Cloud Resources

What is Application Modernization? eBook

Application modernization is the process of migrating an incumbent or legacy software application to modern development patterns, paradigms and platforms with the explicit purpose of improving business value.

Cloud Crunch Podcast: Strategies to Maximize Your Cloud’s Value – Create Competitive Advantage from your Data

AWS Data Expert, Saunak Chandra, joins today's episode to break down the first of five strategies used to maximize your cloud's value - creating competitive advantage from your data. We look at tactics including Amazon Redshift, RA3 node type, best practices for performance, data warehouses, and varying data structures.

Cloud Crunch Podcast: 5 Strategies to Maximize Your Cloud’s Value

You migrated your applications to the cloud for a reason. Now that you're there, what’s next? How do you take advantage of your applications and data that reside in the cloud? What should you be thinking about in terms of security and compliance? In this first episode of a 5-part series, we discuss 5 strategies you should consider to maximize the value of being on the cloud.

Enterprise Data Maturity

Our survey on enterprise data maturity shows most organizations want to make better use of their data but lack the resources, skills and vision to be successful. See what else we uncovered.

Cloud Crunch Podcast: Moving to the Cloud for the Right Reasons

When you’re considering moving to the cloud, it's important to take a personal examination of your goals for migrating, outside of the basic benefits achievable with the cloud. To maximize the value of the cloud, you have to make sure you’re moving for the right reasons. Today we discuss just that with our very own 2nd Watch CEO, Doug Schneider.

How to Federate Amazon Redshift Access with Okta

Discover how to federate access to Amazon Redshift using Okta as your IdP, passing user and group information through to the database at login.

How to Federate Amazon Redshift Access with Azure Active Directory

Discover how to federate access to Amazon Redshift using Azure Active Directory as your IdP, passing user and group information through to the database at login.

Intelligent Cloud Governance: The Foundation for Successful Cloud Adoption eBook

A cloud governance framework is critical to the success of cloud adoption, enabling businesses to extract the full benefits of the cloud. Discover 9 ways cloud governance lays the foundation for successful cloud adoption.

Cloud Governance: Why It Is Critical to the Success of Cloud Adoption

All organizations need a set of protocols for utilizing cloud resources efficiently, effectively, and securely. A cloud governance framework enables you to extract the full benefits of the cloud.

Cloud Crunch Podcast: Multi-Cloud – Is it Really Worth It?

Contributor and Analyst to Forbes, CBS interactive, Information Today, Inc., and RTInsights, Joseph McKendrick, joins today’s Cloud Crunch podcast episode to give his perspective on the value of a multi-cloud strategy.

Cloud Governance: Why It Is Critical to the Success of Cloud Adoption

Organizations can only fully realize the benefits of the cloud when their cloud policies are designed to leverage them. Therefore, a well-designed cloud governance framework is critical to the success of cloud adoption. What is cloud governance and how does it lay the foundation for the success of your cloud adoption?

Cloud Crunch Podcast: 2020 Enterprise Cloud Trends

How are enterprises responding to the COVID 19 pandemic and how is it affecting their cloud usage? We take a look at 6 key findings from 2nd Watch’s “Enterprise Cloud Trends” survey and discuss what the survey indicates and what we ‘re seeing from our own clients.

3 Ways McDonald’s France is Preparing their Data for the Future

With so much data available to businesses today, the value is derived from understanding and applying it meaningfully. McDonald’s France is gaining business-changing insights after migrating to a data lake. Gaining visibility into and governance around your data is the first step for what’s next.

McDonald’s France Gains Business-Changing Insights from New Data Lake

With 1.5 million customers a day and each transaction producing 20 to 30 data points, McDonald's has become a technology organization. With a goal to improve customer experience, and as a byproduct increase conversion and brand loyalty, McDonald’s France partnered with 2nd Watch to build a data lake on AWS.

AI & ML: 3 Steps to Set the Table for Data Science in 2021

Data science, AI and ML can help you make sense of your data to save time, reduce costs, enable users, and grow profits. Here are the three steps necessary to producing valid and applicable results from your data science project.

3 Steps to Implementing a Machine Learning Project

Once you understand the benefits and structure of data science and machine learning (ML), it’s time to start implementation. While it’s not an overly complicated process, planning change management from implementation through replication can help mitigate potential pitfalls. We recommend following this 3-step process.

Understanding the Basics of Data Science, Artificial Intelligence, and Machine Learning

Amazing possibilities are available in data science with artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML). Large sets of data, inexpensive storage options, and cloud processing capabilities are enabling computers to make human-like decisions and enable you to save time, reduce costs, enable users, & grow profits.

Top Enterprise IT Trends for 2021

Many businesses spent 2020 in survival mode. 2021 will be a year of re-invention for most companies. How might the new normal impact your company? Here are five of the top technology trends we predict will drive change in 2021.

Top AWS Products of 2020

What are the most popular AWS products used today? This infographic reflects the percentage of 2nd Watch clients using each AWS product for 2020.

The Most Popular and Fastest-Growing AWS Products of 2020

With 2020 now in our rearview mirror, we thought this a good time for a quick peak back at the most popular Amazon Web Services (AWS) products of the past year. We aggregated and anonymized our AWS customer data from 2020, and here’s what we found.

The New Direction of DevOps/DevSecOps Adoption eBook

Companies worldwide have been adopting DevOps and DevSecOps into their regular workflows at an exponential rate. Here are the top 7 trends influencing DevOps and DevSecOps adoptions today.

7 Trends Influencing DevOps/DevSecOps Adoption

Uncover the trends that truly influence DevOps and DevSecOps adoptions in countless businesses across the globe.

Managed Security

Our multi-cloud Managed Security provides best practice guidance, implementation, deployment, and full management of security devices as well as remediation of identified security issues.

Amazon Redshift: Standing Strong Despite Deployment Challenges

While 83% of companies polled said Amazon Redshift delivered or somewhat delivered on corporate expectations, not all deployments have gone according to plan. Find out what we uncovered.

Spot Instance and Container Optimization

Get recommendations for workloads that can take advantage of the cost savings associated with running both Instances/VMs and Containers on spot resources - helping you save up to 90% compared to traditional cloud infrastructure.

Hybrid Cloud and the Fundamentals of Application Modernization Approach

Discover the advantages, benefits and challenges in creating the underlying foundation for building & modernizing apps with a hybrid cloud approach. Explore the foundational principles of application modernization and the initial steps to consider in evolving your apps.

The Case for Hybrid Cloud – Advantages, Benefits and Challenges eBook

What is hybrid cloud? Discover the 4 advantages and challenges of hybrid cloud as well as 3 approaches to application modernization with hybrid cloud.

The Microservices Mistake and the Path to Kubernetes

Discover the 4 stages of the journey to containerized microservices and Kubernetes, and the foundation required for Kubernetes and distributed architectures like microservices to be successful.

Application Modernization with Containers and Kubernetes eBook

You can and should take a sensible, phased approach to application modernization. If that approach includes a container strategy, make sure you first do your homework to determine which applications and teams are the right fit.

Hybrid Cloud Solutions with Google Anthos

Deploy Google Anthos in your data center in less than 90 days. Progress on your digital transformational journey at the pace that works best for your teams and accomplishes your organizational goals.

Data Lakes vs Data Swamps: 7 Key Insights to Building Impactful Data Lakes eBook

To guide you in ensuring you are building a data lake, not a data swamp everyone avoids, here are 7 key insights to consider to maximize the value of your data lake.

Data Lakes vs Data Swamps: How to Build Impactful Data Lakes to Enable Digital Insight

Effectively building and maintaining a data lake to take advantage of digital insight requires strategic planning, advanced skill set and knowledge, and proper digital maintenance - all with governance throughout.

Google Cloud VM Migration

Move from on premise or cloud virtual machines to Google Cloud optimized for performance, scale and security without business interruptions.

Cloud Modernization Readiness Assessment

Evaluate your company’s IT estate to determine application fitness and optimal migration methodology for your workloads to shed technical debt, improve resiliency, and reduce cost.

2020 Enterprise Cloud Trends Report

Suvey findings show COVID-19’s impact on the enterprise IT space may be causing IT leaders to adjust priorities, but they’re not backing down from big-picture efforts that can position their organizations for long-term success.

2020 Enterprise Cloud Trends

Survey shows enterprise IT remains focused on long-term organization-changing initiatives, despite pandemic-related challenges.

AWS Redshift Health Assessment

Our AWS Redshift Health Assessment is a 2-week engagement that ensures your AWS Redshift cluster usage aligns to your unique business goals.

Insight Into Cloud Optimization

32.7% of enterprises say their biggest challenge for containing cloud cost is a lack of internal knowledge of optimization strategy and best practices.

Enterprise DevOps Trend

Over the next 12 months, 40.6% of enterprises are focusing on cloud native strategies like DevOps. Find out what other DevOps trends we've uncovered.

COVID Impact on Cloud Security

COVID-19's effects on enterprise cloud strategy can been seen in the prioritization of cloud security projects in almost half of enterprises polled.

Database Migration Services for AWS

Our Database Migration Services for Azure ensure the seamless movement of your database to Azure utilizing our comprehensive database cloud transition methodology.

Database Migration Services for Azure

Our Database Migration Services for Azure ensure the seamless movement of your database to Azure utilizing our comprehensive database cloud transition methodology.

Glue Optimization Deep Dive: Analyzing Glue Job Metrics for Performance

Learn how to set up AWS Glue performance metrics, understand their meaning, and take action to improve the metrics.

5 Keys to a Solid Cloud Foundation eBook

Discover the proven steps developed and tested for a successful mass migration to the AWS cloud.

About 2nd Watch

Digital innovation requires cloud. We help you fuel your business growth with cloud technologies. We are an AWS Premier Partner, Microsoft Azure Gold Partner, Google Cloud Partner and audited and approved Managed Service Provider.

Managed Cloud Foundational Services

Managed Cloud Foundational Services provide a simplified, flexible set of core services to manage single and multi-cloud infrastructure with the opportunity to utilize premium services to control resource usage, spend, and utilization.

A Holistic Approach to Cloud Cost Optimization eBook

Developing a holistic approach to cloud cost optimization is a critical part of cloud operations and can offer significant savings to both new cloud users and experienced multi-cloud consumers.

A Holistic Approach to Cloud Cost Optimization White Paper

A holistic approach to cloud cost optimization is achieved by examining key optimization pillars, including auto-parking and on-demand services, cost models, rightsizing, instance family/VM type refresh, addressing waste and shadow IT.

Misconceptions & Challenges of DevOps Transformation

There are many common misconceptions and challenges to implementing DevOps. Understanding these before you begin your transformationb is critical to your success.

Overcoming DevOps Challenges: Embracing DevOps as a Journey

Bringing together different organizations under a DevOps methodology can prove challenging. Addressing these challenges will help you embrace DevOps as an ongoing journey and accelerate the path to true business innovation.

Cloud Disaster Recovery Service

Our Cloud Disaster Recovery Service will set up and conduct a low-cost, disaster recovery failover Proof of Concept (POC) environment for your organization in less than 30 days.

DevSecOps Assessment & Strategy

Target critical areas for DevSecOps improvement - people, processes, and technology - to identify pain points between DevOps and Security and cross train your teams to maximize product velocity and create secure code.

Cloud Security Rapid Review

2nd Watch’s Cloud Security Rapid Review is a 2 week assessment that measures your cloud environment against the latest industry standards and best practices.

451 Research: 2nd Watch Carves Out Managed Service Practices with DataOps, DevOps Specializations

According to 451 Research, a managed services provider can add value to data management by addressing key enterprise challenges, such as accessing and preparing data.

Remote Desktop Foundational Services for AWS

Remote Desktop Foundational Services help you transition from standard desktops to Amazon WorkSpaces to enable your distributed workforce.

Remote Desktop Foundational Services for Azure

Remote Desktop Foundational Services help you transition from standard desktops or an existing on-premises RDS deployment to Microsoft Azure Windows Virtual Desktop to enable your distributed workforce.

Managed DevOps

Our Managed DevOps is a fully-managed service that enables your team to build, test, and deploy applications in the cloud in a continuous and automated way while decreasing your time to customer value.

DataOps Foundation

Transform your data analytics processes into a flexible, scalable data lake for centralizing, exploring and reporting enterprise data in 4-8 weeks so you can make better, data-driven decisions.

DevOps Transformational Services

Every organization’s DevOps journey is unique. Choose the DevOps transformational services for assessment and strategy, implementation, or management that align to your organization’s current state and desired progress and goals.

AMS Onboarding Accelerator

The 2nd Watch AMS Onboarding Accelerator will help you assess, migrate and operationalize your infrastructure from your on-premise datacenter to AWS Managed Services.

Managed Database

2nd Watch Managed Database provides you a complete team of experienced DBAs and cloud experts focused on your databases and infrastructure.

VMware Cloud on AWS Solutions

Our VMware Cloud on AWS Solutions guide you through all stages of developing an optimal hybrid environment, so you can take advantage of AWS services quickly with the familiarity of VMware you are accustomed to.

VMware Cloud on AWS Workshop

A free 4-hour, on-site, introductory overview of VMware Cloud on AWS and appropriate use cases that will help you understand how the VMware cloud on AWS platform can further enable your enterprise’s hybrid cloud adoption.

VMware Cloud on AWS Solution Accelerator

Educate, evaluate and develop a plan to enable VMware Cloud on AWS in your enterprise quickly, with a 4-week pilot engagement.

VMware Cloud on AWS Environment Discovery

A free 2-hour consulting engagement to help you learn about VMware Cloud on AWS, along with a brief assessment to understand how the VMware Cloud on AWS platform can further enable your enterprise’s cloud adoption.

Cloud Readiness Assessment

2nd Watch’s Cloud Readiness Assessment evaluates your IT estate to determine fitness and the best migration methodology for your workloads to shed technical debt, improve resiliency, and reduce cost.

Cloud Migration Cost Assessment

Simplify and accelerate the path from on-premises to the cloud with instance rightsizing and TCO analysis. Get an estimate of the cost to migrate and the ongoing cost of your cloud environment.

Cloud Cost Optimization

Our Cloud Cost Optimization service can reduce your cloud computing costs 25-40%, increasing efficiency and performance. This free 2-hour session will help you determine the right starting point for your optimization plan.

Continuous Integration and Delivery Pipeline

Kickstart your DevOps transformation. Accelerate infrastructure and application deployments with a CI/CD pipeline in less than 60 days.

Cloud Migration Factory

The 2nd Watch Cloud Migration Factory provides services and tools to assess, design and migrate entire data centers or individual workloads to the cloud easily and smoothly, without business interruptions.

Security Assessment & Remediation

Evaluate your current cloud infrastructure and processes against industry security standards to develop a mature cloud security posture.

Configuration Compliance Service

Reduce risk of audit failures through continuous compliance monitoring, while saving cost and time preparing for internal and regulatory audits.

Compliance Assessment & Remediation

Evaluate, monitor, auto-remediate, and report on compliance for your current cloud infrastructure. Industry standard policies assessed include CIS, GDPR, HIPAA, NIST, PCI-DSS, and SOC2.

Managed Governance & Compliance

Managed Governance and Compliance help ensure ongoing, continuous compliance of your public cloud environment at all times, from assessment to remediation and maintenance.

Machine Image Factory

Receive a framework for automation of the image creation process that reduces the time to deploy an updated and hardened custom machine image by up to 95% and the time to implement a solution by 75%.

Top 30 Most Popular AWS Products 2019

What are the most popular AWS products used today? This infographic reflects the percentage of 2nd Watch customers using each AWS product for 2019.

Maximizing on the Cloud Opportunity

Discover the best ways through the barriers to a successful migration to the cloud and the four proven steps developed and tested for a successful mass migration for a large data organization.

Cloud Migration Process

What can you expect as you begin your cloud migration? We outline the general process and timeframe most organizations follow on their cloud journey.

5 Steps to Cloud Cost Optimization

Cloud optimization is incredibly complex. Here is a 5-step outline to making cloud cost optimization easy and attainable.

451 Research: 2nd Watch broadens reach, adds cloud-native adoption services

451 research shows customers have a strong desire for assistance in workload modernization and migration efforts. Here's 451 Research's take on our cloud-native adoption capabilities.

451 Research: 2nd Watch Aims to Provide First-Class Cloud Optimization

According to 451 Research, third-party tools are needed for effective cloud optimization. Download the report for 451 Research's take on our cloud optimization capabilities.

Top 30 Most Popular AWS Products 2018

What are the most popular AWS products used today? This infographic reflects the percentage of 2nd Watch customers using each AWS product for 2018.

2nd Watch Customer Benefits

2nd Watch clients reduce time to market by an average 100 days and save an average 42% more than when managing cloud services alone. See how clients like Yamaha, Celgene and Condé Nast benefit from working with us.

Top 30 Most Popular AWS Products 2017

What are the most popular AWS products used today? This infographic reflects the percentage of 2nd Watch customers using each AWS product for 2017.

Cloud Security

Our survey on cloud security shows that some IT professionals don’t realize it’s their responsibility to secure data and applications running in the cloud,. Find out what other cloud security data we uncovered.

Cloud Automation

Companies that have embraced cloud automation can deploy workloads faster and more frequently while recovering from failures with more agility than organizations that struggle to adopt automation.

Modern Enterprise Cloud Architect Profile

The Enterprise Cloud Architect requires a combination of multidisciplinary skills ranging from an intersection of instructor, strategic advisor, broad domain knowledge, business knowledge and inventor.

Innovation is Key to Surviving the COVID 19 Pandemic

The very entrepreneurial spirit of Americans has helped businesses stay afloat in a time when many are sinking fast. Here are 6 tips for businesses to overcome the potentially debilitating effects of the pandemic and create an advantage enabling them to surpass the competition.

Takeaways from AWS re: Invent 2020

AWS re:Invent 2020 was a little different than usual, broken up in to 3 weeks. Vendors provided breakout sessions and virtual booths to discuss solutions/products with attendees via chat and live demos. But AWS still announced over 140 new products and features. Here are a few of the highlights.

7 Trends Influencing DevSecOps & DevOps Adoption

Companies worldwide have been increasing DevOps adoption and DevSecOps adoption into their regular workflows at an exponential rate. Uncover the trends that truly influence DevOps and DevSecOps adoptions in countless businesses across the globe.

AWS re:Invent 2020 – Werner Vogels Keynote Recap Video

Week 3 of AWS re:Invent 2020 saw Werner Vogels’ much anticipated keynote. He wove in the story of transforming and adapting to external events couched in a number of announcements, with an overall theme focused on how organizations can transform quickly and the advantage that brings. Here is your week 3 recap.

AWS re:Invent 2020 Week 3 Recap – Werner Vogels Keynote

Week 3 of AWS re:Invent 2020 featured Dr. Werner Vogels' keynote with guest speakers from Ava and the LEGO group. Their driving message, which has been an ongoing theme for the keynote series, was becoming an organization that can transform quickly to changing markets and environments.

AWS re:Invent 2020 – Infrastructure & ML Keynote Recap Video

We're back to recap the insights from week 2 of AWS re:Invent. First up was Peter DeSantis, AWS Sr. VP of Global Infrastructure, with the Infrastructure keynote, followed by Dr. Swami Sivasubramanian, Amazon’s VP of Machine Learning, with the Machine Learning keynote.

AWS re:Invent 2020 Week 2 Recap – Infrastructure & ML Keynotes

Week 2 of AWS re:Invent 2020 featured keynotes on Infrastructure, with Amazon’s Sr. VP of Global Infrastructure, Peter DeSantis, as well as on Machine Learning, with Amazon’s VP of Machine Learning, Dr. Swami Sivasubramanian.

2nd Watch Wins Channel Partner Insight’s 2020 Customer Satisfaction Award

We are honored to announce that Channel Partner Insight has awarded 2nd Watch the Customer Satisfaction Award for 2020! With this award, Channel Partner Insight has recognized 2nd Watch for its ability to help large enterprises move to and use public cloud platforms, with the highest customer satisfaction.

AWS re:Invent 2020 – Andy Jassy Keynote Recap Video

AWS re:Invent 2020 kicked off virtually last week, and there's a lot to unpack! Andy Jassy’s much-anticipated keynote focused on the increased need for rapid iteration and transformation, with product and service announcements that did not disappoint. Here is your recap of week 1 at AWS re:Invent 2020.

AWS re:Invent 2020 Week 1 Recap – Andy Jassy & Partner Keynotes

AWS re:Invent kicked off virtually with registration free and open to everyone for the first time this year. Andy Jassy’s much-anticipated keynote, as well as the Partner Keynote with Doug Yeum, were the featured content for the first week. Both stressed the increased need for rapid iteration and transformation.

Build State-of-the-Art Forecasts with Amazon Forecast in 15 Minutes

Amazon Forecast is a managed service that consumes time series data and makes predictions without requiring the user to have any machine leaning knowledge or experience.

Catch our re:Invent Breakout Session ‘Reality Check: Moving the Data Lake from Storage to Strategic’

Watch our AWS re:Invent session ANT283-S "Reality Check: Moving the Data Lake from Storage to Strategic" for your chance to win a Sony PlayStation 5!

Meet us at AWS re:Invent and Get your Free 2nd Watch Sweatpants!

AWS re:Invent 2020 is off to a great virtual start, and we want to meet you here! Visit the 2nd Watch re:Invent Sponsor Page now through December 18 to speak with one of our cloud experts.

Keep up your Redshift Lake House Property Values

The Redshift you deployed a few years ago is not the same Redshift today. Over the last 2 years, AWS has added more than 200 new features to Redshift. AWS introduced the concept of a Lake House analogy to better describe what Redshift has become.

Amazon Redshift Stands Strong Despite Maintenance Challenges

To better understand how enterprises are using Redshift, 2nd Watch surveyed Redshift users at large companies. Despite its apparent success in the market, not all Redshift deployments have gone according to plan.

What to Expect at the First-Ever Virtual AWS re:Invent

This year, AWS re:Invent will kick off its 9th annual conference on 11/30 with a couple major caveats. It will be 3 weeks long, 100% virtual, and free to all. As always, 2nd Watch is here to help prepare you with what we think you can expect this year.

The Democratization of IT – Madden NFL for the Technology Industry

What is the future of IT? What significant disruptions to operations processes will occur through democratization? We believe IT evolves into a higher order, enabling digital transformation.

2nd Watch Uses Redshift to Improve Client Optimization

2nd Watch followed the Lakehouse Architecture pattern to improve our use of Redshift to move faster and with more visibility, without additional storage fees, enabling us to improve our clients' cloud optimization.

2nd Watch Enhances Managed Optimization service in partnership with Spot by NetApp

Our Spot Instance and Container Optimization service recommends workloads that can take advantage of the cost savings associated with running instances, VMs and containers on “spot” resources, lowering cloud compute costs up to 90%.

Cloud Center of Excellence: 3 Foundational Areas with 4 Phases of Maturity

A cloud center of excellence (CCoE) is essential for successful, efficient, and effective cloud implementation across your organization. Although the strategies look different for each business, there are three areas of focus, and four phases of maturity within those areas, that are important markers for any CCoE.

Building Your Cloud Center of Excellence

You’ve migrated to the cloud and are using cloud services within your own team, but how do you scale that across the organization? A Cloud Center of Excellence (CCoE) is the best way to scale your usage of the cloud across multiple teams, especially when navigating organizational complexity.

You’re on AWS. Now What? 5 Strategies to Increase Your Cloud’s Value

Now that you've migrated your applications to AWS, how can you take the value of being on the cloud to the next level? To provide guidance on next steps, here are 5 things you should consider to amplify the value of being on AWS.

Top 10 Cloud Optimization Best Practices

Cloud optimization is a continuous process specific to a company’s goals, but there are some staple best practices all optimization projects should follow. Here are our top 10.

Ten Years In: Enterprise DevOps Evolves

DevOps has undergone significant changes since the trend began more than a decade ago. No longer limited to a grassroots movement among ‘cowboy’ developers, DevOps has become synonymous with enterprise software releases.

Enterprise Cloud Trends; 4 Key Findings for Cloud Users Video

How has the impact of the current pandemic affected your IT organization? Our recent Enterprise Cloud Trends survey sheds light on how IT leaders are reacting.

3 Security and Compliance Must-Haves to Meet Any Regulation

The security processes and controls you put in place must meet the compliance standards required for your industry. There are 3 things you must do to meet the minimum requirements as the first steps to take when moving toward a more secure and compliant cloud environment.

A Hybrid Approach to Modernization Using Google Anthros

Hybrid Cloud Solutions with Google Anthos accelerates your modernization effort by operationalizing your org on Anthos and implementing Kubernetes quickly, so you can progress on your digital transformational journey at the pace that works best for your development teams and accomplishes your organizational goals.

Steps to Continuous Cloud Optimization

Cloud optimization is an ongoing task for any organization driven by data. Revisit the optimization pillars frequently to best evolve with and take advantage of everything the cloud has to offer and reach a state of continuous optimization.

Cloud Optimization: Top 5 Challenges and Why Tools Can’t Solve Them

Optimizing your cloud is essential for maximizing budgets, centralizing business units, making informed decisions, and driving performance. Wherever you are in your cloud journey, you need to be aware of the challenges to optimization in order to avoid or overcome them and reach your optimization goals.

Introducing Google Cloud VM Migration

Moving to cloud is the focus of many companies, while also optimizing your workloads for performance, scale, and security. Workloads and applications migrating to the cloud require careful consideration to determine when and how their architecture must be modernized to best leverage the value of cloud technologies. ​

The Playbook for Migrating to Google Cloud

Deciding how and when to transition your mission-critical applications to this new architecture is essential to optimizing cost and enhancing business agility. Companies moving to Google Cloud can realize the benefits quickly if they complete a full assessment covering applications, technology, cost & the organization

5 Questions You Need to Answer to Maximize Your Data Use

Utilizing your data for insights is the first step, but finding data, cleaning it, understanding why you want it, and analyzing the value and application can be intensive. Ask yourself these five questions before diving into a data project to gain clarity and avoid productivity-killing data issues.

6 Key Findings from 2nd Watch’s “Enterprise Cloud Trends” Survey

IT has felt the impact of COVID-19 to their business as acutely as any other department. Yet, the latest Enterprise Cloud Trends survey conducted by 2nd Watch indicates that IT has proven to be the most resilient and adaptable of all organizations.

The 4 Phases of a Business Transformation

The driving factor behind a business transformation varies from company to company, but whatever your reasons for beginning, there are four distinct phases you will go through during a business transformation, from the initial idea to ongoing optimization.

Are you ready for a business transformation to the cloud?

Taking on a business transformation to the cloud can seem like a huge endeavor, but it’s a necessary strategy for any modern business organization that wants to create a competitive advantage. Understanding some basics and common challenges before diving into your transformation can alleviate your concerns.

Building a Continuous Learning Culture for Cloud

A continuous learning culture requires individuals to be self-starters, voluntarily share information, feel safe sharing failures, and constantly adjust based on new information. These values also need to be enabled by the organization by making space for experimentation, learning, and sharing.

Upskilling for Cloud: Your Existing Team is an Asset in Your Cloud Transformation

Upskilling is teaching your employees new skills so they can thrive in their current position. In a cloud transformation, this is really helpful if your team members are going to remain in their current position, and maintain their current responsibilities, plus have to take on new technologies.

The CALMS Model: Assessing Your Readiness for a DevOps Transformation

If you’re considering beginning a DevOps transformation, we recommend starting by identifying where you are now and where you need to improve before moving forward. At 2nd Watch, we rely on the CALMS Model to comprehensively assess teams and processes as a starting point to a DevOps transformation.

4 DevOps Myths Debunked

A DevOps transformation will look different and yield different results for each organization, depending on its business and strategy. With a lot of options and moving parts to a DevOps transformation, don’t let these myths delay beginning your transformation.

A DevOps Transformation Overview: What, How, Who, and Why

DevOps is a set of practices that combines software development, ‘Dev’, and IT operations, ‘Ops.’ A DevOps Transformation is the modern IT leader's choice for achieving the speed and innovation needed to meet today’s market demands.

You’re on AWS, now what? Five things you should consider now.

Whatever your reason was for migrating to the cloud, once you're there, you're ready to increase your cloud's value. Here are 5 things you should consider in order to amplify the value of being on AWS.

Cloud Crunch Podcast: 7 Tactical IT Initiatives to Enable Your Corporate Business Objectives

IDG CIO conducted a COVID-19 Impact Study on how IT leaders’ priorities and initiatives are shifting during COVID that indicated 3 major focus areas - cost control, improving IT operations, and redesigning business processes. We break these down and look at 7 initiatives you can take to enable your business objectives.

The Most Critical Step in a Workload Migration – Migrating Your Application Database

There are several options available for moving your database to the cloud. A simple lift-and-shift of your on-premises database to a cloud instance will allow you the most flexibility to continue working with your database in a fashion you are most familiar with, or you can move to a Managed Database Service.

What to Ask Yourself When Considering VMware Cloud on AWS

If you’re considering VMware Cloud on AWS (VMC on AWS), ask yourself these questions to find out if it’s the best solution for your needs.

5 Benefits of VMware Cloud on AWS

VMware Cloud on AWS offers expanded functionality, easy adoption, agile scaling capabilities, transition from CAPEX to OPEX, and lower costs that traditional IT infrastructure.

Cloud Crunch Podcast: How Customers are Maximizing AWS Managed Services (AMS)

Michael Eshoo, Sr. Manager, WW AMS Specialist SA at AWS, joins us to talk about how customers are using AWS Managed Services (AMS). We look at the challenges these customers are facing and how they’re overcoming them to maximize the benefits they’re getting from AMS.

Cloud Crunch Podcast: Managed DevOps – An Oxymoron?

Managed DevOps sounds like an oxymoron, so why would someone consider it? Hear from our DevOps pro about the factors that contribute to companies stalling mid-DevOps Transformation and how a Managed DevOps strategy can help overcome that plateau.

3 Reasons to Consider a Hybrid Cloud Strategy

Hybrid cloud computing can be a combination of private cloud, like VMware, and public cloud; or it can be a combination of cloud providers, like AWS, Azure and Google Cloud. It could also include both on-prem equipment and cloud applications.

3 Productivity-Killing Data Problems and How to Solve Them

If you’re struggling with one of the three core data issues, the solution is to start with a crisp definition of your business need, and then build a data lake to execute on that need. A data lake is a central repository for flexible and cheap data storage.

Cloud Crunch Podcast: 5 Strategic IT Business Drivers CXOs are Contemplating Right Now

What is the new normal for life and business after COVID-19, and how does that impact IT? We dive into the 5 strategic IT business drivers CXOs are contemplating now and the motivation behind those drivers.

Application Modernization with Containers and Serverless Computing

Get our cloud experts' point of view on when you should consider using containers and when you should take the next step into serverless computing.

Cloud for Advanced Users – The 5 Most Important Lessons Learned Over a Decade

We’ve distilled 10 years of experience in the cloud down to a list of the 5 most important lessons we’ve learned, for users that are experienced in the cloud with multiple applications/workloads running.

Cloud Crunch Podcast: Best Practices for Cloud Optimization

What are the top 5 challenges we see with clients when it comes to cloud optimization? We talk the future of cloud optimization and key best practices to achieve and maintain optimization.

Cloud for New Users – The 4 Most Important Lessons Learned Over a Decade

We recap the four most important lessons we’ve learned over the last decade for new cloud users, including closing the knowledge gap, assembling the right solutions, combining services based on desired outcomes, and taking an active role in the shared security responsibility model.

Cloud Crunch Podcast: Examining the Cloud Center of Excellence

What is a Cloud Center of Excellence (CCOE), and how can you ensure its success? Joe Kinsella, CTO of CloudHealth, talks with us today about the importance of a CCOE, the steps to cloud maturity, and how to move through the cloud maturity journey.

Cloud Crunch Podcast: Diving into Data Lakes and Data Platforms

Data is the key to unlocking the path to better business decisions. What do you need data for? We look at the top 5 problems customers have with their data, how the cloud has helped solve these challenges, and how you can leverage the cloud for your data use.

Our Insight on Technology Trends

What is the latest technology our experts are personally working with? What certifications are they working towards? What are their favorite types of projects to work on now, what technologies are they interested in getting exposure to in the future, and how do they keep up with the latest technology?

Seven Tactical IT Initiatives to Enable your Corporate Business Objectives

CIOs' priorities have shifted to address the new normal with more focus on cost control, improving IT operations, and redesigning business process. Here are 7 steps IT can take to satisfy these shifting priorities and enable their corporate business strategy.

2nd Watch Joins the Google Cloud Partner Advantage Program

We are excited to officially share that we have joined the Google Cloud Partner Advantage Program, giving Google Cloud customers access to our 2nd Watch services and cloud experts!

Cloud Crunch Podcast: Unraveling Cloud Security, Compliance and Regulations

Victoria Geronimo, Security & Compliance Product Manager at 2nd Watch who also happens to have an internet law and internet policy background, joins us today as we look at how security, compliance, and state regulations affect architecting your cloud environment and the farther-reaching effects they have on business.

Cloud Crunch Podcast: DevOps’ Place in Cloud Transformation

Stefana Muller, Sr Product Manager of DevOps at 2nd Watch, joins us today to talk about DevOps' place in cloud transformation. We examine ideal entry points into DevOps transformations, methodologies, secrets to a successful DevOps transformation, and the "impossible ask."

DevOps: Getting buy-in

Getting buy-in for DevOps may be your greatest challenge in the implementation process. There are three key groups of people you need to get buy in from: executives, engineering and operations teams, and middle managers.

Cloud DR: Recovery Begins Well Before Disaster Strikes

Disaster recovery goes well beyond the post-crisis events, and its success hinges on the preparation done well in advance of any disaster occurring.

Cloud Crunch Podcast: COVID-19 and a Venture Capitalist’s View

We welcome guest, Matt McIlwain, Managing Director of Madrona Venture Group, to get a venture capitalist's view on the current market environment, the outlook for the market, and technological effects in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic.

2nd Watch Earns Exemplary 85 Net Promoter Score for Customer Satisfaction

We are extremely proud to be able to share that our Net Promoter Score® (NPS) increased for the fourth year in a row to the highest it has been in five years, an 85! NPS is a management tool that can be used to gauge the loyalty of an organization’s customer relationships.

Cloud Crunch Podcast: Advising the VP Leader for Cloud Transformation

What are the most common drivers for business transformation? We look at how to mold & adapt to cloud transformation, areas of challenges and acceleration we're seeing due to the COVID environment, key considerations to prepare for your transformation, and the phases from planning to ongoing optimization.

Your Gameplan for Uniting DevOps and Security

Security must be sprinkled throughout the DevOps cycle, taught from the beginning when developing best practices and automating compliant infrastructure and owned by both DevOps and Security, working together as a team.

Inside our Minds: Avoidable Security Issues

We picked our security experts' brains to find out what the biggest security hole they've ever had to patch was, what one of the worst security risks they've found and resolved was, and what the most avoidable security issue they see often is.

Cloud Crunch Podcast: VMware Cloud on AWS & Virtual Desktops

On today's episode, we discuss VMware Cloud on AWS as a data center extension, for next-generation applications and Disaster Recovery, and virtual desktop solution, Horizon 7. VMware Cloud Partner Solution Architect, Frances Wong, joins us to get technical.

Five Strategic IT Business Drivers CXOs are Contemplating Now

In speaking and listening to CXO leaders, and taking into consideration experience learned from past challenges, five strategic IT business drivers have emerged that every CXO should contemplate in guiding their companies over the next 18 months.

Cloud Crunch Podcast: Azure Cloud Adoption Framework (CAF)

Farida Bharmal from Microsoft joins us to talk about Microsoft's Cloud Adoption Framework (CAF). We discuss the components of CAF including strategy, plan, ready, migrate, innovate, govern and manage, and where customers are struggling and how they're overcoming those challenges.

Cloud Crunch Podcast: Hybrid Cloud Computing

This week on Cloud Crunch, we welcome our first guest, Dusty Simoni, Sr Product Manager at 2nd Watch, to discuss hybrid cloud computing. We dive into what hybrid cloud is is, examples of hybrid, benefits, complexities, and how to get started.

Introducing the New Cloud Crunch Podcast

We're excited to announce we've launched a new podcast focused on all things cloud! The Cloud Crunch podcast is intended to add value to any large enterprise that is planning on moving to, or is currently in the midst of moving to, the cloud.

What is DevOps to Us?

What is DevOps to us? Our experts talk automating deployment of applications and infrastructure, including CI/CD pipelines, and the most popular DevOps tools.

CCPA and the cloud

CCPA compliance will impact cloud infrastructures and development of cloud-native applications. Specifically, companies must understand where personally identifiable information and other private data lives and how to process, validate, complete and communicate consumer information and consent requests.

Amazon Forecast: Best Practices

Best practices for using Amazon Forecast, a managed service that takes your time series data in CSV format and provides a forecast into the future with a customizable confidence interval that you can set to 95%, 90%, 80%, or whatever percentage you need.

Fully-Managed DevOps – Is It Possible?

Managed DevOps provides you with a proven framework for success beginning with an assessment that sets the go-forward strategy, working on team upskilling, implementing end-to-end tooling, and then finally providing ongoing management and coaching.

How to use Amazon Forecast for your Business

Amazon Forecast is a managed service that takes your time series data in CSV format and spits out a forecast into the future. It gives you a customizable confidence interval that you can set to 95%, 90%, 80%, or whatever percentage you need.

COVID 19 – A Stress Test for The Remote Workforce

With the rapid spread of COVID-19 and escalating concerns over the effects, the cloud can help you maintain business continuity and the safety of your employees and customers.

DataOps: Get your data out of silos and into the middle of the action.

There is a better way to crunch data for business outcomes. Our DataOps Solution puts your business goals front and center. Our straightforward engagement has you centralizing and analyzing data, in the cloud, securely, within a week or two.

How Cherwell Software Improved Customer Experience with AMS

When managing infrastructure was taking away from Cherwell’s product development processes, 2nd Watch served as a consulting partner in developing their strategy and engagement to onboarding to AMS quickly, enabling them to provide great service management experience to its customers.

10 Tips for Your First DevOpsDays NYC

Here are our tips for any first-timers that plan on heading to DevOpsDays New York City on March 3 - 4, 2020.

Protection from Immediate Threats with an AWS Security Rapid Review

The AWS Security Rapid Review is a 1-2 week engagement designed to provide you with a quick turnaround of actionable remediation recommendations. It is scalable from a small sample of accounts to a few hundred accounts.

Cloud Migration & Governance Thoughts: AWS Landing Zone & the Infrastructure as Code Debate

What are the biggest AWS Landing Zone challenges we've seen? Where do we stand on AWS CloudFormation vs Terraform vs ARM? Our experts weigh in.

Improved Performance and Disaster Recovery with VMware Cloud on AWS

There are two use cases that are big drivers of VMware Cloud on AWS; the need for improved performance and disaster recovery.

What do we love about 2nd Watch?

What do we love most about 2nd Watch? Find out what makes a great day at work for us and our favorite things about working at 2nd Watch!

Managed Cloud, AMS, and the Enterprise – The Hows and Whys

As cloud offerings have developed, challenges can be addressed by managed cloud services. Services such as AWS Managed Services (AMS) can offer enterprises a much easier cloud experience that doesn’t have to impinge upon the day-to-day running of the business.

Completing Your Company’s Cloud Transformation with Azure Windows Virtual Desktop Foundations

To help you with the transition from standard desktops or an existing on-premises RDS deployment to Microsoft Azure, 2nd Watch has developed Windows Virtual Desktop Foundations.

AWS Outposts Overview – Deep Dive

AWS Outposts are fully managed and configurable compute and storage racks built with AWS-designed hardware that allow customers to run compute and storage on-premises, while seamlessly connecting to AWS’ broad array of services in the cloud.

Optimizing your environment using AWS Savings Plans

AWS Savings Plans provide far more flexibility and return for your investment than the standard RI model. Savings Plans is a flexible pricing model that provides savings of up to 72% on your AWS compute usage.

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