What is your definition of confidence?

con·fi·dence/ˈnoun:

1. The feeling or belief that one can rely on someone or something; firm trust.
2. The state of feeling certain about the truth of something.
3. Certitude; assurance: He described the situation with such confidence that the audience believed him completely.

Applying this same noun to the Cloud industry you will no doubt be drawn to one of three descriptions above.

Depending on your exposure to 'Everything as a Service' –XaaS, then perhaps descriptive two is your take. A slightly muddled experience that perhaps left you wondering if some of the buzzwords you've brought into were creative at the least.

There will – unfortunately – be those who immediately focus on descriptive three; having perhaps been an early adopter or as three depicts; been sold with such certitude that XaaS is the way forward, it's only after the contract has been signed that they find themselves exposed due to their chosen XaaS shortcomings.

Finally we come to descriptive number one. This is the nirvana of the three descriptions and at least in this context implies a trusted and proven service with referenceable ~sic - success in the XaaS market. It is here that Applicable has established itself and continues to grow.

So why you ask; does Applicable have the confidence to place itself in such high regard?

The answer in one word is: Tran.sp.arency/'adjective:

1. So fine in texture it can be seen through or detected.
2. Free from guile; candid or open.

Given that an adjective typically qualifies, describes or identifies a noun by preceding it, Applicable's approach by default offers transparent confidence.

Transparency at Applicable starts and ends by us encouraging our customers to ask all the questions, including the painful ones without keeping two fingers crossed behind our back.

To offer a view of some of the questions and comments that we will always encourage our customers to ask of Applicable, we have put some together:

How can I get the data back in case of decommissioning of the service?

• Will I be supported in the event I choose to migrate to another provider?
• Can I download my data? You only have to look at SalesForce.com to realise that decommissioning can be a huge task.

Where is the service delivered from?

• What geography are the servers that deliver you this service?
• Ensure that your recovery data and operational data are kept in the same regionally compliant zones for you as both are subject to the same regulation.

Who is involved in delivering the service?

• Request exposure of the full "supply chain" that delivers that service. Service is only as good as its weakest link.

Who owns the data while it is used by the service?

• If a legal authority requests your data, who decides to release the information, Applicable's systems on which the data is located or you, the "owner" of the data?

What security processes & procedures are in place?

• It's important you feel at ease with the security processes and procedures used by Applicable.

What privacy policies is Applicable subscribing to and how do we manage the user information? 

• What are the responsibilities of the service provider?

How are you kept informed in case of issues?

• How does the SLA translate to the real world, how will you be notified, what constitutes an 'issue'?

What responsibility is Applicable taking?

• Be sure to ask exactly what underpins a service and where the demarcation of responsibility lies.

By being transparent, we have confidence that we are Applicable.