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Cloud Architecture

Unlock the power of cloud computing for a robust, scalable, and secure environment.

Cloud architecture provides inherent scalability and elasticity, enabling organizations to match their system and computing power needs without the upfront expense of deploying and managing their own data centers. A well-designed cloud computing architecture, featuring components like microservices, provides a shared responsibility model for security, leaving the enterprise with greater flexibility and control than it might initially realize.

How Can I Ensure a Successful Cloud Migration?

Cloud migration is a significant step for any business and as a technology leader, Ten Mile Square recognizes that ensuring its success requires meticulous planning and execution.

Here's our 9-step approach:​

  1. Clear Understanding of Business Goals and Objectives: Before initiating the migration, it’s essential to understand why the migration is happening and what it’s expected to achieve.
  2. Assess Your Current Technology Infrastructure: Conduct a thorough assessment of your existing technology resources, service providers, and applications. This includes understanding the architecture, dependencies, performance metrics, and other operational details.Ten Mile Square’s technology assessment will uncover any gaps between the state of your current infrastructure and goals. For example, it ensures that data storage and data logic are not tightly intertwined, facilitating easier expansion and modifications.
  3. Develop a Migration Strategy: Based on your business objectives and assessment, develop a migration strategy that accounts for:
    • Selecting a public cloud versus a private cloud model (may require a hybrid cloud architecture or multi-cloud approach)
    • Specifying the cloud architecture layers: IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS
    • Identifying which applications to move (rehost, re-platform, or refactor).
  4.  Choose the Right Cloud Provider: Different managed service providers offer different features, pricing structures, and compatibility. If your business already uses certain software extensively (like Amazon or Microsoft), then choosing a compatible platform (like AWS or Azure) can simplify the migration. Prioritize time to research and choose a cloud platform that is the best solution for your business needs.
  5. Plan for Cloud Security and Compliance: Ensure that the cloud environment complies with all necessary laws and regulations related to data protection and privacy. Implement appropriate cybersecurity measures to protect data and applications.
  6. Prepare for Migration: This includes preparing your cloud operations team, setting up the necessary tools for migration, scheduling the migration to minimize disruption, and planning for potential issues that might arise during the process.
  7. Test Before Going Live: Once the applications are migrated, thoroughly test them in the new environment to ensure they are working correctly. This includes functional testing, performance testing, and security testing.
  8. Monitor Post Migration: After the migration is complete, continuously monitor the applications, runtime, and cloud infrastructure to ensure they perform as expected.
  9. Plan for Ongoing Optimization: Cloud architects plan for dynamic and expandable environments accounting for ongoing management of cloud resources. Continuous optimization is essential to extract maximum value from your investment.

How Can I Enhance Our Team's Cloud Computing Capabilities?

Enhancing your team’s cloud computing capabilities is a multi-step process that involves training, strategic hiring, and potentially partnering with external experts. It’s a continuous learning process that involves access to experts and daily hands-on skill building. 

Training and Upskilling: Start by providing training for your existing team. Educational resources and certification programs are offered by cloud providers like AWS, Google Cloud, or Microsoft Azure. You can incorporate these programs into your employee training benefits so that they can obtain the knowledge they need to leverage cloud technologies.

Strategic Hiring: When feasible, consider bringing in new full-time or fractional talent with prior experience in cloud computing. These individuals can take a leadership role in cloud strategy or projects and serve as mentors to less experienced team members who are seeking direct coaching.

Consulting and Managed Services: Working with technology consultants like Ten Mile Square who specialize in cloud migration is a more immediate way to gain expertise. We can lead or support your migration process and help train your staff along the way. Likewise, cloud-managed providers can handle the operation and maintenance of your cloud resources, allowing your team to learn while also ensuring the work gets done.

Community Learning: Encourage your team to participate in virtual communities and forums related to cloud computing. These communities offer access to peer experiences, the latest trends, and feedback on challenges they can apply to their daily projects.

A Ten Mile Square expert can work with you to determine the best plan for your unique enterprise.

AWS Well-Architected Framework

As a credentialed AWS Select Consulting Partner, Ten Mile Square’s team of experts works closely with businesses to implement a cloud architecture based on the guiding principles of the AWS Well-Architected Framework. Cloud architects can refer to these six pillars as guiding principles and best practices to craft applications that are not only secure and high performing but also resilient and efficient.

  1. Operational Excellence: Involves running and monitoring systems to deliver business value, and continually improving processes and procedures. Key topics include managing and automating changes, responding to events, and defining standards to manage daily operations.
  2. Security: Focuses on protecting information, systems, and assets while delivering business value through risk assessments and mitigation strategies. It includes areas such as safeguarding data, managing access control, and responding to incidents.
  3. Reliability: Ensures a workload performs its intended function correctly and consistently when it’s expected to. It involves areas like system availability, recovery planning, and how to handle change effectively.
  4. Performance Efficiency: Emphasize using IT and computing resources efficiently. Key topics include selecting the right resource types and sizes based on workload requirements, monitoring performance, and making informed decisions to maintain efficiency as business needs evolve.
  5. Cost Optimization: Uncovers unnecessary costs while maintaining the flexibility to adapt to changing needs, and making the right trade-offs between cost, system performance, and reliability. It includes areas like cost-effective resources, matching supply and demand, and optimizing over time.
  6. Sustainability: Minimizes environmental impact through efficient use of cloud resources, comprehensive understanding of utilization, and reduction of downstream impact.

Our Cloud Architecture Approach

We will craft a cloud strategy that empowers your tech stack and fuels your business trajectory.

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