosting provider. The most key factors you should consider include recognizing if they meet with required certifications/compliance regulations, examining the customer reviews, understanding their technology adaptation capabilities, and similar elements. 

Consider this explanatory guide as a key resource to select the most definitive cloud service provider among many. Invest time to determine the reliability, accuracy, and competency of the service provider, and later make a deal to get the best services delivered.

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