Cloud computing and management are shaping the future of businesses, cutting through the need for devices, storage servers, networks, security, and architecture. Companies are realizing the benefits of cloud computing and are transforming their infrastructure to be able to integrate their data digitally into a safer zone. However, there are certain best practices that need to be followed to ensure that there are no loopholes in managing data in the cloud. Although there are measures put in place by the cloud management services, internal IT setups can also strengthen the wall of protection.
Best practices to follow
Strategic and proactive planning: It goes without saying that businesses take due care in planning ahead in time for digital transformation, but there could still be insurmountable loopholes. It is best to run a trial with the new setup with not-so-classified data. It must always be assumed that the system may fail to protect the data at any given point of time. Any wrong predictions regarding the system’s capacity could lead to trouble- both legally and financially. Therefore, it is best to:
- Test systems at the production scale: Cloud provides the flexibility to create a production-scale test environment that can gauge the capacity of the system. Once the test is done, the resources can be deprovisioned.
- Check the flexibility: Business environments are changing every moment. So are cloud management systems. It is best to ensure that the data is safe even in a changing environment. Evolutionary cloud architecture should be designed to match the ever-changing cloud dynamics.
- Believe in automation: It cuts down on the labor cost since it makes intelligent decisions in the face of challenges. With automation, one can create and replicate systems that make the architecture dynamic.
The security wall should be strengthened: Despite already-existing security measures, it is always desirable to secure the cloud environment individually. The security wall should not be restricted to a firewall, but it should be multi-layered. This will help protect the cloud, data from unauthorized actions. This can best be done by categorizing data in different segments- public, private and shared; encrypting data, creating a log of all the details and creating policies to prevent accidental deletes, changes and overwrites.
No root logins: It is best to access data on the cloud cautiously. The data, OS and the application should be protected at the company level and admin or root logins should be avoided unless absolutely necessary. There should be password logging policies, multi-factor authentication and more.
Innovative cloud architecture: Ensure that the IT department is adept to handle system and cloud management downtimes at any point of the day. Automated recovery processes can be designed in anticipation of failures. There should be no common point of failure and redundant architecture should be avoided.
Checking the performance efficiency: It is not advisable to leave the system and the cloud platform to function independently right from Day 1. It is best to build applications and services on an evolved platform. A high-performance environment and template can provide for a better-performing cloud system. The efficiency of cloud services can be gauged by the infrastructure it is backed by. The RAM, CPU, storage, etc should be designed to meet the dynamic requirements that a business may have.
Cost optimization: Cloud-managed service providers can help businesses reduce management costs. This will remove the operational burden of the management and maintenance of infrastructure. Owing to the dynamic environment businesses functions in, it is not advisable to spend money on hardware resources that might turn out to be redundant in the future.
Operational excellence: Managing workload is one of the primary concerns of businesses when there is an additional platform to take care of. It is therefore advisable to align processes by automating operations with code. Metrics should be collected from various sources and processes should be aligned accordingly, keeping the business needs in mind. It is always advisable to make incremental changes, instead of changing things at one go. Small changes, reduce the risk factor involved in cloud management. It is wrong to assume that there is a single process that fits all businesses. Cloud computing, and management likewise, always depend on a number of determinants like the size of the company, its population, the business it is dealing with and the data it needs to transform. Tailor-made solutions are always advisable.
Each business is unique and would require independent expertise in managing and maintaining the cloud platform. So, it is best to do the right research to be able to maneuver the company’s growth path.