To many people the term “cloud computing” is still a nebulous concept. To many it simply means an internet based service offering. Cloud computing does rely on the internet for services that can be managed through a simple web browser based interface. It can be further categorized into Platform as a Service (PaaS), Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) and Software as a Service (SaaS). Typical examples of SaaS are Google Docs and Office 365. Rackspace Hosting and Amazon typify IaaS, offering you a ready hardware solution in a flexible way. PaaS offerings from the best cloud host providers comprise of, for example, Windows Azure, Linux or other managed operating systems. For many, the starting point of cloud computing is to go in for cloud host services that offer any or all of these services in an elastic, flexible, pay-as-you-go scheme. The service providers set up and offer you a ready platform of hardware and software. If you are looking for IaaS or PaaS offerings, you must know that not all service providers offer the same range, pricing or flexibility and you may have to evaluate and compare features to select one that fits your objectives.
Evaluate the cloud host service provider in terms of data security and data accessibility, the methods of encryption options, location of servers and support.
Consider the degree of control the best cloud host provider allows you. If you opt for PaaS, most service providers do not give a great degree of control to users and you must know whether their platforms will support and run the applications you need for your business.
Pricing is the other important criterion. Some of the best cloud host services charge by the hour, some may have instance based charges and others may offer flexible payment for usage charges. For PaaS offerings, you could take a look at Windows Azure and Amazon EC2 that are said to be better than Rackspace, which is better in the IaaS sphere.
Performance is another factor that defines the best cloud host. As a user, you would expect access to be fast anytime, from anywhere, using any device. Storage IO, quality of servers and bandwidth will all have a bearing on the quality of performance. If you have stored data, you would expect them to make background arrangements for secure storage and access. As a user, you are not concerned if a server is down; all you want is access and it should be there.
Next you would want to have serve level agreements in place to give you a degree of assurance of the quality. Then you must have support available anytime. This is where the best cloud host providers shine and develop a reputation. See if cloud hosts allow a trial period so you can deploy and run applications in a real world environment to check reliability, speed, performance and security of your operations.
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