Cloud migration requires technical knowledge and the help of people who have been doing this for a long time. So, companies often rely on cloud consultancy for a smooth transition. They are also a great help in taking cloud-based decisions
The services of a cloud consulting company do not end there.
They can also help train employees so that the value of the new changes is felt by everyone in the company.
Let’s get to know them deeper
What are the services of a cloud consulting company?
- Build robust cloud applications that can increase the efficiency of the workflow
- Help you in choosing the right cloud strategy
- Analyzing the cloud readiness of the company and suggesting the adequate action
- Help you in optimizing the cost of cloud migration, implementation, and training
- Creating a roadmap for infrastructure management
- Cloud migration is a vulnerable situation. An expert consultant must be able to detect the loose end and seal it off before any unexpected events
- Making sure that the cloud environment is both fast and secure.
- Integrating cloud services into the company’s existing platform
How to choose a good cloud consulting company?
There are plenty of companies out there, which can help you with cloud migration. But, choosing the right one who will not waste your time and money is hard to find.
Here are some tips that could help you in choosing a cloud consulting company/cloud consultant.
Track Record
Search deep on the internet and look for reviews about the company. Also, look for their clients and if possible, talk to a few and get an idea about their work.
This might sound a bit harsh. But it’s always recommended to grill your cloud consultant with questions beforehand.
This will shed light on their knowledge and expertise and will give you confidence in moving on.
Having a clear idea of the company’s requirement
First, you must have a clear understanding of your requirements. You must know what issue you are trying to solve at present and how the cloud can help you get out of this situation.
Here are some of the questions you need to answer to get hold of the requirement
- What’s the budget for this project?
- Does the business need end-to-end cloud integration or partial changes?
- Does your company already have a cloud provider, such as AWS, in mind? Does the consultant you’re looking for have what it takes to make it possible?
- What kind of services do we need, and for how long?
- Do you require support following implementation?
Taking care of your needs
Each client is unique, so does their needs. A cloud consultant must be able to offer tailor-made solutions to clients.
For instance, some companies need end-to-end transformation starting from hardware. While some might only need software-related requirements.
So gauging the scope is a must-have skill a cloud consultant/cloud consulting company should possess.
Communication ability
Even simple tasks, like sending an email, are often made harder by businesses in order to add layers to the process and make it seem more complicated.
Most of the time, this is because the company doesn’t know how to help you.
Or they might be trying to stretch the project so that they can charge you a lot more.
Another classic dilemma is when consulting companies confuse their clients.
They do this through complicated project plans and strategies that, most of the time, do not make any sense.
If these occur, it’s better to avoid the company. So it’s always recommended to look for companies that offer quick, clear, and to-the-point communication right from the start.
Compliance Knowledge
Information in the cloud, especially for businesses that work with customers in other countries. They have to comply with certain security standards.
Big cloud providers like AWS and Azure say they will follow GDPR in data handling.
But what about other rules like HIPAA (in the U.S.) and PCI compliance for anyone who handles online payments?
Make sure your business is safe by asking your cloud consulting company about their knowledge of compliance norms.
Data storage
Every cloud computing consultant’s first and most important task is to back up their data, but it is important to check how far they go.
It’s always safe to keep a copy of the data before performing the cloud migration.
Also, it’s important to ask how they plan to bring this backup back to life.
Must certifications of a Cloud Consultant
A cloud consultant certification proves that they know what they’re doing when it comes to cloud computing.
This is a big reason for an IT decision-maker to hire a cloud consultant. Having certification as a cloud consultant on your resume would make you stand out and make sure you get paid more.
If you wish to go with a company instead, go through the profiles of people who are working for them.
Some of the best courses for getting certified in cloud computing are:
- AWS Certified Solutions Architect
- Google-certified professional cloud architect
- AWS Certified SysOps Administrator
- Microsoft Certified Azure Solutions Architect
- CCSP Certified Cloud Security Professional
A cloud consulting company must be able to fulfill needs such as
- Time is money in the IT business. A consulting company must work within the given timeframe and help you with production and deployment
- Using optimization tools to create cloud resources and make sure they are being used efficiently.
- Siloed data and workflows can be easily straightened by a good cloud consultant. So that there will be less disagreement about methods and practices, and it will be easier to know when resources will be available. Because of this, engineering teams will be more productive and infrastructure costs go down by a lot.
- Before putting their development and cloud migration work into the live environment, consultants should use usage sandboxes to try out and test their work.
- Also, cloud-based solutions can make it easier for employees who work away from a central office to get tools and information. Teams can access, edit, and share documents from anywhere with cloud-based software like Microsoft 365. With hosted VoIP, they can also make and receive calls whenever they want.
- Cloud consultants must be able to assess the existing requirement and infrastructure and come up with a roadmap that would make the process smooth.
Final Note…
We hope that you got an idea about the kind of help a cloud consulting company or a cloud consultant can give you in the smooth transition from the existing platform to the cloud.
Cloud computing is indeed a boon; however, if you are in the clutches of someone who doesn’t know about what they are doing, it can turn out to be disastrous. So it’s always good to do your research before picking up your cloud consultant.
