Top 5 Questions You Should Ask Any Cloud Services Provider
Are you taking your enterprise content management (ECM) solution to the cloud?
by Glenn Gibson
Or maybe a better question is, “Have you considered taking your ECM solution to the cloud?”
If you have, chances are you have questions that center around one word:trust.
A proper cloud ECM provider will not shy away from direct conversations with you regarding trust.
So ask. And make sure you’re comfortable with the answers. And then ask a few more questions before selecting a cloud-based ECM provider. Questions like:
1. Who has access to my information and how are changes to my solution securely managed and audited?
Whether you manage your own servers or take advantage of cloud services, you need to know that your data is secure. For example, you should be able to verify that no unauthorized access has occurred inside or outside of the cloud application. In general, you want to make sure that content is secure from administrator access; it’s your content and only authorized individuals should have access.
Are there proper change management procedures? Do you have visibility into audit logs? Do you have encryption options that prevent anyone anywhere from viewing your content except through the application and with proper authentication? Does a trusted third-party auditor assure that the controls and processes to protect your data are followed? These are things you need to know.
2. What is the service providers’ data protection strategy?
Data is your most important asset. Your cloud provider should take both strategic and tactical steps to ensure your data is protected. This means redundant copies, multiple geographic locations, storage system security, online storage, and data integrity. You should ensure any cloud provider you evaluate offers this level of data protection.
continue reading »
