With the need to keep systems running efficiently, choosing the right enterprise host is crucial. There are a lot of good providers but, equally, there are some that aren’t so good. So following a few basic rules can help you to avoid making the wrong choice.

1. Don’t go for the cheapest option. There is stiff competition and providers may reduce prices to gain business. However, you need to ask yourself how they’ve done this. If it’s at the expense of profits, this will limit their ability to invest in equipment. If it’s achieved by cutting costs, this may mean there is less technical support, infrequent backups or fewer engineers. Either way, this will lead to a poorer service now or in the future. And since the success of enterprise hosting is based on an efficient, reliable and flexible service, cheapest is most definitely not best.
2. Be wary of excessive claims. Some providers may claim 100 percent uptime and, although this is very desirable, it may be difficult or impossible to achieve. Check all claims carefully and talk to existing customers if you can to see what their experience is. Before you sign anything, get some Service Level Agreements in place so that your provider is committed to actual standards rather than vague claims.
3. Get the emphasis right. Many providers will describe the features of their data centers, quoting capacities, speeds, throughput and the like. But data center services are a commodity these days and all the figures may be broadly similar. What you are interested in is the breadth of service they provide. Your requirements will not be the same as everyone else’s and so you need to be sure that you can choose the aspects that are right for you.
4. Don’t fall for the hype. The glossy brochures and websites are full of marketing jargon and technology buzzwords that seem impressive but often have no substance. You need to look behind the words and see what’s really on offer. A company that talks to you in plain language might be a good start.
5. Go for specialization. For some companies, helping businesses develop, manage and run their IT infrastructure is their main aim in life while for others it is no more than a sideline. Into this latter category come some hardware manufacturers, such as Dell and HP, where the hosting operation may be just an extension of hardware sales. Although these companies are familiar with their own hardware, they will know nothing of your systems or aims. Some of them don’t have the best of reputations in the way they deal with their hardware customers and will hardly be any better for hosting.
6. Look at the whole deal. The hosted service may only form part of your company’s total system and there is likely to be a need to transfer data between the different parts. It is important, therefore, that your hosting partner can look at the system as a whole in order to be able to advise what should and should not be hosted, and to cover the integration of all elements.
7. Don’t underestimate the service element. Although a lot of claims for hosting services are based on the quality of the equipment, the major difference is often the support service behind it. You need to be sure that a genuine 24-hour service is available and is provided by enough staff with the right experience, skills and commitment. Check how questions and problems are reported and dealt with.
8. Avoid committing to long contracts with no get-out clause. No matter how good things appear to be, they can go wrong and you need an alternative if they do. Watch for hidden fees and high cancellation charges.
9. Trust your instincts. At the most basic level, you are dealing with people and need to be able to work with them long-term. If they appear to be genuine, they often are and what they are saying may well be the truth.

As stated at the start, there are a lot of good providers around. If you ask the right questions, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t find the one that’s right for you.

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