UK based data centre and hosting company Pulsant claims it has created a system to help cloud buyers make fewer bad choices over online computing services.

The system aims to cut the confusion for C-level executives who currently struggle to make sense of the array of options, services and misleadingly named products. By automating the process of evaluation, the new Cloud Intelligence decision engine will take the end user closer to the conditions of ‘perfect information’ needed before the full benefits of the market are possible, it claims.

Cloud Intelligence is an interactive tool designed to concentrate the buyer’s mind when comparing different options. One of the user problems it aims to address is matching the offering to the needs of the buyer. In a relatively new market like cloud computing, companies ideally don’t want to trust their research to a conversation with a software salesman, according to Pulsant, which claims due diligence over cloud service choices has become a ‘definite challenge’.

The configuration aims to guide the decision makers by identifying their starting point. It separates technically savvy buyers, who may be familiar with the cloud landscape, from the non-technical procurement personnel who are increasingly embarking on research. The system aims to guide each type down customised paths in order to meet their needs. Non-technical users will interact with the decision engine in layman’s terms that concentrate on the benefits of the services on offer, while technical decision makers will be given more detailed information about configurations and platforms.

Pulsant said it aims to achieve for the B2B market what comparison sites achieve in B2C markets. The new service is necessary because cloud computing is changing software buying behaviours in the corporate world, according to Adam Eaton, sales director at Pulsant.

“Customers are doing a great deal of research before making IT decisions but there’s a lot of clutter to get through. We want to give people the information they’re looking for on the solutions and services they’re interested in, while still interactively engaging with them,” said Eaton.

According to Pulsant, 80% of visitors who start on their decision making journey with them will pursue it to the end.