What consumers demand from cloud service providers

Beyond the hype that surrounded the mainstream entry into the market for cloud services, consumers have become more discerning and demanding about what they want in their provider of choice, setting the stage for a battle of value; which can only be better for the clients.

So what are these consumer expectations that are placed on the cloud service providers? In no particular order, my list from interactions with both consumers and service providers is: security, price, support, availability and ease of use (transactional transparency).

Cloud services offer the on demand access to one’s data, which has become necessary in today’s business environment in which decisions need to be made rapidly from an informed perspective.

This would also mean that should the data be compromised, a business would suffer irreparably.

Data encryption, access control and firewalling should form the baseline offerings on any service worth its salt when thinking security.

Value can be absolute or perceived and consumers are aware of this when interacting with technology products. Variable usage and pricing ranks highly only the list of wants by the consumer.

Unlike rent on a house that you pay whether or not you use the space, consumers want to pay only for what they use, when they use it with the caveat venditor that should they need more, it should be available on demand.

For the obvious reason that data drives business, consumers have

come to expect service level agreements that deliver on 99 per cent service uptime.

Providers who are serious the about enterprise and SME cloud market must make the necessary investments to make this level of guarantee.

Cloud has the connotation of “way out there” and this becomes even more apparent when there is a service outage and the consumer left to fend for themselves trying to figure out what went wrong.

True and stellar technical support, whether used when something goes wrong or ingrained in routine client maintenance should always be on the frontline once a consumer goes live.

Last on my list is transactional transparency, where consumers demand that all is laid bare in an easy-to-understand format what they are getting when they sign up. From price, service packages to expected turnaround times on support or other feedback, service providers must ensure that everything is addressed and in plain sight.

As adoption continues, service providers should expect increased consumer pressure to meet and even surpass their expectations.
Mbugua is CEO of Symbiotic. Twitter - @mbuguanjihia
Web – www.mbuguanjihia.com