The jump to the cloud can be a scary proposition. For an enterprise with systems deeply embedded in traditional infrastructure like back office computer rooms and datacenters the move to the cloud can be daunting. The thought of having all of your data in someone else’s hands can make some IT admins cringe. However, once you start looking into cloud technologies you start seeing some of the great benefits, especially with providers like Amazon Web Services (AWS). The cloud can be cost-effective, elastic and scalable, flexible, and secure. That same IT admin cringing at the thought of their data in someone else’s hands may finally realize that AWS is a bit more secure than a computer rack sitting under an employee’s desk in a remote office. Once the decision is finally made to “try out” the cloud, the planning phase can begin.
Most of the time the biggest question is, “How do we start with the cloud?” The answer is to use a phased approach. By picking applications and workloads that are less mission critical, you can try the newest cloud technologies with less risk. When deciding which workloads to move, you should ask yourself the following questions; Is there a business need for moving this workload to the cloud? Is the technology a natural fit for the cloud? What impact will this have on the business? If all those questions are suitably answered, your workloads will be successful in the cloud.
One great place to start is with archiving and backups. These types of workloads are important, but the data you’re dealing with is likely just a copy of data you already have, so it is considerably less risky. The easiest way to start with archives and backups is to try out S3 and Glacier. Many of today’s backup utilities you may already be using, like Symantec Netbackup and Veeam Backup & Replication, have cloud versions that can directly backup to AWS. This allows you to use start using the cloud without changing much of your embedded backup processes. By moving less critical workloads you are taking the first steps in increasing your cloud footprint.
Now that you have moved your backups to AWS using S3 and Glacier, what’s next? The next logical step would be to try some of the other services AWS offers. Another workload that can often be moved to the cloud is Disaster Recovery. DR is an area that will allow you to more AWS services like VPC, EC2, EBS, RDS, Route53 and ELBs. DR is a perfect way to increase your cloud footprint because it will allow you to construct your current environment, which you should already be very familiar with, in the cloud. A Pilot Light DR solution is one type of DR solution commonly seen in AWS. In the Pilot Light scenario the DR site has minimal systems and resources with the core elements already configured to enable rapid recovery once a disaster happens. To build a Pilot Light DR solution you would create the AWS network infrastructure (VPC), deploy the core AWS building blocks needed for the minimal Pilot Light configuration (EC2, EBS, RDS, and ELBs), and determine the process for recovery (Route53). When it is time for recovery all the other components can be quickly provisioned to give you a fully working environment. By moving DR to the cloud you’ve increased your cloud footprint even more and are on your way to cloud domination!
The next logical step is to move Test and Dev environments into the cloud. Here you can get creative with the way you use the AWS technologies. When building systems on AWS make sure to follow the Architecting Best Practices: Designing for failure means nothing will fail, decouple your components, take advantage of elasticity, build security into every layer, think parallel, and don’t fear constraints! Start with proof-of-concept (POC) to the development environment, and use AWS reference architecture to aid in the learning and planning process. Next your legacy application in the new environment and migrate data. The POC is not complete until you validate that it works and performance is to your expectations. Once you get to this point, you can reevaluate the build and optimize it to exact specifications needed. Finally, you’re one step closer to deploying actual production workloads to the cloud!
Production workloads are obviously the most important, but with the phased approach you’ve taken to increase your cloud footprint, it’s not that far of a jump from the other workloads you now have running in AWS. Some of the important things to remember to be successful with AWS include being aware of the rapid pace of the technology (this includes improved services and price drops), that security is your responsibility as well as Amazon’s, and that there isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. Lastly, all workloads you implement in the cloud should still have stringent security and comprehensive monitoring as you would on any of your on-premises systems.
Overall, a phased approach is a great way to start using AWS. Start with simple services and traditional workloads that have a natural fit for AWS (e.g. backups and archiving). Next, start to explore other AWS services by building out environments that are familiar to you (e.g. DR). Finally, experiment with POCs and the entire gambit of AWS to benefit for more efficient production operations. Like many new technologies it takes time for adoption. By increasing your cloud footprint over time you can set expectations for cloud technologies in your enterprise and make it a more comfortable proposition for all.
-Derek Baltazar, Senior Cloud Engineer
