In the horse race of cloud computing, how do you pick the stayer from the nag? The stallion from the gelding?

When not constructing metaphors spanning equine sports and enterprise software (a pointless vocation with few prospects), in my day job I have the pleasure of helping clients navigate their way through the pre-race field of preening cloud vendors and their flighty solutions.

Invariably the clients’ IT departments furnish them with a dusted-off standard checklist for evaluating new software offerings, covering the usual points around functionality, usability, reliability, performance, security, support and the like. In the rapidly evolving world of cloud computing, however, these checklists, while definitely necessary, are insufficient.

Public cloud solutions are typically well presented, with the underlying technology shrouded in very pretty user interfaces and sophisticated APIs. With the application’s code and database being hosted elsewhere, and the purchase often made without the involvement of the IT department, it’s all too easy to omit the detailed design checks that have been routine in the evaluation of on-premise systems for decades. On a positive note, the constant enhancement paradigm offered by public cloud solutions (as opposed to the optional, infrequent upgrades of traditionally purchased software) presents a huge opportunity for customers to ride a wave of continual improvement if they choose the right vendors and products.

To meet these challenges, over the coming weeks I’ll detail here some important evaluation criteria aimed specifically to help with the procurement of cloud technologies. Armed with these tricks, you’ll improve the odds of placing your wager on the firm favourite every time.