When you’re searching for a cloud security provider, you need to think about more than just the 5 stars they received. While reviews and testimonials can be helpful when finding a partner to work with your business and are a good starting point, they can only tell you so much. Your organization should be considering how they handle their security, how they can assist with your compliance requirements, and whether or not they’re the right match for you.
Advantages of Working With a Cloud Security Service Provider
The cloud brings a number of benefits to the table, ranging from increased productivity to improved communication. By working with a cloud service provider who keeps security in mind, however, you can find a whole host of other upsides to the technology. Cloud service providers can:
- Improve the reliability of your applications
- Make it easier for your team to work in-office, remotely, or both
- Offer a secure cloud environment with enhanced security features
- Help your organization meet compliance requirements
- Ensure you’re using the right services for your business’s needs, saving you from overspending
- Make sure your applications are integrated properly
- Be on call if something goes wrong
- Monitor your cloud-based systems
How Can You Evaluate a Cloud Service Provider?
There are plenty of cloud service providers out there – and they aren’t all the same. It’s important to know what to evaluate. Here are 3 questions to get you started.
Do They Take Cloud Security Seriously?
It is essential that you first evaluate a cloud service provider’s security. If they are not taking their cybersecurity methods seriously, they could cut corners when it comes to your business.
When comparing your options, you will want to determine:
- Whether or not they’ve had any breaches, and how they responded to them
- Any data loss incidents and the actions taken to rectify them
- Their cybersecurity expertise, experience, and knowledge – including certifications
- The security controls they deploy for themselves and for clients, like multifactor authentication (MFA) and real-time identity monitoring
How Does the Provider Handle Compliance?
Cybersecurity and compliance with government regulations is more important than ever; it’s a necessity for many businesses if they want to hold onto their insurance policies. Failing a compliance check could mean that insurance won’t pay out in the event of a breach.
So, when it comes to cloud service providers, they need to understand the compliance requirements of your industry. This is a good time to review their standards, frameworks, operations, audits, and processes. What are they doing to ensure compliance for their clients? You want a provider that is adhering to security regulations and industry guidelines.
What Support, Services, and Tools Do They Offer?
Cloud services can encompass a wide range of services and support options. It’s important to consider what your organization needs to help you evaluate providers.
With your cloud needs and wants in mind, you can ask these questions:
- Does the provider offer migration, cloud management, or both?
- Do they offer proactive IT and cloud management?
- Is help desk included?
- Are there internal resources used to manage the cloud?
- How are backups and data stored and handled?
- Do they make assurances regarding uptime and performance?
- How is billing handled for these services?
- What is included in the service-level agreement?
Of course, your organization should pay special attention to the cloud service provider’s service level-agreement (SLA). This will outline exactly what the provider will handle for you, their security responsibilities, shared responsibilities, maintenance, support, and more. If you skip this step, you could be setting up the partnership for misunderstandings that lead to security and compliance issues.
Are They a Good Fit for You?
Not every cloud service provider out there is going to be a good fit for your business. Reviews and the questions above are a great start, but they’re not always going to give you a full picture. What works for the company next door may not always work for you. From customer service to initial interactions to cost, there’s a lot to take into account.
You’ll also want to consider your organization’s needs and wants when it comes to cloud services. A good provider will help you with an initial conversation by going over these and not trying to simply shoehorn you into any one solution. They’ll assess your current strategy and work with you to ensure application and infrastructure integration so there are no big hiccups in your day-to-day.
If it’s time to migrate to the cloud or change how you manage the technology, VersaTrust can help. With certified experts on hand, we’ll have a meeting with your organization to go over your current approach, needs, and challenges to help identify the best cloud services and solutions for you.
