With companies becoming increasingly dependent on cloud computing for provision of both internal and external services, the risk of a provider going down either temporarily through a service disruption or permanently through bankruptcy represents a significant risk to continuous business operations.
In considering these risks, vice president at EscrowTech International Jorge Sagastume, writing in Data Center Journal, offers some key items for companies to consider when selecting a provider for your cloud service needs;
- Will you be able to retrieve your data?
- In the event that you need to terminate your relationship with your current provider, how will you be able to get your data back?
- Will it be by direct download, via tape or disk archive, or and what backup provisions are available?
- Do you have a redundant provider?
- In the event that your primary provider goes down or maintenance is required, is there someone available that can act as a short-term bridge to keep key services running, until primary service is restored?
- Are you considering best practices?
- Have you identified key data and applications for your business?
- Are these items backed up, and ready for immediate deployment in the event of an outage?
- Are security considerations up to date and thoroughly tested?
While there is no way to ensure your needed services will never be disrupted or that your data is perfectly safe, considering the above items will help to reduce the associated risks.
Source:
http://www.datacenterjournal.com/saas-provider-goes-business/
