Performance metrics are often overlooked when designing and deploying cloud computing solutions. This is especially troubling because service level agreements should be used to define and track these.

As the number and variety of cloud service providers continue to expand, consumers must be proactive in how they identify and select performance metrics, as these should form the basis for the service level agreement. Cloud solution architects must also be able to compare prospective CSP service level metrics and capabilities against industry benchmarks for those services.