Moving to the cloud usually means one of two things: replacing software you run yourself with a subscription service (Microsoft 365 instead of an email server, online accounting instead of a desktop package), or moving your own servers into a provider’s data centre (Azure, AWS, Google Cloud or a local host). Either can save money and hassle. Either can go badly if a few questions aren’t answered first.
1. Where will our data be stored?
Most big providers let you choose the region your data is stored in, and most have regions in or near the major economies. If you have contracts or laws that require data to stay in your country or region (common in finance, health and government work, and under data-protection rules such as the GDPR), confirm the region in writing, and check where backups and support staff are too.
2. What will it cost in year three?
Subscription and usage pricing is easy to start and easy to grow. Ask for an estimate that includes storage growth, backups, data transfer out of the cloud, and price rises. Compare that to the cost of replacing your current servers, not just running them.
3. Who is responsible for what?
Cloud providers run the infrastructure; you’re still responsible for who has access, how accounts are secured, and your data. This is often called the shared responsibility model. Make sure someone, in-house or a provider, owns your side of it.
4. Is our data backed up?
Many subscription services keep your data available but don’t protect you from deletions, a compromised account or ransomware syncing through. Ask whether you need a separate backup, as many businesses do for Microsoft 365.
5. How do we get our data back out?
Find out the export format, how long it takes, and what it costs to leave. Data you can’t easily move is a lock-in risk.
6. What happens when the internet goes down?
If your office internet fails, cloud services are unreachable from there. Consider a backup connection (a 4G or 5G failover is common) for staff who can’t work offline.
7. Who will do the migration, and how will we test it?
Ask for a plan that covers a trial run, a cut-over date with a fallback, and how staff will be trained. Migrations that skip testing are the ones that end up in the news.
Next step
Browse cloud and hosting providers in the directory, and ask each to answer these seven questions for your business.
