Early adopters of cloud computing were startups looking to leverage on the pay-as-you-go model and scalability of the cloud. At the time, data security was still a major concern for IT. This slowed down the adoption of cloud technology by IT.
Today, enterprises of all sizes are taking to the cloud model. Even behemoths, such as GE and AT&T, have laid bare their intentions to move to the cloud. Data security is no longer a major concern.
Amazon Web Services (AWS) is one of the major beneficiaries of the move to the cloud. And, according to Gartner, it is the leading cloud provider. But this doesn’t mean any organization can sign up and immediately reap the rewards. Organizations need to take a careful approach to leverage the power of AWS. Here are some best practices to consider if you’re considering AWS cloud integration.
Implement for Optimal Latency and Bandwidth
Bandwidth and latency are the two major contributors to poor data transfer rates. Available bandwidth determines the rate of an Internet connection. So, you probably have an idea of how that works. Latency, on the other hand, can limit network performance because of acknowledgments sent across the wire.
Such bottlenecks are dependent on how companies use network communication. Latency refers to how long it takes for a data packet sent via a network to travel from one point to another. You can determine its measurement by establishing the time it takes a data packet to travel to a given point and back. To maximize network performance, you should implement a network architecture that takes advantage of:
- Data compression – This means you have to transfer fewer data packets. Each block contains more data.
- Large block transfers – This limits the number of network transfers.
- Communication optimization – e.g., aggregating delivery confirmations.
Use Log-Based Data Capture
Data transfer is a potential bottleneck in your AWS cloud integration. You want to minimize the amount of data transferred. To do this, you have to use CDC (Change Data Capture) techniques over large extracts and resulting data comparisons. Log-based, asynchronous CDC is superior to alternatives, such as trigger-based CDC. This is because log-based capture doesn’t affect the actual transaction. Consequently, overhead on the transactional application is minimal. This reduces the chances of performance degradation.
Opt for Recourse Instead of Opening Up Firewalls
Organizations have implemented data security in a myriad of ways. One of the ways is to use firewalls to limit open ports and the network addresses that can get through. This is in a bid to prevent an outsider from gaining access to the organization’s systems.
Since opening up the firewall is a no-go zone for many organizations, here is a how-to guide on AWS cloud integration:
- Initiate communication on-premise. Limit exposure by using Virtual Private Cloud IP addresses to send data.
- Encrypt all your data. Use Secure Socket Layer (SSL) encrypted communication. You can perform client-side encryption using the Amazon Key Management System.
- Another key area of security in the AWS cloud is authentication. Use authorized instance profiles to manage authentication information.
Conclusion
To leverage the power of AWS, you need to follow these three cloud integration best practices to increase the chances of success.
