What’s My Bottom Line? That means figure out what solutions you want to outsource and do your homework – do you need a cloud provider that can offer standard compliance? Do they have experience with the kind of cloud service you want?

How Transparent is that Cloud? As a customer or a partner, you should be able to find out about your prospective cloud platform’s security architecture. Logicalis recommends seeking a copy of their Statement on Auditing Standards No. 70 (SAS 70), the audit controls that ensure they meet government and industry requirements.

Where’s the Security Guard? This just means making sure your internal security is as good as the cloud providers, and that they mesh well. It doesn’t matter how secure the cloud provider is if your network is vulnerable.

Is It Legal? Make sure that whatever you put in the cloud is condoned by laws and regulations. If the cloud provider won’t commit to your audit request, that’s a huge warning sign that they’re not actually meeting compliance guidelines.

What’s the Address? As before, sometimes where the data is physically stored is just as important as how the data is secured. Government agencies especially require their data to have some kind of residency requirement in a specific jurisdiction.

Are They the Lone Ranger? Make sure that when you choose to partner with a cloud provider, that they’re willing to be a partner right back to you. Do they have references? Are they likely to go bankrupt in the next six months? Are they willing to sit down and listen to your concerns? If not, it might not be a healthy relationship to jump into.