cloud engineering services - microsoft azure...2015/10/01 · cloud-based services due to poorly...
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Cloud Engineering
ServicesDevOpsGroup 2018
What is Cloud Engineering?
DevOpsGroup provides Cloud Engineering to deliver operational services in Microsoft Azure using DevOps automation and working practices. Our capabilities include delivering new deployments, migrating specific applications or optimising & re-platforming services.
Why do I need Cloud Engineering Services?
Although many organisations have a clear strategy to migrate to the Cloud, DevOpsGroup has noted that a significant proportion have subsequently failed to execute against these plans. We have also witnessed a number of companies unsuccessfully launching Cloud-based services due to poorly architected Cloud infrastructure and limited DevOps automation. In both scenarios, these organisations have not realised the agility, flexibility, scalability and cost-efficiency benefits that the Cloud was expected to deliver.
There are multiple factors behind this delay, all of which can be addressed by using managed Cloud engineering services in order to accelerate the pace of adoption. We regularly witness the following limiting factors which are responsible for stalling effective Cloud migration:
Too busy to change
Many organisations find that all of their IT staff are fully consumed by trying to deliver an acceptable service within the confines of their legacy infrastructure. Therefore they find it difficult to free-up the necessary resource to address this technical debt and facilitate the migration to the Cloud.
Capability limitations
Moving to the Cloud is not a straightforward undertaking. In order to ensure a smooth and effective migration, staff require up to date DevOps and Cloud skills and experience. For most companies this is not the case, particularly when their established working practices with on-premise infrastructure have been in place for years. Even in many “Cloud native” organisations, Development teams have been relied upon to build Continuous Delivery pipelines and Cloud infrastructure, which is not their core skill-set and hence generates sub-optimal results.
Recruitment challenges
As a response to these resource restrictions, many companies will look to bring in more permanent staff. Effective hiring is difficult in the current market as DevOps and Cloud skills are at a premium. This problem is compounded as the majority of people with these talents will seek work in companies that already operate in leading-edge technology environments so that they can hone their skills further. These factors make it particularly difficult for organisations with legacy environments to be an attractive proposition for highly sought-after candidates. Many Cloud migrations stall as the staff required to facilitate them are not available.
Insufficient scale
For many smaller organisations, recruitment budgets and headcount allowances do not permit hiring a team with the breadth of knowledge required to deliver a successful Cloud migration or re-architecture. It is highly unlikely to find all of the required skills and experience in one or two individuals. Even if these staff were identified, their wage demands would potentially be prohibitive.
Reluctance to use contract staff
Without the option of hiring permanent staff, many companies will consider bringing in contractors as a short-term alternative. However, this approach can have its own problems – individual contractors may have different approaches to engineering which will not result in a standardised configuration. Co-ordinating a team of disparate contractors also has a significant management overhead. By definition, contractors tend to have short tenures and when they do leave, there is a risk that documentation is missing and critical information is not effectively handed over to permanent staff. For these reasons, using contractors is often discounted and Cloud initiatives are delayed as a result.
Outmoded ways of working
Moving to the Cloud has a significant impact on an IT team’s operating model. In a Cloud environment, staff that were previously building and supporting traditional infrastructure will now need an understanding of DevOps practices such as Continuous Integration/Continuous Delivery (CI/CD) pipelines, infrastructure as code and application performance management. At an organisational level, staff should move from siloed infrastructure teams and become part of cross-functional product teams. Without a DevOps transformation, many companies will fail to get the maximum benefit from the Cloud and will therefore delay its adoption.
These are just some of the factors that can inhibit successful Cloud adoption. It is for these reasons that DevOpsGroup provides Cloud Engineering services to help organisations to accelerate their journey to the Cloud.
How do DevOpsGroup deliver Cloud Engineering Services?
DevOpsGroup has significant experience in helping organisations migrate services to the Cloud. We have the capability to migrate, re-platform or build new services in the Cloud and we can also implement advanced features such as containers and serverless technologies. We work across multiple Cloud platforms, principally with Microsoft Azure, holding top-tier accreditations.
In addition to this Cloud expertise, we are also specialists in the creation of automated DevOps CI/CD pipelines. We also have a range of DevOps transformation services which are designed to change organisational ways of working to embed modern DevOps and Agile practices through a combination of training and consultancy.
All of DevOpsGroup’s Cloud Engineering services are delivered by our highly experienced engineers who impart the practical real-world knowledge that we have gained while working with modern forward-thinking organisations.
DevOpsGroup operates a three stage engagement model in order to deliver Cloud Engineering services. We have described each of these steps overleaf:
Inception
Our inception is a short engagement that is designed to capture what a successful Cloud migration will look like for our client’s organisation. This drives a set of high-level recommendations to achieve stated goals, presented in a summary report that covers:
• An overview of goals and ambitions
• An architectural overview with recommendations and guidelines for technology selection and direction
• An overview of appropriate automation tooling to consider
• A price calculation of the next phases for budgetary purposes
The Inception is typically performed over one day at our client’s offices with a DevOpsGroup Client Success Leads and Cloud Consultant in attendance.
Discovery & Design
In the Discovery & Design phase we build upon the material gathered in the Inception. We investigate the next level of detail in order to produce a comprehensive design document that contains the following information:
• Confirmation of the observations made in the Inception stage
• A detailed blueprint of what will be built
• A functional specification of how this will be delivered
• An Agile schedule of work based on an iterative delivery approach
The Discovery & Design phase is delivered using a combination of on-site semi-structured information/requirements gathering workshops and design sessions. We augment this with remote design/report-writing in order to complete the final document.
Build, Test and Transition
Once the design has been approved by both parties, we build, test and then transition to the new Cloud infrastructure. DevOpsGroup works in close collaboration with our clients to ensure we stay aligned and respond to changes as they arise. Where possible, we align working practices by holding joint Agile ceremonies, sharing backlogs and sprint reporting.
We deliver work iteratively and look to bring a minimum-viable service online as early as possible to continually test and prove the design principles. We also incorporate DevOps automation tooling throughout the build, usually involving full CI/CD pipelines. Everything that DevOpsGroup builds has operability in mind, so that operational considerations and controls do not have to be retro-fitted as an afterthought.
Finally, transition to a Cloud support service is a process that continues throughout the build. This focus on operability and operations maximises the lifetime value of the solution and ensures that our clients can continue to innovate.
Although each Build, Test and Transition phase is tailored to an individual client, typical deliverables from this service are detailed below:
• New deployments, specific application migrations or optimised/re-platformed services in the Cloud
• Automated DevOps CI/CD pipelines
• Services configured ‘as code’ with operability in mind
• Relevant build documentation
• Handover to the client’s chosen support service
Typically, much of the Build, Test and Transition phase is delivered remotely by DevOpsGroup’s Cloud engineering team. Our Client Success Leads are responsible for reporting and will attend regular on-site progress meetings.
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DevOpsGroup have been instrumental in getting our cloud migration and datacentre exit plans running on schedule. I have been extremely impressed by the quality of their work and the experience they bring. They’ve been a crucial enabler to us hitting our strategic deadlines.Ashley Sole, Engineering Manager, Skyscanner
What benefits will I get from DevOpsGroup Cloud Engineering services?
By using DevOpsGroup Cloud Engineering services, our clients have seen the following benefits to their Cloud adoption initiatives:
Accelerated Cloud adoption
DevOpsGroup has a large engineering team of highly knowledgable and qualified Cloud engineers. We work in multi-disciplinary teams which include specialist resources such as database administrators and security consultants. We therefore have the capability and scale to rapidly spin-up client teams to significantly speed up Cloud migrations.
Cost savings
We have the experience required to quickly identify and implement optimal solutions with minimal trial and error. Over time we have also developed libraries of patterns, practices and playbooks that we re-utilise in order to make delivery as efficient as possible. This reduces the overall cost for our clients as we require less chargeable time in order to deliver the required migration.
Fit for purpose solution
DevOpsGroup considers operability factors such as scalability, resilience and monitoring throughout the design and build process to ensure that the resulting infrastructure has the appropriate performance level that the application requires.
Reduced management overhead
We deliver Cloud Engineering as a managed service, where a DevOpsGroup Client Success Lead will take full ownership of providing the required outcomes. This allows our clients to continue to focus on delivering business as usual services until the Cloud migration is complete and services are transitioned to the new platform.
Supportable platform
The Cloud infrastructure and DevOps automation tooling that DevOpsGroup implement are built to industry-standard best practices, with services configured “as code”. They can therefore be widely supported by our clients’ in-house teams or by external third parties.
Upskilled team
During the engagement we work closely with our client’s teams, continuously upskilling and transferring knowledge so that are the in-house capability is strengthened. We also document all relevant information to facilitate an effective handover. Over and above this, we can draw upon our portfolio of DevOps transformation services to create high performance client IT teams that use the latest DevOps and CloudOps practices.
Contact the team on 0800 368 7378 or at [email protected] to discuss how our engineering services can accelerate your Cloud adoption.
