Step One
In the initial phase, an organisation must ask:
- Why are we considering a cloud deployment company?
- Will we be looking at SaaS or other services?
- What are the risks?
- Do the benefits outweigh the risks?
- Don’t take anything for granted.
- How will we measure results and whether the service is working as expected?
- How scalable is the service? (What will happen if I we need to expand the number of users?)
- How resilient is the system? (What will happen if there is a major problem and we can’t access the services via the Internet?)
- How will the Cloud computing company ensure high availability and QoS?
- How will we pay? – Monthly, amount of data used, time on the systems? How will this be determine
Step Two
Analyse your business needs in the areas that you are considering outsourcing
- Are you looking to save costs/money?
- Are you looking to increase revenues?
- Are looking to achieve greater flexibility?
- What are the legal requirements or compliance issues that affect my business? (The Data Protection Act etc.)
Step Three
Identify the right supplier.
- Use Conjungo to find a list of potential suppliers
- Look through magazine and online reviews.
- Talk to others who have a similar environment & use cloud computing, in the same area as you.
- Use forums, networks and personal contacts to obtain recommendations.
Ask questions such as:
- Who has the experience of working with a company of the same size and profile as yours?
- Are any of those suppliers local to where you are located?
- How many similar implementations have they made?
- Ask for references – ensure that the company is capable and reliable.
- Talk to a couple of their customers in order to see what benefits have been gained and what pains those customers went through when installing the system.
- What system do they have in place in case their primary service fails?
- How secure are these systems and will your data remain confidential?
- Obtain a credit check
Step Four
Request a detailed proposal from three or four of your preferred suppliers.
- Set a deadline for when you need the proposal back.
- Give out details in advance as necessary to ensure that the suppliers you have selected can give you the best proposal.
- Go and meet them in person – get a good feel for whether you will be able to work with them.
Step Five
Select a supplier.
- Who best demonstrates that they understand your business and your requirements?
- Is it cost effective? Have they shown how and where you will save money?
- Does it clearly demonstrate the functional benefits – rather than just listing particular features? Does the proposal clearly show what the benefits are?
- Have you spoken to a couple of your preferred suppliers’ customers?
- Agree on financial terms – Will the service be payable monthly, on demand or annually?
- Don’t agree to anything more than a three year agreement.
Step Six
Implementation
- Plan a handover with your services provider company.
- You may need to run your some functions in parallel for a short time depending on the services purchased.
- Communicate regularly especially in the early days in order to address any questions and issues.