What do your customers expect when you offer Cloud Computing Services?

There are various considerations to take into account when establishing your own cloud computing service; the most important is arguably meeting customer expectations. As with any business, your primary concern should be in securing your potential assets; in this case, your assets are your clients. But what exactly are 'cloud computing' customers looking for? 2010 was a booming year in the world of cloud computing, multiple well-known companies were developing and launching their own services. This year however, experts are predicting unprecedented growth in the cloud computing arena; and with all this new growth there will be growing pains to deal with. The full range of applications for cloud services has not been fully explored yet, by either techies or consumers. As a result, specific client expectations are still up for debate. There are a few things that remain constant however; they are security, availability and flexibility.

What customers expect

• Security
• Availability
• Adaptability
• Customer service

There are essentially two different groups that you are marketing your cloud computing services to; individuals and businesses. Both of these groups have their own concerns and desires that you must address individually. Businesses are not going to utilize cloud computing services in the same manner as individuals; they are going to require larger volumes of bandwidth, consistent speeds at all hours and specialized security. Individuals are concerned about these items as well, but they're most likely using cloud services on a limited scale. Most individual users are more apt to utilize cloud computing for entertainment or personal purposes and not strictly business.

Security

Whether or not you're providing services for individuals or businesses security is a big concern. This must include a system of guidelines, technologies and other control elements that work together to ensure the highest level of safety that is possible. This must include high-level encryption, data segregation, and advanced identity management technologies.

Availability

If your service is frequently or completely unavailable, you run the risk of losing business. The momentum behind cloud computing literally falls apart the instant that availability becomes an issue; the success of cloud computing hinges on its ability to provide access that is comparable to that of local hardware.

Adaptability

The technological race isn't slowing down; in fact, it's speeding up dramatically. As cloud computing becomes more commonplace companies will need to be flexible enough to offer support for emerging devices and technologies. This also extends into the arena of software; your company's ability to integrate new software developments in a timely manner cannot be underestimated (since most current cloud computing systems are based on some type of software interface).

Customer Service

Because cloud computing is in its infancy, you should anticipate any number of problems arising in the future. Your company's ability to transition to a well established business will rest largely on the shoulders of your customer service department. Developing a strong business reputation is essential within the tech world. Even if your developments are met with a certain level of failure, your potential customer base can still be salvaged with an excellent customer service support staff. As such, you should strongly consider only hiring extremely knowledgeable employees for this department; i.e. people that not only know what they're talking about, but can also deal with and solve problems on a customer to customer basis. A great way to identify potential problem areas is to establish a board or forum where customers can directly voice their concerns; in this way you can simply go down the list and improve your service one step at a time.

If you are able to successfully manage all of the aforementioned elements then you stand an excellent chance of developing your company into a powerhouse business. Try to focus on all known elements first and then, once firmly established, begin to accumulate tactics for dealing with 'wild card' elements. Over time you'll gain a much greater understanding of what your client's expectations are, and how to best meet or exceed them.

Check out the Cloud Computing Certification Page for more learning opportunities around Cloud Computing