Cloud architects are highly sought after. Many IT professionals are looking for certification with AWS, Azure, and other large cloud providers. However, the responsibilities of this position are often unclear. Your role as a cloud architect is to plan and design cloud-based infrastructures. This is crucial because of the increasing demand for data centers to move to the cloud.
The cloud allows technicians the ability to quickly launch servers, databases, or the equivalent of entire datacenters in minutes. This speed is incredible for adaptability and responsiveness, but without proper planning, the design could be inefficient, costly, and vulnerable to malicious hacks. This is why cloud architects are so important. It is your responsibility ensure that the environment meets or exceeds the requirements and expectations for performance, cost-effectiveness and security.
Although I support the move to the cloud, there are some pitfalls that cloud architects must avoid. Human error will always exist. However, many of the most serious mistakes in this field involve how you approach cloud architecture design. We can help you get started by looking at some of the most serious offenses. Experience and training are key to success for professionals and organizations.
These are four mistakes cloud architects can’t afford to make
1. Static Hardware Removed
You can change hardware choices that were made in your local data center at a moment’s notice online. There is little you can do if you buy a server to host your website and then realize that the processors are not powerful enough. Cloud architectures do not allow you to make changes based upon demand. You are expected to make those changes every time you feel it is necessary. Cloud architectures are based on the idea that your hardware should be considered an elastic resource.
The easiest way to describe the cloud is to say that you are using another person’s computer. Although the hardware for your infrastructure is stored in a datacenter owned and managed by one of the cloud superpowers all other aspects are the same. It is not. You are wrong to treat the cloud like a remote data center that you have to manage, and your company will suffer. Automated scaling based on demand is a great example of something that is impossible in your own datacenter, but is now a common best practice in the cloud.
This concept of elasticity will not only improve your performance but also help you manage costs. It is important to adhere to this principle in the cloud or your costs will skyrocket. Cloud vs. traditional on-prem has one major difference: you only pay for what you use. Your monthly bill can be dramatically increased if you don’t properly size your hardware or terminate any unnecessary resources.
2. Do not let the burden go
One of the greatest benefits of designing in cloud is that you can offload hardware responsibility to another person. Because you know that you have virtually unlimited resources at your disposal, you don’t need to plan ahead for them. Hardware is not the only thing that matters. Although serverless (or managed) technologies are common, most people don’t understand how they work. Serverless does not necessarily mean there are no servers. It simply means that they are no longer under your control. This allows you to focus on your data, user experience, and designing your next architecture. Don’t worry about the tedious tasks of patching applications and servers.
You should always remember “Services not servers”
Cloud providers offer many services