Cloud · Independent Technology Advisor
Cloud computing solutions in Seattle, WA
Choose cloud services around the work your business needs to do. Caisson helps you compare service models, providers, costs, and responsibilities before deciding what should stay, move, or change.
A 30-minute initial advisory conversation with Brian Wade, Founder & Principal Advisor. What happens in a Technology Assessment?
You can begin with one application, an aging server, a renewal, or a broader cloud strategy. Keeping an existing system or service may be the right choice when it continues to meet the need.
Start with the business decision
A cloud decision may start with remote access, growth, hardware replacement, difficult support, or a recovery concern. Define the outcome before choosing a platform.
- Which applications and business activities need to change, and why?
- Who uses them, from which locations and devices?
- What interruption or data loss could the business tolerate?
- Which security, data-location, contractual, or compliance requirements matter?
- What can your IT team own, and where would a provider need to help?
Decide what should stay, move, or change
Review applications and workloads individually. An application replacement, a hosting change, added backup, or retaining an on-premises system can address different needs. Cloud migration is one option, not the starting assumption.
Compatibility, integrations, licensing, data movement, and user workflows affect the choice. Caisson helps frame the comparison; the applicable software provider, cloud specialist, and/or client IT team typically validates technical suitability.
Compare service models and provider options
The service model describes what you buy and who manages it. Public, private, and hybrid cloud describe how resources are deployed. Consider both when comparing cloud solutions.
SaaS and hosted applications
Software as a service (SaaS) provides access to provider-operated software. Other hosted application services may divide management differently. Compare functionality, integrations, licensing, data access, administration, backup, and support inclusions.
IaaS and cloud hosting
Infrastructure as a service (IaaS) supplies resources such as compute, storage, and networking. Cloud hosting can shift infrastructure ownership while leaving operating systems, applications, patching, and administration with your IT team or a separately engaged provider.
Public, private, and hybrid cloud
Public cloud uses provider infrastructure shared across customers with logical separation; private cloud is dedicated to one organization. Hybrid approaches connect distinct environments. Compare control, connectivity, cost, and the work needed to operate across them.
Microsoft Azure, AWS, and Google Cloud may be relevant public-cloud options. Hosted applications, private-cloud services, and existing systems may also fit. Availability, included capabilities, commercial access, and delivery arrangements must be confirmed for the proposed service.
Caisson helps compare providers against your requirements, service scope, support expectations, and long-term strategy.
Understand the connections behind cloud access
Cloud application experience depends on internet connectivity, local network conditions, devices, identity and access, provider service performance, architecture, and location. More bandwidth alone may not resolve a slow application.
Compare capacity and resiliency needs for offices and remote users. SD-WAN or additional connections may be relevant, depending on the environment. The applicable provider and/or IT team typically validates the design and expected behavior; no approach guarantees application performance or uninterrupted access.
Assign security, backup, and recovery responsibilities
Cloud adoption does not remove responsibility for identity and access, endpoint security, configuration, data protection, or business continuity. A provider’s service may include some controls while leaving others to your organization or a separate specialist.
- Confirm who configures permissions, authentication, and security controls, and who reviews them over time.
- Distinguish service availability from backup. Confirm protected data, retention, restore options, costs, and who executes backups and recovery.
- Define recovery priorities, acceptable data loss, and acceptable interruption; ask qualified specialists to validate and test the proposed approach.
- Identify data-location and compliance requirements, including the evidence and responsibilities needed for an assessment.
Technical security operation, recovery testing, architecture validation, and formal compliance conclusions belong to appropriately qualified providers, specialists, and/or client IT teams under an agreed scope. A cloud subscription does not by itself establish complete security, recovery, or compliance.
Compare total cost and contract implications
Compare the cost of keeping the current environment with the cost of each proposed change. Cloud may shift spending from hardware purchases to recurring charges without reducing the total.
- Recurring service charges, software licensing, and usage-based compute, storage, or data-transfer charges.
- Migration, integration, connectivity, backup and recovery, technical support, and ongoing administration.
- Overlapping legacy systems, existing commitments, minimum terms, renewal provisions, and support exclusions.
- Data export, exit or change costs, and the work needed to move again.
Ask providers to explain pricing assumptions and how changes in users, workloads, storage, or usage affect charges. Compare service commitments and remedies as well as price; savings and availability are not guaranteed.
Plan migration and ownership before committing
Before selecting a service, clarify who will develop the technical migration plan, validate dependencies, configure the environment, test it, and support users. Agree acceptance criteria, decision authority, fallback arrangements, and who confirms timing.
Caisson helps explain the recommendation, coordinate selected providers, and keep business requirements and open decisions clear. The applicable provider and/or IT team typically executes migration and technical validation. For an existing environment, start with a focused readiness review before committing to the transition.
Know who advises, delivers, and operates
Caisson’s advisory role
Caisson understands requirements, assesses needs, compares technologies and providers, explains trade-offs, recommends appropriate solutions, coordinates selected providers, and provides ongoing guidance and advocacy.
Your providers and IT team
Technical installation, configuration, migration, monitoring, operation, and support typically sit with the applicable provider and/or client IT team. Responsibilities are clarified for the agreed work.
Depending on the service, the responsible parties may include a cloud provider, MSP, software provider, and your IT team. Specifically assign tenant or platform administration, identity and application configuration, patching, backup execution, monitoring, security operation, and technical support.
Any additional Caisson delivery role would be specifically defined and agreed as part of the scope.
Caisson remains available for provider questions, service concerns, renewals, and changing needs. Ongoing guidance and advocacy support the provider relationship; technical troubleshooting and service restoration typically remain with the responsible provider and/or IT team.
Independent advice and provider compensation
Provider access supports comparison. The recommendation must still follow your requirements and the trade-offs between available options.
Caisson may be compensated by a selected provider in some engagements; where applicable, we explain the arrangement. Recommendations are based on fit with your organization, including requirements, costs, contract terms, support expectations, and long-term strategy.
Questions about cloud computing
Should every system move to the cloud?
No. An existing application or on-premises system may remain the right choice. Consider business value, dependencies, cost, risk, and the people responsible for operating each option.
Can Caisson help compare Azure, AWS, and other cloud services?
Caisson can help clarify requirements and compare relevant provider and service options. Specific platform capabilities, service availability, and technical designs require confirmation by the applicable provider or specialist.
Does Caisson host or administer our cloud environment?
Caisson’s default role is advisory. Hosting, administration, migration execution, backup operation, monitoring, and technical support typically belong to the applicable provider and/or client IT team within the agreed scope.
Will cloud services lower our costs or make our data secure?
Neither outcome is automatic. Compare total cost, configuration, access controls, data protection, support, and recovery responsibilities for the actual services under consideration.
Start with a focused advisory conversation
The initial Technology Assessment is the established 30-minute advisory conversation with Brian Wade, Founder & Principal Advisor. We discuss your situation, clarify the decision, and identify an appropriate next step. Technical testing, detailed audits, formal migration plans, written reports, and architecture documents are not automatically included. Any deeper Technology Foundation Review or other advisory engagement is separately scoped, including timing, commercial arrangements, and deliverables.
Put your next cloud decision in context
Share the application, provider decision, renewal, or business requirement in front of you. We can help clarify the options, the trade-offs, and a practical next step.
Existing clients can start with a renewal, provider issue, or new requirement.