Get the Most Out of AWS: Streamline Operations, Reduce Costs with AWS Consulting

How Can AWS Consulting Services Benefit Your Business?

What approach they take to streamline cloud operations?

AWS consulting services offer business owners invaluable support beyond technical assistance. One of the most significant advantages is the ability to develop a migration strategy that aligns with the business's broader goals. This ensures that the move to the cloud isn't merely a technical shift but a strategic investment. 

They'd start by deeply understanding your business – your current setup, objectives, and any concerns you might have. Once they've got a good grasp of your situation, they'll lay out a plan for the migration.

This plan will not be filled with technical jargon. Instead, it will be a practical roadmap, broken down into manageable steps. Your consultant will walk you through each phase, ensuring you understand what's happening every step of the way.

When it's time to make the move to AWS, your consultant will be there to guide you through the process. They'll oversee the transfer of your data, applications, and resources, aiming to minimize disruption to your business.

AWS consultants can streamline a variety of operations during your cloud migration, including:

1. Planning and Strategy: This involves analyzing your current infrastructure, understanding your business goals, and crafting a migration plan tailored to your specific needs.

2. Data Migration: Moving your data securely and efficiently to the cloud requires expertise in data transfer tools and best practices. Consultants can handle this complex process.

3. Application Migration: Migrating your applications to the cloud can be disruptive. Consultants can help choose the right migration method (rehosting, refactoring, etc.) and ensure minimal downtime.

4. Resource Management: The cloud offers a vast array of resources. Consultants can help you choose the most cost-effective and efficient resources (compute, storage, network) for your needs.

5. Security & Compliance: Security and compliance are paramount in the cloud. Consultants can configure your AWS environment to meet your security requirements and industry regulations.

6. Ongoing Optimization: Even after migration, consultants can help you continuously optimize your cloud environment for performance and cost-effectiveness.

How they help in AWS cost reduction?

The cloud is awesome – it lets businesses store everything online, ditching those physical servers. But figuring out how much cloud space you need and keeping your bill under control can be a real head-scratcher. AWS consultants can help you reduce costs, too.

You know, with the cloud, you only pay for what you use. This is a popular pricing model because most businesses don't always need their cloud running at full blast. However, beyond this, you need to find the perfect cloud setup for your company. 

Here, a perfect cloud setup means using the right services. They'll ensure you're not wasting money on giant virtual computers. They can even recommend cheaper options for tasks that aren't important, like storing old files.

Plus, they can set up special tools that automatically adjust your cloud usage based on what's going on. So, if you have a big sale and need more space, the cloud expands to handle it. Furthermore,  it also shrinks back down, so you're not wasting any money. 

They can also track your cloud spending closely, showing you exactly where your money is going.  Basically, if you want to reduce your cloud bill, make sure you're using it to its full potential.

How we helped our client reduce their cloud bill by 30%

One of our clients, a rapidly growing FinTech company, was experiencing significant cloud cost increases. Their cloud infrastructure relied on a mix of on-demand instances and reserved instances across multiple regions. While this provided flexibility, it also led to inefficiencies and a lack of cost transparency.

Our cloud optimization team at Brilworks partnered with them to identify and implement cost-saving measures. We conducted a comprehensive cloud cost analysis, leveraging automated tools and expert insights. 

This analysis revealed key areas for improvement:

1. Rightsizing Instances: We identified underutilized instances and downsized them to more appropriate configurations, reducing compute costs without impacting performance.

2. Reserved Instance Optimization:  We analyzed their resource utilization patterns and recommended a strategic mix of reserved instances with different commitment terms. This provided significant cost savings compared to on-demand pricing for predictable workloads.

3. Auto Scaling Implementation: We implemented autoscaling policies for specific workloads, allowing them to automatically scale resources up and down based on real-time demand. This eliminated the need for overprovisioning and ensured optimal resource utilization.

4. Cloud Cost Management Tools: We integrated cloud cost management tools that provided real-time cost visibility and granularity. This empowered our client to track costs across departments and projects, identify cost anomalies, and make informed resource allocation decisions.
   

Through a combination of rightsizing, reserved instances, autoscaling, and cost management tools, our client achieved a significant 35% reduction in their overall cloud spend.

AWS Cloud Benefits for Small Businesses

There is another misconception that the cloud is only for big companies. This is not entirely true. If planned carefully with the help of an expert, you can reduce down your infrastructural cost by adopting the cloud. 

Look, there are hundreds of services available for different needs. You need to find the right setup for you. 

It all depends on where you want to focus. Moreover, small business owners are more occupied with so many tasks and roles to juggle. AWS can free you from several things, if we outline the key benefits of AWS cloud, it will save you from upfront investment in hardware devices.

You have invested more in on-premise hardware setup there is no going back. Cloud will give you an option to scale down and save money.  There are hidden benefits that major businesses don’t notice. 

When do you need an AWS Consultant? 

There are numerous instances where seeking assistance from clients is advisable, with engagements typically spanning from a few weeks to several months, depending on task complexity. Typically, companies hire such assistance for temporary durations, such as 3 or 6 months.

• When your company lacks an in-house AWS expert.

• When your internal cloud strategy fails to meet intended objectives.

• When you desire a fresh perspective from an outsider, experienced expert.

• When you want to migrate to the cloud without setting up an in-house team.

• When employee training for cloud technologies is required.
  

These services can be engaged through various models, including per-hour arrangements or by hiring dedicated AWS experts. Many companies offer managers who can execute cloud-related tasks and fine-tune operations.

At BrilWorks, we specialize in providing migration, optimization, modernization, and a range of other services to empower small and medium businesses to harness the cloud for innovation and competitive advantage.

Embarking on your cloud journey? Let's collaborate to achieve significant outcomes together.

Is hiring an AWS consultant worth?

Should you hire an outside expert or bring on your own team? Let's break it down in simpler terms.

First, let's talk about consultants. They're professionals who know their stuff and can offer better ideas. They've worked in many different places, bringing a wealth of experience. Hiring a consultant can be great because you get their expertise without the commitment of hiring someone full-time. It's like getting exactly what you need, when you need it.

Now, let's consider building your own team. When you have a team, they know your company inside and out. They're part of the team, so they understand how things work and can customize solutions to fit your needs perfectly. Plus, having your own team gives you more control over the whole process.

But both options have downsides. Hiring a consultant can be expensive, and they might not stay for the long haul. On the other hand, building your team takes time and money to find and train the right people.

So, which option is best? It depends on what you need. Sometimes, a mix of both is the way to go. By weighing the pros and cons and thinking about what's most important for your business, you can make the right choice that sets you up for success.

Conclusion

In this article, we have discussed the benefits of AWS cloud to small businesses and how hiring an AWS consulting company can help you make the most of your cloud investment. 

We understand cloud migration is complex. Let our AWS consultants guide you. We'll tailor a strategy to your needs and simplify your journey with dedicated experts.