Systematically Migrate to the Cloud
Although cloud computing has been an integral part of IT for over two decades, in-house data centers and on-premises systems remain indispensable for many companies. Different business requirements and legal regulations make hybrid IT architectures more relevant than ever. However, cloud providers like AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud offer extensive services that can significantly simplify the deployment, scaling, and availability of applications.
The key to a successful IT strategy lies in balance: the right combination of on-premises and cloud resources. We support you in selecting and automatically deploying customized compute, storage, and infrastructure resources. We rely on proven security standards and ensure that your applications are operated flexibly, efficiently, and fault-tolerantly. This way, you can make the most of the cloud's advantages without having to give up your existing infrastructure.
What Components of a Cloud Infrastructure Are Available?
Choosing the right cloud infrastructure is a strategic decision that depends on the specific requirements of your company. Factors such as legacy systems, security requirements, or regulatory guidelines play a crucial role. Fortunately, modern cloud environments offer flexibility through various deployment models that can be tailored individually.
The four main models of cloud infrastructure are:
- Public Cloud: The public cloud provides flexibly scalable resources over the internet. Infrastructure, networks, and virtual machines are managed by a cloud provider like AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud and shared by multiple users. This model is characterized by rapid deployment and usage-based billing, as you only pay for the resources you actually use. It is ideal for companies that want to forgo owning their own hardware.
- Private Cloud: The private cloud is a dedicated environment used exclusively by a single company. It can be hosted either on-premises or in an external data center. Private clouds offer the highest levels of control and security, making them particularly attractive to organizations with strict data protection or compliance requirements.
- Hybrid Cloud: A hybrid approach combines the benefits of the public and private cloud. It allows sensitive data and applications to be securely kept in a private cloud while utilizing public cloud resources as needed. This model is particularly suitable for companies that want to integrate existing systems with new cloud services.
- Community Cloud: The community cloud is shared by multiple organizations with similar requirements. These organizations share not only the infrastructure but also the costs, making it a cost-efficient solution for joint projects or industries with specific standards.
Compute Resources
The required computing power for your application landscape can be flexibly provided through various cloud services. You have the choice between virtual machines, container instances, and serverless functions. These services allow you to select precisely the CPU and memory resources that your applications need at any given moment. Thanks to the consumption-based cloud model, you only pay for the resources you actually use. This enables a dynamic adjustment of computing power to your needs — both in terms of quantity and performance. This way, you can scale resources at any time to handle peak loads or optimize costs by shutting down unused resources.In addition, you can partially or fully delegate scaling, deployment, and maintenance to the cloud provider. This reduces the effort required to manage the infrastructure, lowers operational costs, and simultaneously increases the availability and performance of your applications.The following illustrations show the various available compute resources and their use cases based on the cloud providers Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services (AWS).
Storage Resources
Another component of your cloud infrastructure is storage resources. You can choose between different storage options, which vary in performance, availability, and cost.Due to the variety of storage options and different requirements for data storage, you can choose between block, file, and object storage. You can tailor the storage options to your application systems and reduce the costs for data storage.The following illustrates the available storage options from cloud providers Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services (AWS). Alternative cloud solutions such as MongoDB Atlas, Google Cloud Storage, or IBM Cloud Object Storage can also be used for data storage upon request.
Networking Resources
To connect the provided applications, data, and infrastructure resources, you can use various network services. You can choose between virtual networks, VPN gateways, and content delivery networks and individually select the required network services.This can enhance the communication between application systems, the security of data transmission, and the performance of applications.The following illustrates the available storage options from cloud providers Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services (AWS). Alternative cloud solutions such as MongoDB Atlas, Google Cloud Storage, or IBM Cloud Object Storage can also be used for data storage upon request.
Additional Resource Types
Identity and Access Management (IAM)
Identity and Access Management (IAM) involves managing user identities and their permissions to ensure secure access to cloud resources. This includes creating and managing users, groups, and roles, as well as implementing access control policies.
Monitoring and Management
Monitoring and Management involve continuously monitoring system performance and availability, as well as managing cloud resources. This includes using monitoring tools to collect metrics and logs, set up alerts, and generate reports to ensure the health and efficiency of the IT infrastructure.
Security Services
Security services include measures and technologies aimed at protecting the cloud infrastructure from threats and unauthorized access. This includes firewalls, encryption, threat detection and prevention, identity and access management, and compliance checks.
Developer Tools
Developer tools are software solutions and platforms that help developers efficiently design, build, test, and deploy applications. These tools include version control systems, integrated development environments (IDEs), CI/CD pipelines, debuggers, and other aids to optimize the development process.
AI and Machine Learning
AI and Machine Learning involve technologies and services that enable learning from large amounts of data and making predictions. This includes creating and training models, providing machine learning algorithms, and utilizing AI services to automate and enhance business processes.
Analytics
Analytics services offer tools and platforms for collecting, processing, and analyzing large amounts of data. They enable generating insights and reports that help in decision-making. These services include data processing and visualization tools, as well as data warehousing and big data analytics platforms.
In What Cases Is Cloud Migration Suitable?
Cost Reduction
By migrating to the cloud, companies can significantly reduce their IT costs. This is enabled by the pay-as-you-go model, where you only pay for the resources actually used, as well as saving on hardware investments and reducing operational costs for maintenance and energy.
Scalability and Flexibility
The cloud offers the ability to scale resources quickly and efficiently to meet changing demands. This is particularly beneficial for companies that need to handle seasonal or unpredictable peaks in demand, as they can add or remove capacity at any time.
Increased Security
Cloud providers invest heavily in security measures and offer advanced security features such as data encryption, identity and access management (IAM), and regular security updates. This allows companies to improve their security posture and more easily meet compliance requirements.
Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery
Cloud services offer robust solutions for data backup and recovery, ensuring business continuity in the event of disasters or outages. With features such as geographically distributed data centers, companies can protect their data and applications from loss and minimize downtime.
Innovation Promotion
By utilizing cloud services, companies can access new technologies faster and drive innovation. The cloud provides access to a variety of tools and platforms for artificial intelligence, machine learning, big data, and IoT, accelerating the development of new products and services.
Better Collaboration and Mobility
The cloud enables teams to access resources from anywhere and at any time, improving collaboration and productivity. With cloud-based collaboration tools, employees can seamlessly work together, share files, and edit projects in real-time, regardless of their location.