Home topics technology Hot Tips Tech Hot Tips Choose the right cloud service provider by asking the right questions Guest Author November 24, 2011 In the second of a two-part guest article series , OBTs Shane Muller looks at the questions people don’t think of asking cloud providers, but should. 1. “Have you withstood multiple economic downturns?” The fall out from the dot com crash in the late ‘90s affected even the biggest IT companies, as did the global financial crisis. It’s vital to make sure that your provider has a proven track record in being able to survive a significant downturn in the economy. Understand that if you’re dealing with a large enterprise, you should seek clarity as to whether they have a long term strategy around cloud services, or whether it is the introduction of a new service because of it’s popularity in the marketplace. These are often the first to be pulled when times get tough. Knowing their internal KPI’s to ensure the longevity of the platform will be invaluable. 2. “Do you have a pioneering spirit?” In a few years’ time, your business will have moved on. So will technology, and you’ll want the benefit of that. It pays to check that your provider adopts a progressive approach when it comes to embracing technologies. Find out what your provider’s policy is with regards to testing and piloting new technologies. The last thing you want is to be stuck with an out of date system or a