AWS Cloud introduction

What is cloud computing

• refers to on-demand delivery of IT resources & applications via the internet with pay-as-you-go pricing

before cloud computing

• need to provision capacity based on guessing theoretical max peaks
• if didn't meet projected max peaks / exceeded them
  • need to pay for expensive resources that would stay idle
  • or have insufficient capacity to meet needs

benefits

• server, databases, storage, higher-level app components can be initiated within seconds
  • can be treated as temporary & disposable resources
  • free from the inflexibility & constraints of a fixed & finite IT infrastructure
• approach to change management, testing, reliability, & capacity planning is more agile & efficient

1 main reason companies move to cloud is due to agility

• 3 factors that affects agility
  1. speed
     • AWS facilities all over the world can offer global reach with a moment's notice
     • AWS gives benefit without having to make huge investment as data are facilities are closed to customers
       • cost of building data centers are not required
     • new resources are a click away
       • reduces the time it takes to make those resources available to developers from weeks to minutes
  2. experimentation
     • enable ability to safely experiment, develop operations procedures, & practice failure
     • enables operations as code in the cloud
       • AWS allows spinning up servers in minutes for experimenting
       • allows return or re-purpose servers for other experiments
     • with virtual & automatable resources
       • can quickly carry out comparative testing using different types of instances, storage, / configurations
       • AWS CloudFormation enables consistent, templated, sandbox development, test, & production environments
         • with increasing levels of operations control
  3. culture of innovation
     • being able to experiment quickly & having low cost & low risk
       • it allows for more experimentation, which leads to discovery of new configurations & innovations

Understanding how AWS utilizes agility of cloud computing

• need to look at AWS infrastructure that supports elasticity, scalability, & reliability of computing resources

AWS Cloud infrastructure

• built around Regions & Availability Zones ("AZs")
  • a region is a physical location in the world
    • have multiple Availability Zones
      • Availability Zones consist of 1 or more discrete data centers
        • each data center has redundant power, networking & connectivity, & is housed in separate facilities
        • Availability Zones offer the ability to operate production apps & databases
          • these are more highly available, fault tolerant, & scalable than a single data center
            • fault tolerant: the ability for a system to remain operational even if some of the components of that system fail
              • it can be seen as the built-in redundancy of an app's components
            • high availability: ensures that systems are always functioning & accessible
              • also ensures downtime is minimized as much as possible WITHOUT human intervention

Using AWS Cloud

• can take advantage of scalable, reliable, & secure global computing infrastructure to meet requirements

Elasticity

• it is also a powerful force in Cloud Computing
• it is the power to scale computing resources up / down easily
  • while only paying for the actual resources used
• elastic nature of AWS allows customers to:
  • quickly deploy new apps
  • instantly scale up as workload grows
  • instantly shut down resources that are no longer required
  • scale down & don't pay for the infrastructure
• AWS provides the elastic infrastructure to meet needs
  • needing 1 virtual server / thousands
  • needing computing resources for a few hours / 24/7

Key benefits of AWS

• is the ability to use services at own pace
• by using AWS, customers can grow, shrink, & adapt their consumption of services
  • to meet seasonal requirements
  • launch new services or products
  • accommodate new strategic directions
• AWS delivers scalable cloud computing platform designed for high availability & dependability
  • providing tools that enable running a wide range of apps
    • AWS tools, Auto Scaling, & Elastic Load Balancing
      • allows app to scale up / down based on demand
      • backed by Amazon's infrastructure
      • have access to compute & storage resources when needed
• can easily deploy system in multiple regions around the world
  • while providing a lower latency & better experience for customers at minimal cost
    • customers can consistently use innovative services & cutting-edge tech
      • without having to go through multiple procurement cycles & expensive evaluations
  • AWS provides capabilities to support virtually any workload
    • giving customers continued access to latest tech
• you retain complete control & ownership over which region the data is physically located
  • makes it easy to meet regional compliance & data residency requirements
  • AWS Cloud provides governance capabilities that enable continuous monitoring of configuration changes to IT resources
  • before cloud computing
    • infrastructure security auditing would often be a periodic & manual process
• AWS offers industry-leading capabilities across facilities, networks, software, & business processes to meet strictest requirements
  • AWS secure data centers use electronic surveillance & multi-factor access control systems
    • data centers are staffed 24/7 by security guards, & access is authorized strictly on a least privileged basis
    • environmental systems are designed to minimize the impact of disruptions to operations
    • multiple geographic regions & availability zones allow resilience during failure modes
      • including natural disasters or system failure
• AWS assets are programmable resources
  • thus, security policy can be formalized & embedded with the design of the infrastructure
  • AWS helps customers develop high performing & reliable solutions to address most business needs
    • e.g.: offering media services to customers around the world / managing medical devices for a highly decentralized workforce
  • AWS gives customers the tools to implement solutions quickly & with limited friction
  • AWS reliability defined as the ability of a system to recover from infrastructure / service failures
    • it also focuses on the ability to dynamically acquire computing resources to meet demands & mitigate disruptions
    • to achieve reliability, architecture & system must have well-planned foundation
      • that can handle changes in demand & also detect failure & automatically heal itself
    • AWS help achieve greater flexibility & capacity
      • reducing the uncertainty of forecasting hardware needs
      • the scale of AWS gives customers capacity & reliability that is difficult to match by on-premise solutions
• with AWS, no longer need to dedicate valuable resources to building costly infrastructure
  • including purchasing servers, software licenses or leasing facilities
  • by paying for services on an as needed basis
    • allows redirection of focus to innovation & invention
      • reducing procurement complexity & enabling the business to be fully elastic
    • pay-as-you-go pricing allows easy adaptation to changing business needs without over committing budgets
      • and improving responsiveness to changes
      • the model allows business to adapt depending on need & not on forecasts
        • reducing the risk / over provisioning / missing capacity

Summary

• moving to the cloud is not just about saving costs on IT
  • it's about creating the environment that lets the business thrive