Here's how you can use decision making skills to select the ideal Cloud Computing service provider.

One thing I have found helpful before selecting a cloud computing service provider is not to be bias. Remember that cloud is just a virtualised network and datacenter. This means that ensure you understand the clients requirement, needs and business goals before designing an architect. When designing your architect for a business, the least of your concern should be selecting the right cloud computing service and more of meeting your clients needs. This way whatever cloud computing service you choose is tailored to your client needs. Keep in mind; Be cloud agnostic.

One thing I have found helpful before selecting a cloud computing service provider is not to be bias. Remember that cloud is just a virtualised network and datacenter. This means that ensure you understand the clients requirement, needs and business goals before designing an architect. When designing your architect for a business, the least of your concern should be selecting the right cloud computing service and more of meeting your clients needs. This way whatever cloud computing service you choose is tailored to your client needs. Keep in mind; Be cloud agnostic.

Evaluate and identify your requirements by determining the specific services that you need (IaaS,PaaS,SaaS) . Understand your applications and workloads that you plan to move to cloud.Assess and specify performance , level of scalability and availability requirements. Don't neglect security such as firewall and compliance features. Determine the goals you want to achieve with your cloud adoption such as cost reduction , agility , innovation etc.

Research the leading cloud service providers of the market such as AWS,GCP,Azure etc.Study and compare their offerings , strength and their market presence. Do look for reviews and testimonials from other customers.Read various case studies according to your use case and industry.

Prepare a list of evaluation criteria such as: - Performance : Assess provider's infra and service performance. - Security : Evaluate security measures , compliance certification and data protection policies. - Scalability : Check the providers ability to scale service according to your growing need - Reliability : Check service uptime , SLAs and disaster management plan - Cost : Analyze pricing models, total cost of ownership and cost management tools. - Support : Evaluate the quality and availability of customer support Other than this create a scoring system and: - Assign weights to each criterion based on their importance to your org - Score each provider against these criteria

You want to make sure that, when choosing a cloud provider, there is a operational fit within the running and operation of your business. The platform and services provided should work cohesively with your software and applications. If your business runs on special or custom-built software, ensure they are going to run smoothly on the infrastructure provided by the provider. This involves assessing probable migration issues for data or how the provider may help ensure a seamless transition. Besides, careful checking of compatibility in advance will help forestall the complications and increase the efficiency and effectiveness of your cloud migration strategy, thereby saving your business operations from disruptions.

Ask yourself what capabilities you want and what tradeoffs you're willing to make. If your office apps are integrated with Microsoft it will be an easier option especially for windows workloads. If you are more analytical heavy you possibly tend to Google, if you are a subscriber of google workspace its Google again. That is a dependency perspective, risk, trust etc.

As the Cloud business are headed towards commoditization, the listed below are few high level steps you can take to leverage the speed, agility and flexibility of the Cloud Platforms - - Assess - the needs of infrastructure, applications, databases and security. - Evaluate costs - based off long term vision. Compare services - by studying the differences and nuances of how it will fit to you business goals and needs. - Checking compatibility - with existing software and applications. - Test the flexibility - by checking scope of customization, integration and support ability. Other mentions include open source choices, avoiding vendor lock-ins, building simplified, scalable, secure and resilient architectures.

I recommend prioritizing SECURITY above all else. You have to pick between the leaders in the field of security: Microsoft, AWS, or Google, as they dominate the security landscape. If you need an EU-based provider, consider OVH. I wouldn’t consider providers outside this list, except for minor and non-critical applications. While they might not be the cheapest options, cybersecurity is often a critical threat for companies. No compromises allowed.