What factors should organizations consider when selecting a cloud service provider?

India has undergone significant digitalization over the past few years as a result of the advent of various cutting-edge technologies. Businesses are now embracing technological advances, such as the cloud, to acquire a competitive edge in today's dynamic business landscape. Until recently, the most difficult barrier for businesses, particularly SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises), was the exorbitant price of investing in technology. Hence, small firms with fewer employees are now able to expand their strengths and grow their businesses, owing to the power of the cloud.

Cloud revolution: Transforming industries and business operations

In the modern era of technological advancements, cloud services continue to witness widespread adoption among modern-day businesses. This is largely due to the unique benefits it offers to companies. However, this trend extends far beyond mere popularity. It is substantiated by the remarkable figure of INR 370 crores, as indicated in Forrester's 'The State of Cloud in India 2023' report, which signifies the substantial investment made by enterprise businesses in India exclusively on public cloud services in the past year. This substantial financial commitment underscores the ongoing revolution in cloud computing. Amid the escalating demand for flexible and scalable computing solutions, organisations are increasingly turning to cloud services to launch their entire platforms without incurring the substantial costs and labour associated with establishing additional infrastructure.

The scalability afforded by cloud computing is a critical capability that empowers businesses to effectively respond to dynamic operational demands. Firms now possess the capability to adjust their operational scale according to the specific circumstances at hand, a development that not only contributes to cost savings but also fortifies the continuity of their business operations. Additionally, the inherent flexibility of cloud computing guarantees that organizations can effectively manage and govern their infrastructure with ease. Since cloud providers handle relevant operations from start to finish, businesses no longer need to develop a data center workforce, greatly lowering overhead administrative costs. Furthermore, it has facilitated remote work and collaboration by enabling teams to access data and apps remotely and hassle-free.

Security challenges with the cloud

While clients are in charge of protecting their own data and applications in the cloud, cloud service providers (CSPs) are in charge of maintaining the security of the cloud infrastructure. If both parties are not actively engaged in safeguarding the cloud environment, it may be unclear who is in charge of what, and security vulnerabilities are likely to be an end result.
Additionally, IT teams may find it challenging to manage security rules and access restrictions across a variety of cloud services, apps, and data sources due to the lack of visibility and control over cloud environments. In addition to these issues, organisations also deal with data breaches, compliance issues, insider threats, cloud misconfigurations, and the necessity for ongoing monitoring of the cloud. Enterprises must therefore pick the appropriate cloud service provider who can address these challenges while also offering reliable cloud security.

Choosing the ‘right’ CSP

When selecting a cloud service provider, the evaluation criteria may vary specifically depending on the demands of a company. There are some common areas that can be concentrated on, though.
Certifications and standards: Providers who follow recognized norms and quality frameworks demonstrate that they adhere to industry standards. This criterion can be quite helpful to narrow down the number of vendors who can provide cloud security guarantee.

Data security and governance: It's critical to assess your cloud service provider's data and system security levels, security operations maturity, and security governance procedure. Your organization's risk tolerance and any applicable legal or regulatory requirements must be evaluated considering the provider's data loss, breach notification, and information security policies beforehand.

Data protection and policy: Firms should assess a provider's security and data management procedures, especially considering data privacy laws. It is crucial to ensure there are enough assurances regarding data access, location, and ownership rights, as well as confidentiality.

Disaster recovery: Examine the provider's disaster recovery policies, procedures, and capacity to meet your expectations for data preservation, including recovery time goals. This should cover the data's importance, its sources, scheduling, backup and restoration procedures, integrity checks, and much more.

All things considered

The advent of cloud technology has brought about a transformative paradigm shift in the operational and communicative landscape of organizations within India. This helps SMEs by enabling the delivery of state-of-the-art applications and infrastructure at an affordable cost while continuing to minimize the need for expensive infrastructure or a reliance on IT knowledge. The advantages of cloud computing are undoubtedly significant; however, they are concurrently accompanied by a myriad of security challenges. Hence, organizations must be cautious when adopting their cloud service partners to prevent these pitfalls. Organizations can ensure the integrity of their partnership with a Cloud Service Provider (CSP) by conducting a comprehensive evaluation such certifications and standards, data security and governance, data protection and policy, and disaster recovery.

In light of the increasing adoption of digital transformation strategies by businesses, it is anticipated that the significance of cloud computing will experience a notable upswing, particularly within the domain of startup enterprises. These rising businesses will not only impact the economy positively but will also create a myriad of employment opportunities. By 2026, cloud computing will contribute 8% of India's GDP, according to a report from Oliver Wyman and NASSCOM from 2022. In addition, it has the potential to boost the nation's GDP by $310–380 billion by 2026 while also adding 14 million employment opportunities.

Author: Vinet Kuumar, CEO of ThoughtSol Infotech