Are you yet to move your infrastructure to the cloud? COVID-19 has accelerated digital transformation with Cloud Computing for over 90% of businesses. It’s no wonder that modern enterprises are increasingly turning to the best Cloud Managed Service Provider to bolster their cloud infrastructure!
“Cloud services such as Azure and AWS provide businesses with scalable, fully-managed IT solutions with unmatched flexibility.”
Gartner expects the investment in public cloud services to reach $591.8 billion this year. So far, cloud services have helped many enterprises focus more on productivity than infrastructure management. Do you want the same flexibility for your business? Let’s unveil the myriad benefits of partnering with a Cloud Service Provider!
Key Advantages Of Selecting The Perfect Cloud Managed Service Provider
Thanks to trusted managed services, large or small businesses have seen a sudden growth in productivity. The services have helped them resolve various issues around cost, complexity, and service quality by offering them the following advantages:
Cost Reduction
Industrializing service delivery at an economic scale has helped managed service providers maintain a lower cost than in-house data centers. In addition, as the CSPs bear the infrastructure maintenance costs, businesses can do lots of cost saving in Infrastructure management.
Contractual SLAs To Provide Top Quality Services
Most cloud providers offer managed services in various categories, including infrastructure, backup, virtualization, and security. They offer contractual SLAs so that you can enjoy high-quality services with real-time support.
Increased Efficiency With Infrastructure Flexibility and Scalability
A Cloud Managed Service Provider delivers higher value in cloud environments through standardization and infrastructure auto-scaling capabilities. It helps businesses achieve higher production efficiency with flexible managed environments. Plus, they can scale the scope and size of the managed services based on the changing infrastructure needs.
Improved Security With Business Compliance Management
The Cloud Service provider assists with business continuity and compliance by implementing top-notch security controls that reduce risks. Businesses can enjoy secured operations with reduced risks as cloud providers use security intelligence to keep the infrastructure compliant with the latest industry standards.
Introducing Top 5 Cloud Service Providers Of 2023
Before you begin the hunt for the perfect Cloud Managed Service Provider, here is a list of top CSPs as of 2023:
#1 Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Amazon Web Services comes first as it offers a diverse range of Managed Cloud Services. These are perfect for beginners and allow consumption-based pricing with annual discounts. Organizations can selectively pick and use the required managed services and get additional support from AWS if needed.
#2 Microsoft Azure
After AWS, the most-used Cloud is Microsoft’s Azure by businesses of all sizes. With a strong brand reputation, Microsoft offers various infrastructure, Platform, and Software services as managed cloud services through Azure Cloud. Its uniqueness is its robust hybrid cloud capabilities that allow businesses to easily migrate their existing infrastructure to the cloud with the support of Microsoft.
#3 Google Cloud Platform (GCP)
Being the best search engine, Google launched its cloud service, GCP. This Cloud Managed Service Provider excels in Data Analytics and Machine Learning using Container Orchestration. So, it is ideal for fintech, retail, and manufacturing industries dealing with large volumes of data daily. It is also perfect for businesses seeking data and AI services.
#4 IBM Cloud
IBM’s cloud platform is ideal for regulated industries that require optimizing risk controls and improving resilience to scale. Some of the features and capabilities of IBM Cloud include financial services, VMware, SAP, application modernization, confidential computing, and cloud anywhere. It stands out for its focus on enterprise-grade solutions for organizations requiring high-security controls.
#5 Alibaba Cloud
With its substantial presence in Asia, Alibaba Cloud is rapidly expanding its global footprint. It offers various managed cloud computing services for mainly financial, gaming, web3, logistics, and retail industries. The main highlights include security, database, networking, analytics, container, and middleware.
Top Considerations For Businesses While Choosing Cloud Service Providers
Now that you have an overview of the leading CSPs let’s move on to the critical considerations businesses should consider while selecting the right Cloud Managed Service Provider. Here are the key evaluation factors every business should consider:
#1 Budget and Pricing
When hiring service experts, you must consider the fixed budget beforehand. So, you must ensure the chosen service provider can offer you the required managed services within your budget. For that, look at the CSP pricing model. It’s best to go for the pay-as-you-go or subscription-based billing model. Also, ensure that you don’t require to pay additional charges afterward.
#2 Business Health and Processes
You should assess the financial stability and reputation of the CSP. Consider the following factors while choosing the provider:
- Healthy record of stability with sufficient financial capital for long-term support.
- The provider should follow a formal management structure with pre-defined risk management policies for third-party vendors.
- Must have a solid reputation with its partners as a CSP with excellent business knowledge and technical expertise.
- The provider should conduct compliance audits to validate the businesses’ compliance requirements.
The above abilities prove that the Managed Cloud Service Provider can seamlessly align with your business objectives and adapt your processes.
#3 Administration Support
Evaluate the level of administrative support provided by the Service Provider with the following factors:
- 24/7 monitoring and administration support to address issues.
- Exceptional Service Level Agreements (SLAs) that promise to deliver excellent services.
- Frequent performance reporting alongside resource monitoring.
- Configuration management to control service consumption.
- Easy-to-understand billing and accounting processes to avoid additional expenses.
#4 Technical Capabilities and Processes
Examine the following technical abilities of the CSP with the specific cloud technologies and platforms you plan to use:
- Ease of application deployment and management using the platform cloud services.
- Use standard interfaces with valid APIs to quickly build cloud connections.
- Perform event management and tracking using cloud monitoring services.
- Change management with detailed documentation about the formal processes.
- Consider hybrid capabilities to support the existing infrastructure alongside the cloud.
#5 Security & Compliance Practices
Security is non-negotiable even when selecting the ideal Cloud Managed Service Provider. Make sure that the CSP has robust security measures like the following:
- Robust Security Infrastructure for various managed services.
- Top-notch security policies for end-to-end access control.
- Identity management solutions using RBAC and authentication.
- Data backup and retention to ensure data integrity.
#6 Data Migration and Portability
If your infrastructure depends on existing applications and legacy systems, consider how the CSP handles data migration and portability. With a well-planned migration strategy, the CSP can perform seamless transitions to the cloud. Also, ensure the CSP supports migrating existing application data to the cloud.
Best Practices For Selecting The Cloud-Managed Service Provider
As you hunt for an ideal cloud partner for your cloud transition, you will find various Cloud Service Providers offering multiple managed services. However, you must follow the best practices when selecting the right Service Provider!
#1 Assess Your Current IT Environment
Begin with an end-to-end IT infrastructure assessment. Identify potential pain points from the existing environments and find areas where you need assistance. Assess all infrastructure components to ensure these align with the current industry standards. Analyze the current security measures and discover how the Cloud Service Provider can help you secure your cloud environments.
#2 Identify Your Business Objectives and Budget
Understand your budget constraints based on your business objectives. Hover through the case studies where companies with similar budgets as yours have outsourced their infrastructure requirements with managed services. It will help you choose the right cloud service provider based on your budget constraints.
#3 Check and Evaluate the Services Offered by CSPs
As mentioned earlier, different CSPs have unique strengths with unique service offerings. For example, GCP is ideal for Data Management and Security Enhancements. So, it would be best if you evaluated which CSP aligns best with your business needs. Consider factors like geographic presence, SLAs, compliance certifications, and service catalog to evaluate which Service Provider is ideal for you.
#4 View the Experience and Expertise Portfolio
Research the track record of various Cloud Managed Service Providers. You can review the case studies and customer testimonials to explore the experiences of different businesses. Based on their expertise portfolio, you can choose a Cloud Platform with proven abilities to address your requirements.
#5 Understand The Service Level Agreements (SLAs)
Carefully review the SLAs or Service Level Agreements of the Cloud Service Platform. Each Cloud Platform has different terms and conditions for managed cloud services. You must pay attention to uptime guarantees, response times, and penalties for breaches mentioned in the SLAs. It will help you meet your business’s expectations within your fixed budget.
Making The Final Decision
Remember, you need a Cloud Managed Service Provider who can become your round-the-clock technical partner to assist you with your cloud journey! So, before reaching the final decision about the Managed Cloud Service Provider, you must have a clear set of expectations you plan to achieve through the partnership. Once you evaluate the provider’s expertise, ensure the cloud service offerings perfectly align with your business objectives. Follow the top considerations and best practices that we discussed earlier. Ultimately, consider what you need to compare it with what you get!
FAQs
#1 Who is a cloud service provider?
A cloud service provider offers computing solutions to manage and deliver resources over the internet. Most cloud services charge based on resource consumption. So, businesses pay based on their service usage. Hence, these are the most cost-effective solutions.
#2 How can I determine if the CSP suits my business?
Selecting the suitable CSP depends on your business’s specific needs. Consider their service offerings, geographic presence, SLAs, documentation, and pricing models to evaluate how well these suit your business.
#3 Why are SLAs important for selecting the Cloud Managed Service Provider?
Service Level Agreements covey the client’s expectations and the provider’s responsibilities in clear statements. SLAs provide transparency and accountability. They ensure the Service Providers meet your service requirements and performance standards. Later, if you face sudden outages or downtime, you can use the SLAs to claim their compensation.
#4 What questions should I ask the Cloud Service Provider before hiring?
You can ask the following questionnaire to the Managed Cloud Service Provider:
- What is the basic service tier?
- What are the primary cloud services they offer?
- Are the services future-ready?
- How much flexibility do they offer?
- Is the Service Level Agreement transparent?
- Do they support continuous maintenance?
- Do I get complete ownership of the cloud environment?
#5 Can I switch the Cloud Service Provider over time?
Yes, you can switch your Cloud Managed Service Provider once you feel you need better capabilities than the other CSP offers. However, planning the transition is essential so the existing environments face minimal disruptions. Also, ensure the new Service Provider can seamlessly take over your cloud management.
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