Since the cloud infrastructure is entirely owned, managed, and monitored by the service provider, it transfers minimal control over to the customer.
To varying degrees (depending on the particular service), cloud users may find they have less control over the function and execution of services within a cloud-hosted infrastructure. A cloud provider’s end-user license agreement (EULA) and management policies might impose limits on what customers can do with their deployments. Customers retain control of their applications, data, and services, but may not have the same level of control over their backend infrastructure.
Best practices for maintaining control and flexibility
- Consider using a cloud provider partner to help with implementing, running, and supporting cloud services.
- Understand your responsibilities and the responsibilities of the cloud vendor in the shared responsibility model to reduce the chance of omission or error.
- Make time to understand your cloud service provider’s basic level of support. Will this service level meet your support requirements? Most cloud providers offer additional support tiers over and above the basic support for an additional cost.
- Make sure you understand the SLA concerning the infrastructure and services you’re going to use and how that will impact your agreements with your customers.