How to Choose a Cloud Provider

If your organization is planning a move to the cloud this year, choosing a provider from among hundreds available can be the most difficult part. How do you narrow down the field? In this article, Jesse Anderson, managing director of the Big Data Institute, provides guidelines to help you find a cloud provider that meets your company’s specific needs.

Understanding your use case is key. Providers employ different technologies, and if your organization is tackling big data problems at scale, those differences can be critical. There are also logistical concerns: How difficult will it be to train your staff on the provider’s technologies? Who in your company will be responsible for the many moving parts? How do you deal with vendor lock-in?

With the guidelines in this article, you’ll learn how to distinguish among the capabilities of various cloud providers and then fine-tune your decision process by homing in on questions related to your particular use case.