Architectural best practices throughout the lifecycle (ARC206)

Cloud Optimization Throughout the Lifecycle

Introduction

  • This is a level 200 session, providing foundational guidance for long-term success in cloud optimization.
  • The session will cover:
    • Introducing the speakers
    • Explaining what cloud optimization is
    • Describing the journey of going through cloud optimization
    • Covering tools that can be used and a customer success story

What is Cloud Optimization?

  • Cloud optimization is the act of designing, building, and running your workloads to bring the best possible value for your business objectives.
  • It involves making trade-offs between factors like cost, reliability, and time to market.
  • Cloud optimization applies not only to technology, but also to people and processes.

The Cloud Optimization Journey

  • Cloud optimization is a phased, incremental approach:
    1. Exploration phase: Experimenting with cloud concepts and small-scale projects.
    2. Foundational phase: Developing cloud strategy and laying foundational infrastructure.
    3. Intermediate phase: Actively designing and architecting on cloud, focusing on cost management and governance.
    4. Advanced phase: Building, deploying, and implementing CI/CD pipelines and automated self-service tools.
    5. Autonomous phase: Focusing on continuous optimization, innovation, and features.
  • Knowledge sharing and continuous improvement are crucial as organizations grow in complexity.

The Continuous Improvement Lifecycle

  • The continuous improvement lifecycle consists of several phases:
    1. Learn: Understand best practices from frameworks like Well-Architected and Cloud Adoption.
    2. Measure: Assess the state of your workloads compared to best practices.
    3. Identify: Understand the risks and anti-patterns associated with not following best practices.
    4. Prioritize: Decide which improvements to make based on business priorities.
    5. Improve: Implement the identified improvements.
  • This lifecycle should be applied repeatedly as changes occur in your environment.

Automated vs. Conversational Discovery

  • Automated discovery uses tools like Trusted Advisor and Service Screener to get a snapshot view of your workload state.
  • Conversational discovery involves engaging with stakeholders to understand the reasoning behind decisions and the human elements.
  • Both approaches are important to get a complete picture and drive continuous improvement.

Accor's Cloud Optimization Journey

  • Accor, a global hospitality company, has gone through a cloud transformation journey:
    • Started with a proof of concept and discovered the Well-Architected Framework.
    • Formed a cloud center of excellence to onboard projects and people.
    • Moved to a cloud-first strategy and a large-scale lift-and-shift migration.
    • Established an architecture review board and used architectural decision records.
    • Focused on knowledge sharing, education, and creating a good feedback loop.
    • Implemented standardization and automation to drive continuous improvement.
  • Accor's journey demonstrates the importance of a phased approach, governance, and continuous optimization.

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