Valentines Day: a day we show our love for the most important relationships in our lives was just a couple of weeks ago. Cards and flowers for our significant others, cookies for team members at work and that new squeak toy for Max. While we are showing love for the most important relationships, it only makes sense to ask: what did you get for your cloud this Valentines Day?
I know, it can be hard to shop for; you can never quite find the right card and chocolates always go uneaten; but if you didn’t even think to get it anything then maybe it’s time to reevaluate your relationship. A loving cloud relationship can improve your company’s security, reliability, efficiency and bottom line. It’s time to take look at the factors that create a happy and loving cloud relationship.
The basis of a loving relationship in the cloud is the same as it is with any other thing in life. There are fundamental aspects that define the quality of the relationship: security, reliability and communication. Much like finding a significant other, finding the right cloud can take time -- and you need to make sure you take the time to do it correctly. Examine your options and find the one that gives you what you need.
A relationship is based on trust and faith that the other person will protect your feelings and hold your secrets tight. Make sure the cloud does the same thing; security is of the utmost importance since you will trust the cloud to protect your company secrets and vital data. A hybrid cloud model is a great way to ensure your protection since it will allow you the versatility of using both private and public clouds as you see fit. For a more in depth look at the hybrid cloud model check out the “Defense Wins Championships” post on our blog.
Standing hand in hand with security is reliability; you need to be able to count on loved ones. The cloud is no different; if you don’t have confidence that it will be up when you need it then it is of no use. A cloud with poor uptime is an unreliable cloud. Since an unreliable cloud will hurt company-wide productivity it is very important to choose a provider who can promise high uptimes.
Finally, the third tenant of a successful relationship is communication. Make sure you communicate with your cloud provider: be clear about expectations and have a firm understanding of what their service agreement is. This is vitally important so that everyone knows who is responsible for what. Good communication can lead to a more harmonious relationship; especially when things, as they sometimes will, don’t go as planned.
By taking the proper time and doing your due diligence you can find the perfect cloud soul mate for your company. It will improve your business efficiency and capability; the one downside is that you may have to add one more gift to next year’s Valentines Day shopping list.
