Cloud hosting is an excellent solution for small businesses with ever-changing office environments and employees working at home. In a recent Forbes article, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said, “We’ve seen two years’ worth of digital transformation in two months.” Sometimes, business relationships sour and cloud providers do not provide the same service level you need to satisfy your customers. In other cases, local cloud providers are being gobbled up by global conglomerates, resulting in less local support and expertise. What should you do if your cloud provider starts to have issues?
Choosing the Right Cloud Provider
The world of remote working has turned IT services firms on their head. Employees continue to demand anywhere, anytime access to their work applications. And new technologies like VOIP phone services, on-demand cloud backups and virtual desktops require more cloud services and support than ever before. As a managed service provider, you need to choose your cloud providers wisely since you are your client’s sole technology provider, and they are going to turn to you if problems emerge. Finger-pointing won’t get you anywhere, and you need to take responsibility for vendor management.
Working with Multiple Cloud Providers
The global pandemic wreaked havoc on the business community. Major companies are experiencing revenue disruption, laying off employees and struggling to survive. Cloud providers are not exempt from hardship during these difficult times. Another threat to your business is the consolidation going on in the IT services industry. Global conglomerates are gobbling up smaller cloud providers regularly. An acquisition means different levels of service. For instance, a niche, local provider may now provide support out of a remote call center. One way to protect your interests is by being open to working with multiple cloud providers.
What Characteristics Does a Reliable Cloud Provider Have?
Price is often the top priority for selecting a cloud provider. But using the lowest-cost service isn’t’ always the best choice. Does the provider provide on-demand back, and do they offer multiple contingency plans? Do they provide adequate security and cyber-threat protection services? You want to select a company with extensive migration and cloud hosting experience. You also want a company with reliable disaster recovery and business continuity planning services available.
A Local Cloud Provider with a National Footprint
As you begin vetting new cloud providers, look for a trusted, reliable provider to decide which features are essential to you. Do you want a national provider with low prices and limited support? Or perhaps, you want a small, local provider who will provide you with white-glove services but doesn’t have the infrastructure to provide national or global hosting services. You don’t have to compromise. Instead, look for a company that offers both local service with excellent customer support and a national cloud-hosting environment.
Cloud Service Providers for MSPs
CPU, Inc. provides turnkey cloud hosting services from a nationwide network of world-class data centers. Our network of six geographically diverse data centers means we can provide on-demand backups and built-in redundancies to keep your business in operation if you experience a natural disaster or cybersecurity incident. Our services include VOIP phone, data backup technologies, virtual desktops, infrastructure-as-a-service, and secure file storage. Visit our website or call (866) 883-8836.