Post the decision to adopt a hosted infrastructure environment, the next significant decision-making stage should encompass the choice of the right and most suitable hosting service provider. Picture an organization that is forced to incur high switching costs as it later discovers that current service provider does not provide services required in the near future. Hence, it becomes crucial to carefully evaluate the complete plethora of services rendered by the provider for not only current and immediate requirements but also all possible future needs. Therefore, often the success or failure of an organization is dependent on the choice of a service provider.

The following vendor selection framework outlining the essential parameters or attributes serves as a tool to analyze and determine the most appropriate vendor.