Implementing IT operations in the AWS Cloud

AWS can help reduce the operational overhead that organizations incur from their infrastructure maintenance responsibilities. As a result, IT teams can redirect their focus from routine operational tasks to strategic business initiatives, improving overall organizational efficiency and innovation capacity.

The following diagram provides an overview of an AWS Cloud environment:

• Customer applications can access AWS services in the AWS Cloud using a virtual private cloud (VPC). AWS global infrastructure supports the AWS Cloud.

• AWS offers multiple services to automate your IT operations, combining both core functionalities and AI-powered operations (AIOps) capabilities. For more information about the AWS services that support automation, see AWS services for automation. Understanding these services can facilitate your smooth transition from on-premises infrastructure to AWS native solutions.

• The AWS Management Console supports multiple operational tasks including:

  • Cost optimization

  • Backup and disaster recovery

  • Resource provisioning and scaling

  • Incident management and troubleshooting

  • Automation and deployment

  • Monitoring and logging

  • Security and compliance

  • Documentation and knowledge sharing

  • Network

To effectively transition from VMware to the AWS Cloud, organizations should use the following steps:

1. Identify key AWS operational tasks.

2. Assess existing on-premises processes for potential reuse.

3. Adopt adopt cloud-native operations gradually where appropriate.

4. Align current workflows with AWS best practices.

5. Develop skills in tools and services that are specific to AWS.

6. Implement a phased approach to minimize disruption.

This approach helps to provide a smooth migration while leveraging existing expertise and gradually embracing cloud-native capabilities. Teams can leverage AWS capabilities quickly while maintaining operational continuity. The following table provides guidance to help you get started with AWS operational tasks.

AWS operational alignment strategy	AWS operational tasks	Existing on-premises processes to assess for potential reuse
Monitoring and logging	Review and analyze Amazon CloudWatch logs, metrics, and alarms for any issues or anomalies. Monitor the health and performance of EC2 instances, load balancers, databases, and other AWS services. Analyze log data from services like AWS CloudTrail for security and compliance purposes.	Monitoring
Security and compliance	Review and apply necessary security patches and updates to EC2 instances and other AWS services. Verify that security groups, network access control lists (ACLs), and IAM policies are configured correctly and follow best practices. Check for any security vulnerabilities or misconfigurations using AWS Security Hub or third-party security tools. Ensure compliance with industry standards and regulations (for example, Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), and System and Organization Controls SOC)..	Security and compliance
Cost optimization	Monitor and analyze AWScost and usage reports using AWS Cost Explorer or third-party cost management tools. Identify and terminate unused or underutilized resources (for example, idle EC2 instances or unattached EBS volumes). Implement cost-saving strategies such as Reserved Instances, Spot Instances, or AWS Auto Scaling.	Accounts management Capacity planning
Backup and disaster recovery	Create and verify backups of critical data, including EBS volumes, Amazon RDS databases, and Amazon S3 buckets. Test and validate disaster recovery plans and procedures using services like AWS Backup and AWS Elastic Disaster Recovery.	Backup management
Resource provisioning and scaling	Provision new AWS resources (for example, EC2 instances, Amazon RDS databases, or load balancers) as needed for new projects or workloads. Scale existing resources up or down based on demand, using services like AWS Auto Scaling.	Compute Management IT operations
Automation and deployment	Leverage IaC tools like AWS CloudFormation or HashiCorp Terraform to automate resource provisioning and configuration management. Implement continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD) pipelines for application deployments using services like AWS CodePipeline, AWS CodeBuild, and AWS CodeDeploy.	Automation
Incident management and troubleshooting	Monitor and respond to any alerts, incidents, or service disruptions. Troubleshoot and resolve issues related to AWS resources, networking, or application performance. Collaborate with development teams and other stakeholders to investigate and resolve complex issues.	IT operations Application support
Documentation and knowledge sharing	Maintain up-to-date documentation for AWS infrastructure, configurations, and processes. Conduct knowledge-sharing sessions or training for team members on AWS best practices.	IT operations Application support
Network	Define your IP address ranges, subnets, routing tables, and network gateways. Enable secure communication between AWS resources and your on-premises network. Maintain route tables, security groups, ACLs, and network connectivity by using AWS Direct Connect and Transit Gateway.	Network

Develop skills in AWS services and tools

Through AWS training programs, certifications, documentation, and best practice guides, teams can continuously enhance their cloud expertise. Organizations can become proficient with the latest AWS services and capabilities, enabling them to design, implement, and maintain effective cloud solutions that drive business success.

AWS provides a wide range of resources and programs to help individuals and organizations build their skills and capabilities on the AWS Cloud such as:

• AWS Training and Certification

• AWS Skill Builder

• AWS Partner Training and Certification

• AWS Events and Webinars