#cloudchat Recap: AWS Implementation Risks and Benefits

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#cloudchat Recap: AWS Implementation Risks and Benefits

As we embarked on part two of our AWS-themed #cloudchat series, the Twitter forces that be granted us 280 characters. Having double the space to write made this chat one of the most insightful discussions yet.

The #cloudchat experts examined AWS pros, cons, risks and benefits. While there were some differing opinions throughout the chat, there was no debating that AWS is a leader in innovation, making it difficult to stay ahead of the curve.

Miss a #cloudchat? We have all the #cloudchat recaps here on the blog!

Joining us to consider AWS pros and cons was Rackspace’s CTO, John Engates and AWS Evangelist and Cloud Architect Eric Johnson. Debating alongside our team of Rackers was McAfee’s Wayne Anderson, Xiologix’s Christopher Kusek, Cybric’s mike d. kail, Red Hat’s Thomas Cameron, AWS’s Nathan Peck and Contrast Security’s Jeff Williams.

These experts debated the following questions:

  • Q1: What do you see as the biggest advantages and tradeoffs of #AWS compared to competing cloud options?
  • Q2: What risks need to be considered while implementing #AWS? How can they be minimized?
  • Q3: What are the biggest cost considerations around #AWS? What are the best ways to optimize your spend?
  • Q4: What are the pros and cons of AWS specifically when it comes to availability? How can businesses prepare for the possibility of an outage?
  • Q5: What kind of workloads and use cases are particularly well-suited to #AWS?
  • Q6: How do you address cybersecurity and compliance concerns with workloads on AWS?

Right out of the gate, we asked the group what they see as AWS’s biggest advantages and tradeoffs. mike d. kail said AWS continues to “have their foot on the gas pedal of innovation.”

https://twitter.com/mdkail/status/928670404146749440

While ever-evolving innovation makes AWS an industry leader, it also keeps IT folks on their toes. John Engates added this to the tradeoffs column, explaining the breadth of products “can be overwhelming to keep up with and master.”

https://twitter.com/jengates/status/928670442944069632

His suggestion for combating the overwhelming nature of AWS innovation? Lean on someone who’s been there many times before.

https://twitter.com/jengates/status/928673229882953734

Migrating to AWS requires a shift in thinking. Thomas Cameron asserted that you cannot run AWS like a datacenter — and this requires educating the whole team.

https://twitter.com/thomasdcameron/status/928672587680448512

Christopher Kusek said security can’t be forgotten just because you’re off-prem. And Wayne Anderson echoed a point from last week’s #cloudchat, that you must shift your thinking from the perimeter and focus on securing the individual workload.

https://twitter.com/cxi/status/928673260836831232

https://twitter.com/DigitalSecArch/status/928681341872324608

When it comes to deciding which workloads are best suited for AWS, mike d. kail suggested “workloads that are highly elastic and need to auto-scale to meet changing demands,” are ideal.

https://twitter.com/mdkail/status/928679009478569984

Finally, our own Eric Johnson explained “AWS is the team that brought us here and continues to lead.” Looking ahead to next week’s chat, we’re excited to dive into the features and services that are going to continue to change IT as we know it.

https://twitter.com/edjgeek/status/928670225402179584

This week’s chat was chock full of incredible lessons and insights. Want to dive deeper with the #cloudchat experts? Explore our Twitter Moment below to read more and join us next Thursday at 11 a.m. CST as we examine AWS features, expertise and managed services.

https://twitter.com/i/moments/928718703725867010