5 Criteria to Consider when Picking the Public Cloud Service

The global pandemic has sped up the digital transformation plans of businesses. The cloud has become the center of the transformation plan owing to the great number of benefits it has to offer. Today, businesses are actively shifting their IT infrastructures to public cloud services due to reduced costs, increased flexibility, and top-notch security. As per Gartner, the spending on the public cloud will go above 45% of all the IT spending on an enterprise by 2026, which was just 17% back in 2021.

There are many leading public cloud services available today, such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, IBM Cloud, etc. However, it is not an easy job to pick one service out of them because different businesses have different needs to fulfill. Therefore, this article will highlight 5 criteria to consider to select the right cloud service provider. So, let's begin our discussion.

Why Should You Use Public Cloud Services?

There are different forms of cloud services available today, i.e., public cloud, private cloud, and hybrid cloud. So, the question is why pick a public cloud service? To answer among public cloud vs private cloud vs hybrid cloud, let's first quickly take a look at these different forms of cloud services models:

• Public Cloud: Public cloud comprises cloud computing services maintained and hosted by an external provider and shared by different businesses at once. It is low cost and provides a range of computing resources.
• Private Cloud: Private cloud comprises cloud computing services dedicated to one business only, which means all the infrastructure and services are on a private network and dedicated to one business. It is more costly to set up and maintain.
• Hybrid Cloud: Hybrid cloud comprises both public and private clouds. It is used by those organizations that want to keep sensitive data on-premises (private cloud) and keep other data and workloads on the public cloud.

Overall, the public cloud is the most cost-effective cloud computing solution that not just takes away the struggles related to maintenance but is also highly flexible and scalable compared to other types of cloud services.

5 Things to Consider when Selecting the Public Cloud Service

Since there are many leading public cloud computing services, so it is not easy to pick one right away. Therefore, the below 5 criteria will help you in selecting the right cloud service provider that fits your business needs:

1.      Security

Security is one of the most crucial elements to understand before selecting any cloud service. You should be well aware of how the service provider secures your applications and data. For that, take a closer look at the security model of Google Cloud, AWS, Azure, and similar other services. Moreover, you should also look at what are the free security offerings and what paid security services are available. For example, Google Cloud and AWS provide a clear view of their security features, paid additional products, and partner integrations on the security on their web pages.

2.      Regulatory Compliance

There are different compliance standards to fulfill by businesses depending on their industry, such as GDPR, HIPAA, PCI DSS, etc. So, it is essential that you have a solid understanding of the new set of responsibilities and compliance you have to fulfill when the application and data are migrated to the public cloud. Moreover, you should also know what level of support the provider will provide in ensuring compliance.

3.      Cost

You should carefully evaluate the cost versus the offerings of different public cloud services. There are different pricing models offered by different public cloud services, such as subscription, pay-as-you-use, volume discounts, etc. So, finalize the budget you want to allot for cloud infrastructure and shortlist the services that provide premium services under those figures.

4.      Support

Customer service is another crucial consideration point. The cloud service provider should be responsive and quick in solving the issue because your whole IT infrastructure relies on that. So, check what kind of support mediums it offers, such as chat, call, etc. Services, like Microsoft and Google, even offer customers to pay some extra to get enterprise-class support.

5.      Architecture

You should pick the public cloud service that is compatible with your current workflows. For example, if your business is using other Google services, then it is preferred to pick Google Cloud to streamline the integration. Similarly, if you are dependent on Microsoft products, then Azure seems a better choice. But this is not a strict rule to follow. You should also evaluate the above criteria before making the final decision.

Wrapping Up

The advantages of the public cloud and the trend of digital transformation have urged businesses to become agile and turn their IT infrastructure to the cloud. However, it is also crucial that you take time and pick the right public cloud service that fits your needs. The above-listed 5 criteria can help you in selecting the right service. So, evaluate your needs, check the above points, and select the perfect public cloud service for your business.

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