Top Three Differences between Enterprise and Consumer Clouds

• Data Sovereignty
The premise of cloud computing is that geography is largely irrelevant. No matter where you are in the world and no matter which device you’re using, you can access your information in the cloud. The reality, though, is that those data centers have to exist somewhere and where they reside really matters when corporate information is involved. This is why so much data protection or data sovereignty legislation exists around the world.

In fact, most countries have regulations about where personal or private data can be stored. The European Union is also in the process of developing a General Data Protection Regulation that would provide a single set of rules for 27 countries within the EU.

Companies that ignore the idea of data sovereignty may face penalties, fines and millions of dollars in damages. As the aforementioned EU regulations go into effect, companies could face fines up to 5% of their annual revenues or a maximum of €100 million.

Though you might not think of your business as an international one, you likely work with suppliers abroad or have branch offices or employees in other countries. To ensure that all information in enterprise cloud applications is managed in compliance with data sovereignty regulations, it needs to be stipulated in a contract with your cloud provider. This is often not an option with consumer cloud providers, and some have gone so far as to state that data sovereignty is not a major concern to them.

That’s why it’s important to find a cloud vendor that is not only aware of data sovereignty but understands data sovereignty rules and can support your needs in this area, with in-region data centers, a secure infrastructure and global expertise.

Developing a cloud strategy requires you to weigh business processes, workloads, security rules and compliance requirements, among other considerations. There are other variables as well, including whether to employ “software as a service,” “platform as a service” or “infrastructure as a service.” Determining which is most cost efficient and provides the benefits and compliance organizations require can be complicated.

Organizations are proving the benefits of implementing in the cloud. In a 2014 KPMG study, 73% of respondents said they saw improved business performance after implementing cloud-based applications and strategies. But organizations need to be aware of their choices, make them in context of corporate and cloud strategy, and wisely choose an enterprise cloud provider that can act as a long-term partner in their success.

Learn more at www.opentext.com/abettercloud

The Difference of the OpenText Cloud

The cloud doesn’t have to be nebulous. OpenText provides transparency into how your data is handled.

More than 60,000 customers rely on OpenText to drive $6.5 trillion in commerce annually. Unlike others, OpenText Cloud is designed for enterprise information management solutions and is supported by a global, scalable and secure infrastructure with data centers around the world.

For more than two decades, OpenText has been providing enterprise-class global applications. The company offers reliable, trusted and superior service designed for businesses that realize that information is their most important asset.