COST10-BP02 Review and analyze this workload regularly - AWS Well-Architected Framework (2023-04-10)
Implementation guidanceResources

COST10-BP02 Review and analyze this workload regularly

Existing workloads are regularly reviewed based on each defined process to find out if new services can be adopted, existing services can be replaced, or workloads can be re-architected.

Level of risk exposed if this best practice is not established: Medium

Implementation guidance

AWS is constantly adding new features so you can experiment and innovate faster with the latest technology. AWS What's New details how AWS is doing this and provides a quick overview of AWS services, features, and Regional expansion announcements as they are released. You can dive deeper into the launches that have been announced and use them for your review and analyze of your existing workloads. To realize the benefits of new AWS services and features, you review on your workloads and implement new services and features as required. This means you may need to replace existing services you use for your workload, or modernize your workload to adopt these new AWS services. For example, you might review your workloads and replace the messaging component with Amazon Simple Email Service. This removes the cost of operating and maintaining a fleet of instances, while providing all the functionality at a reduced cost.

To analyze your workload and highlight potential opportunities, you should consider not only new services but also new ways of building solutions. Review the This is My Architecture videos on AWS to learn about other customers’ architecture designs, their challenges and their solutions. Check the All-In series to find out real world applications of AWS services and customer stories. You can also watch the Back to Basics video series that explains, examines, and breaks down basic cloud architecture pattern best practices. Another source is How to Build This videos, which are designed to assist people with big ideas on how to bring their minimum viable product (MVP) to life using AWS services. It is a way for builders from all over the world who have a strong idea to gain architectural guidance from experienced AWS Solutions Architects. Finally, you can review the Getting Started resource materials, which has step by step tutorials.

Before starting your review process, follow your business’ requirements for the workload, security and data privacy requirements in order to use specific service or Region and performance requirements while following your agreed review process.

Implementation steps

  • Regularly review the workload: Using your defined process, perform reviews with the frequency specified. Verify that you spend the correct amount of effort on each component. This process would be similar to the initial design process where you selected services for cost optimization. Analyze the services and the benefits they would bring, this time factor in the cost of making the change, not just the long-term benefits.

  • Implement new services: If the outcome of the analysis is to implement changes, first perform a baseline of the workload to know the current cost for each output. Implement the changes, then perform an analysis to confirm the new cost for each output.

Resources

Related documents:

Related videos: