Cloud Chronicles: Tips for AWS Migration and Best Practices
As more and more organizations embrace digital transformation and seek to modernize their IT infrastructure, migrating to the cloud has become an increasingly popular option. Amazon Web Services (AWS), one of the largest and most popular cloud platforms, has emerged as a leading choice for many organizations seeking to leverage the benefits of the cloud.
Like other organizations, TV3, the biggest media house in Baltics, is also in the process of transitioning its Go3 OTT TV service operations to the cloud platform. I’m proud to be responsible for the solution architecture of this service. To assist us in this migration effort, as well as anyone else who is embarking on a similar journey, I will be publishing a series of blog posts called Cloud Chronicles.
These posts will contain valuable information on the most effective practices for configuring, securing, and monitoring the cloud platform. I will be gathering in these articles all valuable information I can find about the cloud platform and how to make it work for you.
Embarking on a cloud migration can be daunting, but fear not! In this Cloud Chronicles series, We’ll provide you with the expert guidance you need to ensure a smooth and successful transition to the cloud. Drawing on our learning path as well as insights from industry experts, we’ll share best practices and insider tips to help you navigate the complexities of AWS deployment.
In this introductory article, we’ll kick things off by offering practical advice for AWS migration and highlighting key best practices for cloud deployment.
Other articles in the series
7 Rs of Migration
(more to come)
Before we start
This document is a work in progress that will be continually updated as we learn. To strike a balance between editability, traceability, and readability, I’ve decided to keep it as a repository on GitHub. This approach not only allows us to include ready-to-use code snippets but also facilitates version control. To create and manage the repository, we’re using Visual Studio Code, along with plugins such as Mermaid for charts and Draw.io for diagrams.
While the articles in this series will be published on various portals, we’ll start with Medium.com and GitHub.io. However, I may expand to other platforms in the future.
The most up-to-date version of this document will always be available on GitHub, so be sure to watch the repository here:
Let’s go back to our story.
Why Migrate to the Cloud?
Before diving into the specifics of AWS migration, it’s important to understand why businesses are making the switch to the cloud. First and foremost, the cloud offers scalability and flexibility, allowing businesses to easily adjust their resources to meet changing demands. Additionally, cloud services can often be more cost-effective than on-premises solutions, as they eliminate the need for expensive hardware and maintenance. Finally, the cloud enables businesses to be more agile and responsive to changes in the marketplace, which is critical in today’s fast-paced business environment.
As a growing business, we know that expanding our data center is essential. However, with the current challenges around silicon availability, turning to cloud-based solutions makes more sense than ever. Plus, given how our traffic varies significantly throughout the day and across seasons, we require an auto-scalable solution that can keep up with demand. Thankfully, AWS offers capabilities that allow us to monitor the performance of underlying hardware and understand utilization, bottlenecks, and usage patterns. These factors are critical to our success in the cloud.
The cloud offers unparalleled benefits in terms of solution reliability, availability, and stability. Cloud-native services are engineered to be highly available and distributed across multiple data centers to minimize the impact of power outages and local connectivity issues. This design ensures that your solution is always up and running, providing your users with the seamless experience they expect.
Getting Started with AWS
Once you’ve decided to migrate to the cloud, the next step is to get started with AWS. AWS offers a wide range of services, including compute, storage, networking, security, and more. However, with so many options available, it can be overwhelming to know where to begin. The first step is to familiarize yourself with AWS and its core services. This can be done through online training, documentation, and hands-on experience with the platform.
AWS is offering various training paths including a Skills builder platform, which includes some 500+ online self-paced training. When you want more in-class experience, you can choose your training from the online catalog of training classrooms. Even further, AWS provides Ramp-up guides, which are predetermined learning paths divided by the role or solution.
Looking outside of the AWS offer, there are various YouTube channels, where you can learn a lot. Just to name a few, here are some valuable examples:
If you decide to invest a bit in your learning, you can find also a lot of courses on Udemy or sign up for a paid course like Cloud Mastery Bootcamp. Myself, I decided to join that one. It is very intensive, but I have huge hopes to refresh my overall knowledge and put it in the cloud perspective.
Once you have a basic understanding of AWS, it’s important to choose the right migration strategy. There are several strategies to consider, including rehosting, re-platforming, and refactoring. Each strategy has its benefits and drawbacks, so it’s important to choose the one that best fits your organization’s needs and goals.
Best Practices for Cloud Migration
Once you’ve selected your migration strategy, it’s time to start planning for the migration itself. Successful cloud migration requires careful planning and execution, as well as a solid understanding of your application portfolio and infrastructure. To ensure a smooth migration, it’s important to follow best practices such as:
- Proper planning: Take the time to plan your migration carefully, including setting realistic timelines, identifying potential risks and challenges, and establishing clear goals and metrics for success.
- Assessing your application portfolio: Before migrating to the cloud, it’s important to assess your application portfolio to determine which applications are the best fit for the cloud, and which may require refactoring or re-platforming.
- Establishing a governance framework: It’s important to establish clear policies and procedures for cloud governance, including security, compliance, and cost management.
- Addressing security concerns: Security is always a top concern when it comes to cloud migration. It’s important to establish a comprehensive security strategy that includes data encryption, access control, and monitoring.
AWS is offering the Migration Acceleration Program or MAP, which is aimed to help enterprises accelerate their cloud migration and modernization journey. The program uses a proven three-phased framework (Assess, Mobilize, and Migrate-and-Modernize) and provides tools, training, and expertise from partners in the AWS Partner Network to reduce costs and automate and accelerate execution.
Overcoming Common Challenges
Despite careful planning and execution, cloud migration can still present challenges for organizations. Some common challenges include security concerns, organizational resistance, and technical complexities. To overcome these challenges, it’s important to stay flexible and responsive and to have a solid communication plan in place to keep all stakeholders informed and engaged throughout the migration process.
In the follow-up article, I will start by describing the tools, which allow you to see what is going on in your AWS account. Having a good overview and establishing the right frameworks from the beginning will fruit in the future.
Conclusion
AWS cloud migration can be a challenging but rewarding process for businesses. By following best practices for cloud migration, and by being responsive to challenges as they arise, organizations can successfully migrate to the cloud and take advantage of the many benefits it offers. In future articles in this series, we’ll dive deeper into specific topics such as cloud configuration, management, and security. Stay tuned!
