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Issue link: http://sdi.epubxp.com/i/703941
60 Security Dealer & Integrator / www.SecurityInfoWatch.com July 2016 C loud-based applications are the central focus of technology development in general, and are quickly becoming the primary experience and expectation of end-users. at's why the future of your business will involve cloud-based applications. Evaluating a Soware as a Service (SaaS) cloud-based offering — whether related to traditional security technology functions, such as access control and video surveil- lance, or to an offering whose value lies outside the scope of traditional security applications — involves many important considerations for a security integrator. e risks involved when an integrator resells a cloud-based service can be several magnitudes greater than for a service that might be adopted internally for your com- pany's own use. e rewards can be higher too, which can make the risk considerations even more critical. As a reseller, you have a financial and reputation risk if the cloud service applica- tion becomes troublesome or fails, or if the company falls short on service. is makes it prudent to identify an alternative solu- tion as a fallback option, and why ease of use and an easy transition to an alternative offering are extremely important. ere are many checklists available online for evaluating cloud-based ser- vices. Unfortunately, most online and free checklists for cloud services do not include important considerations that a security integrator would have as a reseller or as a service provider. It is up to you to estab- lish whether or not the cloud-based system or application will live up to the custom- er's intended use of it, and that the ser- vice-provider's level of support to you will be sufficient for your needs in satisfying your customer. is third in a series of articles on cloud-based security systems presents several perspectives from which to eval- uate cloud services (Editor's Note: For the previous articles in this series, please see page 63; or visit the SD&I; issue archives at www.secdealer.com). Technology Focus How to Evaluate a Cloud-Based Service Embracing and identifying risks as a reseller are critical to success By Ray Bernard, PSP, CHS-III