Cloud is a budding technology that is rapidly getting popular among the companies managing IT operations and business. Companies are now so reliant on cloud technologies that they cannot function without them. However, switching to the cloud often feels like a big change for most companies. Knowing the pros and cons of cloud computing and where you and your company can take the advantage of the numerous benefits that come along. Here are a few key questions regarding data handling and security that businesses ask while approaching a potential cloud vendor.

Which cloud services do you provide?

Knowing what your cloud computing demands are will clear up all the mental hassle and help you save a few bucks. Ask the service provider about the details of their services and know all the functions and features of the cloud along with the pricing. It will help you in understanding and fulfilling your technical demands and additional details. 

Where will my data be located?

Your data should be saved in multiple locations with instant failover in the areas remote from your own location so it is not subject to the same regional risks as your company. It might be possible that the provider does not disclose to you the exact physical location of their data centre. However, they must assure that your data is safe from all possible hazards.

Who will have access to my data?

Security is the major concern that a company must seek before signing up with a cloud provider. They must tell you the details that will keep your data safe in the place and restrict unnecessary access to the data. Know more about their data privacy policies throughout all the stages of the data lifecycle, from beginning to end.

How do you encrypt my data?

Encryption is a process of securing the data and understanding the encryption standards that a cloud service provider applies to your business is essential. Ensure that you ask for what standards they are using for encryption. Anything less than the 256-bit Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) level should be strictly avoided. Also, know well how they are managing their encryption keys.

Do you share the hardware resources between the clients?

You should ensure that resources are solely dedicated to you. Service providers should not be sharing the hardware resources with other customers using their services. Sharing the resources will ruin privacy and can be harmful to multiple customers. Look out for the company that takes care of not sharing the resources between the individuals.

How secure is your cloud?

Security is one of the major concerns when storing critical data in the cloud. Cloud providers should take care of the security standards for avoiding major data breaches in the future. They should incorporate several security measures in place and constantly update them. Security measures that you should seek include firewalls, antivirus protection, multi-layer user authentication, data encryption, and security scan audits.

What happens if you lose my data?

There could be a possibility that the cloud provider accidentally deletes or loses your precious data then what? Make sure you ask about the company's Service Level Agreement (SLA) that tells you about potential data loss. Will the provider compensate you for all the data loss? What unnecessary data is there in the place to migrate the risks of data loss? It is also important to ask the provider in dealing with any similar situation resulting in the loss of customer data.

Do you offer customer support services?

Look for the technical support that ensures your 24 hours easy access to data. Moreover, the support should be available by phone, chat, and email 24 hours a day including holidays. You should also ask about the average response and resolution time and know about the interaction with experienced professionals or customer service experts who read the scripts when you call customer support. 

What is your pricing structure?

Ensure that you are paying only for what you are using. Also, be careful about the huge upfront costs that are not according to the norms of cloud vendors. In cloud computing, pay as you go billing model is followed with the flexibility of adding the services. Fees can be charged hourly, monthly, and half-yearly or yearly.

Can you scale the cloud for meeting my business needs?

As your business grows, your demands with the cloud will also increase. To ensure that you are choosing a flexible cloud provider, know more about the additional storage capacity and other services they offer along with their prices. If you plan to increase your needs, you want to make sure that future upgrades are available on the account. 

Conclusion

The popularity of the cloud is immense these days, all thanks to the flexibility and ease it is offering to the companies. However, using the cloud service is also an art and one needs to master it with the time and budget they have. Also, by asking the above questions, you will get a fair idea about cloud-based technology and what it has to offer you.