Maximization of Cloud Opportunities 

When linked with the correct choice of provider, visibility and control in the cloud provide organizations with security as well as cost savings, speed, agility, efficiency, and innovation. Amazon Web Services (AWS) is one such provider which allows for the maximization of cloud opportunities, promising scalability, the elimination of capital expenses, and no latency.

Why Organizations Move to AWS

Economics & Infrastructure

Pay-per-use models are attractive to both small startups and gigantic corporations, and significant cost savings are available for those with unique and individually defined computing needs. Moreover, AWS requires no investment in physical hardware or space due to their globally distributed data centers, and when implementing AWS, organizations benefit from enhanced performance and improved disaster recovery.

Outsourcing

While AWS provides a self-service model, organizations typically don’t require the same quantity and level of IT staff. Tasks such as data center maintenance are managed by Amazon, and many organizations make use of management providers for superior optimization and governance.

Innovation through Responsiveness & Agility

Organizations are working hard to out-perform, out-deliver, and out-innovate their competitors, and with its majority cloud market share, Amazon is one of, if not the, fastest innovators in its space. Further, AWS lets companies develop and deploy applications quickly with instant access to nearly limitless computing power. It is an enabler of corporate innovation due to the fact that companies running AWS can move faster and be more agile than their competitors.

Outsourcing

While AWS provides a self-service model, organizations typically don’t require the same quantity and level of IT staff. Tasks such as data center maintenance are managed by Amazon, and many organizations make use of management providers for superior optimization and governance.

Responsiveness & Agility organizations to quickly increase capacity, reduces downtimes, encourages rapid experimentation and innovation, and increases global reach. Additionally, AWS lets companies develop and deploy applications quickly with instant access to nearly limitless computing Security

With security one of the biggest concerns in all of IT, Amazon holds a range of the most essential certifications, including HIPAA, PCI, ISO, and Sarbanes-Oxley. It also maintains separation of logical and physical access to data for further protection, and it’s unlikely that more than a handful of businesses around the world are able to match Amazon’s provisions.

data centers are distributed across the world, and multiple, independently operated data centers per region provide different failure domains. When implementing AWS, organizations benefit from enhanced performance and improved disaster recovery.

5 Steps to Organization-Wide Visibility & Control of AWS

Though the choice drivers for AWS adoption are clear, organizations often fail to realize the promised benefits of cloud due to a lack of visibility and control of their cloud infrastructure at each stage of their cloud adoption journey.

Craig Deveson, founder, and CEO of CloudMGR, suggests a five-step plan for organization-wide visibility and control of AWS:

1. Develop a visibility framework

• Determine what’s actually running.
• Bring visibility to cloud consumption with tools such as AWS console, AWS API, 3rd party billing, and cost management devices.
• Standardize which services are used so that business units can build on and adapt them.
• Control shadow IT.

2. Tap into the partner ecosystem

• Use technology partner tools to simplify billing and cost management, set up a self-service portal, and perform optimization tasks.
• Leverage the consulting partner network to perform migration tasks, develop governance practices, and outsource service management.

3. Move culture from CapEx to OpEx

• Because CapEx has long been the central budgeting mechanism for businesses, OpEx will require a change in thinking from IT and finance: establishing comfort with distributed access, resource responsibilities beyond IT, and avoiding “out of sight, out of mind” thinking.

4. Create a governance structure

• Needless to say, maintaining compliance with best practices, corporate governance requirements, and security by corporate users and Service Providers is essential. Develop a usage and control policy, control risk with cloud governance, manage access and permissions, and review compliance via regular audits.

5. Build self-service capability

• Finally, giving teams the agility to experiment and be innovative, provide controlled access that lets team members manage their own resources. This includes on-demand access, automation tools, and cost control mechanisms

CloudMGR

CloudMGR’s objective is to “give businesses the visibility and control required to get the most from their cloud” by connecting all of an organization’s important systems into a single platform. CloudMGR develops a visibility framework and allows the creation of a central control dashboard. This means moving from a CapEx to OpEx culture with chargebacks and cost centers, as well as the development of self-service capability through the CloudMGR White Label service. Making it easier for teams and leaders to understand cloud resource usage, CloudMGR recognizes that a move to the cloud doesn’t guarantee full exploitation of its many benefits and so provides the tools companies need to achieve maximum operational efficiency from their cloud environments.

Sponsored series by CloudMGR

By Jennifer Klostermann