As more companies see the benefit of moving their IT to the cloud, the issue of transparency is an important one if firms are to trust of the technology and those providing it.

According to cloud specialists Node4, for a company to gain the operational benefits of outsourcing their IT, they must be fully aware of the service they are receiving, and have control over each element of it. This isn’t an idea, however, that everyone subscribes to.

Paul Bryce, Business Development Director at Node4, said, “Before signing up to any supply contract, it is essential that a user finds out not just what service levels are being offered, but also how the provider is proposing to deliver them, and – most importantly of all - what will happen in case of a failure. It is paramount that users should receive the levels of service their businesses require and be fully informed about what that entails. The fact that some suppliers aren’t open about their service in this way is wholly unacceptable and will lead to a service mismatch, which in many cases can be damaging.

Node4’s cloud platform, n4Cloud makes use of the n4Portal which give users, including resellers, the ability to manage and administer various parts of their service. It gives them continual visibility of their cloud service and grants the flexibility to engage each component when necessary. Andrew believes that this approach is an integral part of offering a transparent product.

He said, “What we see happening in the cloud is a more bespoke or hybrid approach to how it’s adopted by businesses. Because of this, it’s more important than ever before that customers are aware of what they are paying for, enabling them to continually assess their costs and level of service. Our n4Portal is just one way of helping our customers to do that but when their business needs change, companies should be able to make the relevant changes to their IT to reflect this.”