Avoiding the Pitfalls of Cloud Deployment: Common Mistakes and Cost Impacts
Cloud computing has been a game-changer for many organizations, providing a flexible, scalable, and cost-effective infrastructure for application deployment. However, despite the benefits of cloud computing, many organizations struggle with the correct implementation of cloud infrastructure, particularly when it comes to application deployment. In this article, we will discuss the areas where application deployment on the cloud is usually not done correctly, and the cost impact they could bring.
Common Mistakes and Cost Impacts
Improper Resource Allocation
One of the most common mistakes made by organizations when deploying applications on the cloud is improper resource allocation. When deploying applications on the cloud, organizations need to ensure that they allocate the appropriate amount of resources for the application to perform optimally. Over provisioning or under provisioning can lead to performance issues, downtime, and unnecessary costs.
For example, suppose an organization deploys a web application on the cloud with too few resources. In that case, the application may experience slow response times or even crashes during periods of high traffic, leading to lost revenue and a negative user experience. Conversely, if an organization over provisions resources, they may end up paying for resources that are not being utilized, leading to unnecessary costs.
Lack of Security
Another area where organizations often make mistakes when deploying applications on the cloud is security. Cloud infrastructure provides a range of security features, but it is up to organizations to ensure that they configure their applications and infrastructure correctly to ensure maximum security.Failure to do so can lead to data breaches, cyberattacks, and costly downtime.
For example, in 2019, Capital One suffered a data breach that exposed the personal information of over 100 million customers. The breach was caused by a misconfigured firewall in their cloud infrastructure, which allowed a hacker to access their data. The cost of the breach is estimated to be over $300 million.
Lack of Monitoring and Maintenance
Cloud infrastructure is not a "set it and forget it" solution. Organizations need to ensure that they monitor and maintain their cloud infrastructure to ensure that it is performing optimally and that any issues are addressed promptly. Failure to do so can lead to performance issues, downtime, and unnecessary costs.
For example, suppose an organization deploys an application on the cloud and fails to monitor it regularly. In that case, they may not be aware of performance issues until users begin to complain, leading to a negative user experience and potentially lost revenue.
Improper Backup and Disaster Recovery
One of the benefits of cloud infrastructure is that it provides a range of backup and disaster recovery options. However, organizations need to ensure that they configure these options correctly to ensure that their data is safe in the event of a disaster. Failure to do so can lead to data loss, downtime, and costly recovery efforts.
For example, in 2017, a data center outage at Amazon WebServices (AWS) caused a widespread outage that affected many websites and services that relied on AWS. While AWS had backup and disaster recovery options in place, many organizations had not configured them correctly, leading to extended downtime and lost revenue.
Lack of Optimization
Finally, many organizations fail to optimize their cloud infrastructure, leading to unnecessary costs. Cloud infrastructure provides a range of optimization options, such as autoscaling, that can help organizations minimize their costs while ensuring optimal performance. Failure to optimize cloud infrastructure can lead to unnecessary costs and suboptimal performance.
For example, suppose an organization deploys an application on the cloud and fails to configure autoscaling. In that case, they may end up paying for more resources than they need, leading to unnecessary costs.
Other Real-World Examples of Known Failures
There are several examples of organizations that have experienced significant failures as a result of improper deployment of applications on the cloud. Some notable examples include:
Target: In 2013, Target suffered a data breach that exposed the personal information of over 110 million customers. The breach was caused by a misconfigured web application firewall in their cloud infrastructure.
Knight Capital Group: In 2012, Knight Capital Group suffered a trading loss of $440 million due to a software glitch in their cloud infrastructure.
Delta Airlines: In 2016, Delta Airlines suffered a wides pread system outage that resulted in the cancellation of over 2,000flights. The outage was caused by a power outage in their data center, which was not properly backed up.
How Fission Labs Can Help Organizations with Correct Implementation of Cloud Infrastructure
Fission Labs is a leading provider of cloud consulting services that can help organizations with the correct implementation of cloud infrastructure. Our cloud consulting services include:
Infrastructure Assessment and Planning
We assess an organization's existing infrastructure and work with them to develop a comprehensive plan for migrating to the cloud. We help organizations identify areas where they can optimize their infrastructure, reduce costs, and improve performance.
Application Migration
We assist organizations with the migration of their applications to the cloud, ensuring that the migration is seamless and that the applications perform optimally on the cloud.
Cloud Security
We help organizations ensure that their cloud infrastructure and applications are secure, providing guidance on best practices for securing cloud infrastructure and ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements.
Cloud Optimization
We help organizations optimize their cloud infrastructure, ensuring that they are utilizing resources effectively and minimizing unnecessary costs.
Cloud Monitoring and Maintenance
We provide ongoing monitoring and maintenance of cloud infrastructure, ensuring that any issues are addressed promptly and that the infrastructure is performing optimally.
By leveraging our cloud consulting services, organizations can ensure that they deploy their applications on the cloud correctly, reducing the risk of performance issues, downtime, and unnecessary costs.
Conclusion
Deploying applications on the cloud can provide numerous benefits, but it is crucial that organizations do so correctly to avoid the risk of performance issues, downtime, and unnecessary costs. Fission Labs provides cloud consulting services that can help organizations ensure that their cloud infrastructure is deployed correctly, reducing the risk of failure and improving performance.
Content Credit: Mohit Singh