Infrastructure as a service (IaaS) is rapidly gaining attention as a cost-effective alternative for companies concerned about controlling IT costs without sacrificing productivity or service levels. But making the transition can represent a sea change, so selecting an infrastructure as a service vendor must be done with care.

IaaS transforms your operation. You can move infrastructure to the cloud rather than housing and maintaining it yourself. Providers offer an array of computing, storage and  networking, database and application development services. It’s like having a remote working partner, and it’s a long-term relationship. You need the right vendor and the right package of services to create a comfortable, profitable fit.

Working with an infrastructure as a service vendor enables you to concentrate on core business development and revenue-generating activities. You can save money on capital investment in hardware and costs of adding “commodity” equipment, software, upgrades, maintenance, support, labor, supplies, space and overhead needed to manage an internal data centers.

But you need to do your research.

Consider these factors when choosing an infrastructure as a service vendor:

• Look for a provider that can easily accommodate your current volumes and also ensure the scalability to meet seasonal or fluctuating demand as well as support company growth.
• Look for flexibility to configure and control server instances. You should be able to focus on developing applications and using them rather than system configuration.
• You can demand tight security from an infrastructure as a service vendor, but protect yourself by understanding exactly how each provider handles security.
• Uptime guarantees can differ for computing and storage and refunds for outages can differ. SLAs should ensure the provider’s priorities match yours -- “five nines” uptime that ensures your company functions smoothly, virtually all the time.
• Insist on 24/7 customer support.
• Stability counts, especially with many new providers appearing on the scene. Pick a vendor that’s fiscally strong enough to stay in business and support your organization with excellent, ongoing customer service, even as your company grows.
• Try to avoid minimum contract periods or potential portability issues that could become problematic later on.
• Check provider references.  Make sure you ask how satisfied the reference is with how the provider handles problems.
• Pricing structures aren’t standardized so they can be difficult to compare. Be sure you understand exactly what’s covered and how you’ll pay for it.

You can’t make well-reasoned decisions without first performing a thorough assessment of your existing IT infrastructure services. Determining your current status gives you data against which to compare each potential infrastructure as a service vendor. Benchmark things like:

• Total cost of ownership of your current system.
• Ongoing operations costs, including support and staffing levels.
• Efficiency gaps.
• Services you currently deliver.
• Opportunities to improve service levels or expand services.
• How you’re using IT personnel now and how you might beneficially redeploy them.

You’ll want to identify all technical and business requirements in detail, too – number of instances, volume of incoming data, network customization, etc. – so you can discuss your needs with each prospective vendor.  

Getting professional help can save time and money.

This is a good time to consult with IT professionals who have a wealth of knowledge and expertise in both IT infrastructure management and the current Infrastructure-as-a-Service market. They can help conduct your internal assessment and evaluate the results. They’ll help you ask the right questions so you don’t inadvertently overlook something that could be important later on. And they’ll help you fully explore the pros, cons and subtleties of various provider services, including the hidden costs of managing your provider(s).

Lifting IT into the cloud can provide tremendous benefits. But it’s critical to have a complete baseline of your existing IT infrastructure services, so that you can compare and choose the infrastructure as a service vendor that can best match your company’s needs now and support your growth in the future.