Cloud Storage: Questions to ask

Very short - just a few thoughts I don't want to lose track of. My company is partnering with cloud storage providers, so these are questions we have to ask on behalf of our customers.

1. What are their security models? 
2. How are they protecting your data? Is it replicated to multiple destinations?
3. How are they storing your data? Is it encrypted, and how are the keys protected?
4. Are they using your data for something they shouldn't?
5. How would large restores be handled?

SLA checklist:

1. Security and Privacy (see 1 & 4 above)
2. Redundancy (see 2 above)
3. Bandwidth (see 5 above)
4. Response time (more of a managed service item, as in "how long to initiate a restore request")
5. DR - service provider's ability to recover from their own disaster, and service levels should match your RTO/RPO.
6. Non-performance clauses - rebates, waive fees, termination after multiple failures
7. Access to service provider data facility
8. Certification (SAS70 or PCI)