Chelsfield Consultants [ Design and Development ] ]

Cloud Services - why move?

Good Question! Thousands of companies who have moved to the cloud in recent times have switched back to running their own IT facilities, imagine the cost of that. One very important reason for this is that by making heavy use of The Cloud and by running their entire infrastructure across it they have become extremely dependant on Cloud Service Providers.

This dependency has created a fundamental business risk to them. That said, Cloud computing is an established and trusted model for the delivery of IT services in both the public and private sectors. The UK government has stated:

“Cloud offers the cost-effectiveness, agility and security necessary to support the on-going Digital Transformation of Government services.”

There is however a real lack of awareness and understanding of the pros and cons when considering a move to The Cloud and this is inhibiting the rapid adoption of Cloud services in both the public and private sector.

So, why move to The Cloud? Well first we must consider what we mean by cloud. Which cloud deployment model is needed, Hybrid Cloud, Private Cloud, Public Cloud or even Community Cloud? Numerous other questions also arise:

Are we considering PaaS (Platform as a Service), IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service) or perhaps SaaS (Software as a Service)? How do you choose or assess a Cloud Service Broker, Internet Service Provider or Global Public Cloud Provider?

Clearly, beyond the obvious economic reasons for a move to The Cloud, many aspects need to be weighed carefully. Understanding exactly who holds sovereignty and Jurisdiction over your data is essential when entering in to contractual arrangements. The following points must be considered prior to any move to The Cloud.


	Data Security

	Commercial and Contractual considerations

	Privacy considerations

	The Future

	Safe Harbour renegotiations

Are your customers ready for these changes?

Gaining Confidence

VoiP and data service providers will tell you that your data is completely secure with automatic backups.

They will also highlight the many advantages to cloud computing such as shared data, scalability, increasing efficiency and lowering costs. . .

. . . let's hope it doesn't rain!

About Service Levels

There are no standards for the level of service that cloud service providers (CSP) offer. They will use common terms such as "platform" and PaaS. In reality, such terms are used in different contexts by each CSP and the scope of these often overlap.

The only way one can be sure of getting the required level of service is by accurate technical specification derived from a clear understanding of the real-world need.

Mix and Match

Delivery of any end-to-end service will certainly require a mixture of CSP's.

It is vitally important that the contractual, legal and commercial undertakings are fully understood by all parties at the outset in order to ensure they work together and to get quick resolution in the event of problems.

Chelsfield Consultants have decades of experience spread across all aspects of computer use, networking operations and security. We have worked with dozens of blue chip companies both at home and abroad on technical design and infrastructure projects both large and small.

You may contact us using this form to arrange a free and without obligation chat to talk about your companies concerns and plans and how we may assist you.

HOME