You're struggling to keep up with your cloud computing services. What tools can help you stay ahead?

In the realm of on-prem data centre off the shelf tools are required for monitoring like Dynatrace, Splunk, Grafana, etc. This approach is not best for Cloud as every mature Cloud provider has services for monitoring. Rather than buying tools and integrate it with cloud, it's better to use native cloud services. These (local) services are easier to integrate, require minimum setup, managed by cloud provider and is cheaper with respect to TCO (Total cost of ownership). How much monitoring and what to monitor should be the problem statement rather than tools or approach.

Monitoring services in a cloud computing environment is critical for ensuring optimal performance and security. Cloud monitoring tools play a pivotal role in this aspect by allowing users to track and measure key metrics, including availability, latency, errors, usage, and costs. These tools provide insights into the health of cloud-based services, offering real-time data to detect any issues or anomalies promptly. In the event of problems, cloud monitoring tools generate alerts, enabling quick identification and resolution of issues.

Monitoring is very crucial when it comes to having applications in cloud. Since cloud providers offer different hosting services, people have to choose what's best for their use case and often have backup plans in case of a sudden unexpected traffic or failure. Having proper monitoring for their resources helps to identify any potential issues or rise in traffic and prepare in advance to minimise the impact and serve smoothly. Proper alarms and alerting mechanisms can be used to set up options like autoscaling, proxy, etc.

Utilize tools like Amazon CloudWatch, Datadog, or New Relic to gain real-time visibility into your operations on the cloud. These tools monitor performance metrics and logs to ensure optimal system health

To stay ahead in managing cloud services, use tools like AWS Management Console and Terraform for easier control and automated setup. These tools simplify operations and help save costs

Utilizing a Cloud Management Platform (CMP) is an effective strategy to simplify and streamline cloud computing services. A CMP serves as a software tool that enables the management and orchestration of multiple cloud environments, including public, private, and hybrid clouds. Through a CMP, users gain the ability to automate and standardize the deployment, configuration, and operation of their cloud resources. This automation enhances efficiency and consistency in managing complex cloud infrastructures. Additionally, CMPs facilitate the enforcement of policies and governance, allowing for better control and compliance.

In my experience the idea of CMP is flawed. If we need a vendor product to manage another vendor (cloud computing) services, then Cloud is not for you. Cloud providers like AWS provide all the relevant tools to manage every aspect of it. A layer on top of Cloud will result in wrong dependency, slowness, and running away from owning the Cloud. Instead of investing in CMP, any organization should invest in technical resources which can directly manage and run Cloud platform. By this way, they'll have more control, better visibility, reduced auxiliary cost (of CMP), low dependency on CMP and unhindered speed to innovate on cloud.

Platforms like Apache CloudStack or Red Hat CloudForms provide a unified interface for managing cloud services across multiple providers, streamlining deployment, and operational tasks

Security in general doesn't require anything additional in comparison with non-cloud environment. In fact, it reduces the burden of security of Cloud provider managed physical layers. On cloud security posture of an application improves as cloud services bare minimum demands the best practices to be in place like IAM, least privilege access, by default private networking, etc. Cloud also provides various services in all areas of Security which opens up options to customers and reduces the complexity of implementation.

Security is a paramount consideration for businesses leveraging cloud computing services, necessitating robust measures to safeguard data, applications, and infrastructure from unauthorized access, breaches, and potential attacks. Cloud security tools play a crucial role in implementing and maintaining a comprehensive security posture. These tools encompass a range of features, including encryption, authentication mechanisms, firewalls, antivirus solutions, and compliance management. Cloud security tools not only assist in fortifying the security of cloud environments but also contribute to ongoing monitoring and threat detection.

Apply tools such as Palo Alto Networks Prisma or Trend Micro Deep Security for comprehensive cloud security. These tools protect your cloud infrastructure from threats and ensure compliance with regulations

Ensuring the availability and reliability of services and data in cloud computing is a critical aspect that requires robust backup and recovery strategies. Unforeseen events such as hardware failure, human error, or cyberattacks can pose significant challenges, underscoring the importance of having a comprehensive backup and recovery plan. Cloud backup and recovery tools play a vital role in facilitating the creation and restoration of backups for cloud data and applications. These tools offer functionalities beyond traditional backup mechanisms, including the ability to migrate and replicate data across different cloud platforms and regions.

Implement solutions like Veeam or Druva to automate backup processes and guarantee data recovery, ensuring business continuity

Developing applications for the cloud requires the utilization of specialized tools that enhance workflow efficiency and overall productivity. Cloud development tools are essential for various stages of the development lifecycle, assisting developers in designing, coding, testing, debugging, deploying, and updating cloud applications. These tools also facilitate collaboration among developers, enable integration with other cloud services, and leverage cloud-native features like serverless computing and microservices. Examples of cloud development tools include AWS Cloud9, Google Cloud Code, Azure DevOps, and Visual Studio Code.

Leverage platforms like GitHub Actions or Jenkins for CI/CD to automate the software development pipeline, and use containerization tools like Docker and Kubernetes for efficient application deployment

One of the most difficult task today is to keep up with latest tech. The more deep one wants to be the more difficult it becomes to get it all. I personally term this as "Paralysis by Analysis". To slay this monstrous task, focus on what you want to learn. It can be getting expertise in your day job, or learning a new domain. I believe Certification is a fine way of formally learning technology. And cloud certifications are real deal as they're hard to crack and require one to know their stuff.

Engage with educational platforms like A Cloud Guru or Coursera to keep your skills sharp and stay updated with the latest cloud technologies and best practices

The truth about cloud computing is that it's just exposing what was hidden from everyday techie in the past. All the best practices are already there from on-prem or vendor based data centres. The key is to use cloud like it's supposed to be. Agile, throw away, managed services, utility pricing way. Running servers on the cloud and managing everything is just a dumb way of moving on-prem DCs to (cloud) vendors.

The first question I would ask is how I got where I am now. Am I a cloud-native company? In this case, I need to review my governance processes. Who decides to change the existing and based on what? Defining the role of each one and implementing procedures on how to approve and enforce change or new services will help regain control of an existing cloud environment and maintain it. Am I a company that started on-premises and moved to the cloud, having a hybrid IT deployment? In that case, I need to review the migration plan and objectives. This review will help us understand the history of the cloud and gain a better understanding of the issues and how to fix them. Finally, we must extend the on-premises governance to the cloud.

If you are struggling with cloud computing , the best way to get over is through getting hands on. With right learning tools that have practical lab along with training helps to clear doubts and concerns.

Always plan for scalability, assess your vendor's capabilities, and keep an eye on cost management with tools like CloudHealth to optimize spending