How to Monitor Cloud Services: Some Suggestions

There is a rise in organizations availing of cloud services. Service providers will be the ones to look after the service and ensure everything is running smoothly. But it pays to be extra sure. Formulating your own cloud monitoring strategy adds to your confidence in the service provider. It also allows you to raise concerns to them with valid proof. Knowing cloud monitoring best practices and planning your cloud monitoring strategy have its benefits. It lets you develop how to monitor cloud services now, and in the future, if you wish to stay with your service provider.

How to Monitor Cloud Services: What are You Monitoring?

            You’ll have to qualify and quantify what’s being monitored. Cloud monitoring best practices include identifying metrics of what you are expecting to get from your cloud service. Key performance indicators (KPIs) are identified so that your cloud monitoring strategy can also be given direction. In forming your KPIs, be mindful of why your company acquired the service, and what are expected outcomes at an identified period. To know how to monitor cloud services mean knowing what to measure.

How to Monitor Cloud Services: When are You Monitoring?

            Cloud monitoring best practices don’t have to happen all the time. If you use cloud storage, you don’t have to guard the storage capacity every single day, week, or month. To know how to monitor cloud services mean identifying the most opportune times to gather data for KPIs. Pinpoint specific events for cloud monitoring strategy employment. End of the quarter, perhaps? Or does your company follow certain cycles? Are there times when the cloud service was used heavily? Were there security breaches and cloud services were used extensively for backup and protection? Think of these specific events when cloud monitoring strategy execution should happen.

How to Monitor Cloud Services: Is Money Well Spent?

            To employ strategies on how to monitor cloud services should include financial analysis, too. Are you getting enough of what you are paying for? Cloud monitoring best practices include taking a look at how costs stack up. This includes identifying added fees for certain cloud services, like expanding storage space or adding SaaS features. A good cloud monitoring strategy would also utilize user-to-cost comparison. This simply means asking how many are using the service and will increasing or decreasing this number affect the total cost. Though cloud services are truly cheaper than employing an IT team, it still pays to make cost comparisons as part of cloud monitoring best practices.

How to Monitor Cloud Services: How are the Users?

            It pays to ask around, too. Cloud monitoring best practices would include everyone who uses the cloud service. Allowing them to also give feedback is a cloud monitoring strategy that will let you gather additional info. Take note that this info is mostly ones that you won’t know on your end. Clients who used a helpdesk might have some valuable words on how efficient, or inefficient, customer service was through the cloud. End-user evaluation will bring a new dimension to cloud monitoring best practices. Involving them in how to monitor cloud services sends them a message that they are part of the process, too. It makes them think that their opinion is valued and that they contribute to the cloud monitoring strategy.

How to Monitor Cloud Services: What Happens If…

            An trial-and-error the run could possibly be included in cloud monitoring best practices. This cloud monitoring strategy lets you experience emergencies and contingencies firsthand. Instead of merely asking your cloud service provider what could happen in an unforeseen event, you get to see it and prepare for it. You can also notify your third-party provider that you are “messing with the system” for evaluation purposes. That way, you can see how they respond, how your company reacts, and how the cloud system stands as well. It will also let you formulate how to monitor cloud services in case failures are not appeased. This may sound like a dangerous strategy, but if pulled off perfectly, it gives better perspectives on cloud monitoring best practices.

How to Monitor Cloud Services: Conclusion

            Following cloud monitoring best practices and coming up with your own cloud monitoring strategy empowers you further as a service recipient. This allows you and your company to reap further the benefits of cloud computing. Think of a cloud monitoring strategy as a means to get more for what you pay for. Cloud monitoring best practices let you have a voice in how you are enjoying the service. Think of it as a way to help your cloud service provider, too. They might also need a hand in creating their own cloud monitoring strategy, and see you as a source of cloud monitoring best practices.

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