Raise Your Cloud Standards To New Heights

When it comes to using the Cloud in your business, naturally you want to keep things running as smoothly as possible.

This is true whether you are using the Cloud for your in-business projects, collaboration, data management, or to provide services to your customers.

So just what steps should you take to raise your Cloud standards to new heights?

Assess Your Cloud Needs

Even if you have the Cloud in place, it's a smart idea to stop and really assess your business' Cloud needs.

As the article "Easier than a Cat Selfie" says, users today expect optimal availability and performance to get their jobs done.

To best provide that, do a thorough analysis of your business' Cloud use.

How are you using the Cloud in your business and what would an optimum Cloud service look like for you? Is your current Cloud use best matched to meet your needs?

Analyze Cloud Problems

Now is also a good time to analyze existing or potential Cloud problems.

Are users complaining of the Cloud being slow? Is your CRM not updating properly? Are you finding duplicate data in your data processing?

Don't stop with existing problems - look for potential problem areas too. The better prepared you are for any issues, the better solutions you can build.

Have a Troubleshooting Plan

Once you have your problem areas identified, you can set to drawing up a plan covering how these might be handled. Prepare for problems now, so that if they hit you'll know what to do.

For example, if you're worried about Cloud down time, work with your vendor to make sure there are procedures in place to lower down time.

Look for a Cloud service that is provided using more than one data center. If you're the one providing the service, consider how you make use of multiple data centers.

The same goes for backups.

What do you store or use in the Cloud, and what is your backup plan for if something goes awry? How often is your data backed up, by whom, and to where? How can you restore it?

Having a plan now will save you a lot of trouble in the long term.

Monitor Your Cloud

Many Cloud products offer a range of monitoring tools that you can use to monitor your Cloud deployment. The better you can get to grips with these, the better for your business.

Learn your way around how Cloud monitoring works for your specific products or services, so you can discover the most effective way to monitor your Cloud and deal with any issues as they arise.

Whether you have your Cloud from a vendor, or you are the one providing a Cloud service, good monitoring practices will help you to keep your Cloud running effectively, while minimizing problems.

Know Who's Responsible

If you want to raise your Cloud standards, everyone in your business needs to know who is responsible.

If something goes awry in the Cloud, who should they turn to? Who is responsible for making sure the Cloud runs as smoothly as possible, and what exactly are their responsibilities?

Never assume that the Cloud is someone else's problem.

Get clear on what is being done to troubleshoot and prevent problems, and whose job it is to do those things.

The Cloud is a versatile and cost effective tool both for your business and your customers.

With careful planning and willingness to learn more about your Cloud use, you can up your Cloud game and help your business run at its best.