How to choose the right cloud hosting partner?

Choosing a cloud hosting partner largely determines the stability, security and agility of your entire IT environment. There are many cloud providers and the differences are sometimes subtle, but they are often crucial.

It's important to look beyond just price or technology. What you're looking for is a partner who thinks along with, supports and evolves with your organization.

The 8 criteria below help you make a future-proof choice. They are based on industry best practices, combined with our own experiences in the market.

1. Technological flexibility: no one-size-fits-all

Your cloud environment must meet your needs, not the other way around. So choose a partner that has experience with multiple platforms instead of one fixed ecosystem.

This is how you can:

• opt for open-source virtualization (such as ProxMox) when costs, transparency, and flexibility are important to you
• go for proven enterprise technology such as VMware, when you need specific high-end features

It is important that a partner is not pushy towards one supplier, but puts your situation first. This requires technical expertise and independent advice.

2. Scalability and redundancy: does your cloud grow with you without risks?

A good cloud environment must respond to growth, such as more computing power, extra storage, additional network segments, etc., without complex migrations. At the same time, this growth should never come at the expense of availability.

Therefore, pay attention to:

• automatic failover mechanisms
• redundant storage systems
• a cluster architecture that minimizes downtime

A partner that integrates this from the beginning prevents you from having to deal with crucial problems with infrastructure yourself.

3. Management and support: who really helps you when it comes down to it?

The best technology is useless if there's no one to help when things go wrong.

Therefore, look for a partner who:

• has local expertise (instead of anonymous offshore support)
• is available 24/7, with engineers who know your environment
• offers both ad-hoc interventions and proactive monitoring

Partners who work with a limited but specialized team often offer a much more personal and faster service than major international providers.

4. Safety and compliance: a solid foundation

Security isn't an extra, it's the core of modern cloud hosting.

Ask for:

• encryption of data in transit and that rest
• network segmentation (microsegmentation, VLAN separation)
• multilayer firewalls
• identity & access management with MFA
• backup and disaster recovery procedures
• reporting and logging

A good partner doesn't wait for you to ask, but builds safety in as astandard and works proactively.

5. Managed services: how much work do you want to do yourself?

Some organizations want complete peace of mind, others prefer to keep part of the management in their own hands.

The best partners offer multiple options:

• fully managed services: hypervisor, backups, monitoring, updates, security, incident response
• partially managed services: you decide which parts you outsource
• own management: you do the operational tasks, your cloud provider takes care of the infrastructure

Flexibility is important here, especially in growing organizations. Your internal IT team must be able to focus on business, not maintenance.

6. Local presence: faster, more human, more reliable

Cloud doesn't have to mean distance. On the contrary: companies that are locally anchored can switch faster, build real relationships and better understand the context of your organization.

Think about:

• on-site interventions when needed
• one fixed point of contact that knows your infrastructure inside out
• no frustration with tickets that have to go through a certain hierarchy

A personal approach ultimately ensures higher reliability and greater trust.

7. Certificates and partnerships: proof of expertise

Everyone can say they are “experts”, but certifications and vendor partnerships also prove it effectively.

Look at:

• official partnerships with key technology providers
• certifications in various domains
• experience with reference projects in your sector
• experts with proven specializations

If necessary, check with vendors and ask for their opinion about specific partners.

8. Predictable costs: no surprises

When it comes to cloud and costs, things often go awry when it comes to transparency: hidden fees, unclear licenses, variable prices without warning, etc.

A reliable cloud partner:

• works with clear, predictable pricing models
• offers options with and without licensing fees (e.g., Proxmox versus VMware)
• ensures that your costs scale with your use, not with expensive vendor lock-ins
• helps you think about designing your cloud environment cost-efficiently

This way, you not only get certainty, but also a grip on your long-term strategy.