During the 2012 Consumerization of IT Conference & Expo, Terri McClure, ESG Senior Analyst, gave a presentation on Online File Sharing & Collaboration in the Enterprise that included a useful list of key criteria for evaluating cloud vendors for file sharing. Most of these criteria can apply to many, if not all, cloud services as well.
- File Sharing Base Functionality
- Sync, Share, Search, Collaborate, Endpoint Device Support
- Pricing Models
- Seat-based, Capacity-Based, or Hybrid; All Inclusive or Chargeable Add-ons
- Deployment Models
- Public Cloud-Based, Hybrid, or Software and Services
- Administration and Control
- Integration with Existing IT Applications & Tools
- Sharing and Collaboration Tools
- User and Group Quotas
- Ease of Provisioning and De-Provisioning
- Audit Reports
- Availability & Support
- Single Data Center or Multiple
- Remote Replication
- File Versioning (How Many?)
- Self-Service Restore
- Backup and Contingency Plans
- Phone or E-mail Support
- Response Times, SLA
- Security
- Data Encrypted in Flight and At Rest
- Remote “Wipe” Capability
- Data Center Certifications
- Integration with Mobile Device Management Solutions
- HIPAA, PCI, FINRA, Safe Harbor
This list is a good starting point for considering a migration of email services to the cloud. However, email has its own unique challenges and considerations. Two Sendmail whitepapers give insights into the challenges and questions you should be asking when investigating a cloud email migration:
