Moving to the cloud might mean big changes to the way you run your business, from the way you access your data to the way you contact your colleagues and clients.  Implementing a cloud strategy for your real estate business will need a lot of planning.

Here are three things to consider before setting up your new cloud solution.

Public or Private?

One of the biggest decisions you’ll need to make is the type of cloud solution your business will need. There are three options – public, private or a hybrid services.

A public service means that all your company data and apps are stored on a server that is shared with other businesses and is usually provided on a pay on how much you use basis. Public cloud solutions provide almost unlimited scalability; pay on demand basis means that you can be assured that all your bills will be cost effective. Sharing a large server with other companies means the cost of services can be lower.  Public services have a great number of servers, leading to greater reliability.

Private cloud services mean you don’t share apps or servers with other businesses. This may be a better option if your real estate company deals with a lot of sensitive data. Prices can be higher, but the private cloud is easier to tailor to your specific real estate needs and with the technological advancements made in this field, this could be a big bonus. All other services work on the same basis as the public cloud.

A hybrid cloud uses a mix of private and public services meaning you can use the best of both platforms and make it work better for your real estate needs. It’s cheaper than the private cloud, with prices ranging to fit your needs.

Security

Before you commit to a vendor, make sure you thoroughly check out their levels of security. Keeping your data safe is one of the most vital elements of any business, especially those that keep sensitive customer data on file. Vendors should use measures such as encrypting your data both in motion and at rest and carry out threat analysis procedures regularly.

Another aspect to check is where the vendor has their backup data centers. They should be in a different location to their live centers. Check their plans for backups, system failures and recovery times as these are all things your business needs to know to run smoothly.

Vendors

Deciding on a vendor is critical. Make sure their contract covers your needs more than it covers theirs! Avoid contracts that mean you’re locked into their services and check the reviews to make sure they are a properly established company.

Other things you will need to look at include the pricing policy. Make you understand it and check for hidden costs like fees for adding extra users in the event of company growth, exceeding data limit charges and service changes.  Ask if you will get regular system checks, if they have any planned downtime and if there is a refund policy in place for lengthy unplanned downtime.

Deciding which type of cloud solution is best for your business can be tricky.  Let Stratosphere Networks help.  Contact us and learn about all your cloud options and how they will work to improve your business.