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Cloud and DevOps Insights
Practical cloud and DevOps insights for businesses exploring cloud migration, infrastructure planning, software delivery, platform engineering and operational improvements.
Understanding cloud and DevOps practices
Cloud computing provides access to computing resources, storage and applications through managed or remotely hosted infrastructure. DevOps brings software development and operations activities together through shared practices, automation and feedback.
These guides explain cloud migration, infrastructure planning, delivery workflows and platform operations in practical terms.
What you will learn
- How to assess an existing cloud or infrastructure environment
- What cloud migration planning involves
- How DevOps practices support software delivery
- What platform engineering means for development teams
- How to approach cloud security and operational resilience
- How to review cloud usage, costs and improvements
What these guides explain
Each guide answers a practical cloud or DevOps question. It explains the technical concepts, planning activities and information that can help teams make informed decisions.
Three areas of cloud and DevOps planning
Cloud migration, DevOps practices and platform engineering address different technical needs. Understanding each area helps teams identify suitable improvements.
Cloud readiness and migration
Understand what to examine before moving applications, data or infrastructure to a cloud environment.
- Identify applications and infrastructure dependencies
- Review existing performance and operational needs
- Consider data storage and connectivity requirements
- Prepare migration objectives and assessment criteria
DevOps and delivery practices
DevOps practices help teams organise software changes, testing, deployment and operational feedback.
- Understand continuous integration and delivery
- Explore automated testing and deployment
- Identify responsibilities across development and operations
Platform engineering and operations
Platform engineering focuses on shared tools and services that help development teams build, deploy and operate applications.
- Understand internal development platforms
- Explore infrastructure configuration and automation
- Identify monitoring and operational requirements
- Consider access, reliability and system dependencies
- Review how platform services support developers
Platform engineering and DevOps share practical concerns, but a platform has its own users, responsibilities and technical requirements.
Explore Kubernetes consultingA practical approach to cloud and DevOps
Understand the infrastructure need
Begin with the application, system or delivery process you want to improve.
You might want to migrate an existing application, improve deployment processes, manage cloud costs or make infrastructure easier for developers to use.
Explore the technical approach
Use the guidance to understand which cloud and DevOps activities may be relevant.
Consider existing infrastructure, application dependencies, deployment tools and operational responsibilities. The suitable approach depends on your systems and expected outcomes.
Explore the relevant next guide
Continue to cloud strategy, migration readiness or DevOps assessment guidance. Choose the subject that answers your next technical question.
What to know before cloud or DevOps work
Preparing relevant technical information helps teams explain their infrastructure needs, understand dependencies and identify practical areas for improvement.
Your cloud or DevOps question
Identify what you want to understand about infrastructure, software deployment or platform operations.
For example, a business may want to evaluate whether an existing application is suitable for cloud migration or how to prepare its infrastructure.
A development team may want to understand deployment automation, monitoring or shared platform tools.
Your technical requirements
Think about the systems, applications and workflows involved in the proposed improvement.
Important details include the expected outcome, infrastructure dependencies, existing deployment processes and people responsible for operating the systems.
Your infrastructure context
Useful details can include:
- The applications and services involved
- The existing hosting and infrastructure arrangements
- The data and integration requirements
- The current deployment and monitoring tools
- The teams responsible for system operations
Your operational expectations
Consider how applications will be deployed, monitored and maintained after changes are introduced.
Document the expected operating arrangements, technical responsibilities and information needed to review the results.
Apply cloud guidance to your situation
Cloud and DevOps guidance becomes useful when you connect it to existing applications, infrastructure dependencies, delivery processes and operational objectives.
Define the expected improvement
Start with a clear technical or operational objective.
Explain whether the work concerns migration, deployment processes, infrastructure configuration, monitoring or cloud cost management.
Discuss how the intended outcome could be evaluated using relevant technical and operational information.
Review existing infrastructure
Identify the applications, infrastructure components and services involved.
Architecture diagrams, configuration records and operational documentation can help explain dependencies and reveal issues that need further investigation.
Prepare for testing and operations
Infrastructure changes and deployment automation need testing against agreed requirements.
Define relevant test scenarios, monitoring needs and responsibilities for reviewing the results. Include documentation and handover arrangements where appropriate.
A practical cloud migration example
A business wants to explore moving an internal application to the cloud and needs to understand infrastructure dependencies, migration planning and testing.
Identify the infrastructure challenge
A business wants to move an internal application from its existing servers to a cloud environment. The team describes the application, its users and the reasons for considering migration.
Review the existing environment
The business examines the application's hosting arrangements, database, integrations and operating requirements.
It identifies which systems depend on the application and which team members manage its current infrastructure.
Explore the migration approach
The team considers the cloud architecture, application dependencies, data transfer and deployment requirements.
They discuss which components may need changes, how the systems will connect and how the application could be tested.
Define migration and testing work
The business prepares the migration requirements, expected deliverables, technical access and acceptance criteria.
A suitable independent talent can help with the agreed work. The employer chooses the talent, manages the collaboration and approves the completed work.
Review the migrated application
The team tests the application using representative workflows and reviews its connections, operation and monitoring information.
Findings can inform further configuration, documentation and preparation for continued cloud operations.
Cloud and DevOps preparation checklist
Before starting cloud or DevOps work, use these questions to clarify your technical environment, expected outcomes and preparation needs:
- What infrastructure or delivery process do I want to improve?
- Have I identified the applications and their dependencies?
- Do I understand the cloud or DevOps approach being considered?
- Have I reviewed security, monitoring and operational needs?
- How will the proposed changes be tested and evaluated?
- Which cloud migration guide answers my next question?
Explore cloud and DevOps guidance
These guides cover cloud readiness, migration planning, DevOps practices, platform engineering, infrastructure architecture and cloud operations.
Cloud readiness and migration
Cloud migration guides explain:
- How to identify applications suitable for assessment
- What cloud readiness involves
- How to review infrastructure dependencies
- How to define migration objectives
- Which data and connectivity needs matter
- How to prepare migration testing requirements
DevOps and delivery workflows
Guides about DevOps strategy cover:
- Understanding development and operations practices
- Reviewing existing build and deployment processes
- Exploring continuous integration and delivery
- Preparing automated testing activities
- Considering deployment responsibilities
- Reviewing monitoring and operational feedback
Platform engineering concepts
Platform engineering guides help explain:
- Understanding internal development platforms
- Identifying shared developer services
- Exploring container and orchestration tools
- Preparing platform operations and documentation
Cloud architecture and optimisation
Guides explain:
- Reviewing cloud infrastructure arrangements
- Understanding application and data dependencies
- Assessing monitoring and operational resilience
- Examining resource usage and cloud costs
- Identifying further architecture improvements
Understand cloud and DevOps decisions
Cloud architecture, migration, DevOps practices and platform engineering serve different purposes. Understanding these differences supports informed technical planning.
Understanding cloud infrastructure
Cloud infrastructure includes computing, storage, networking and related services used to run applications. The configuration depends on application requirements and operational needs.
Understanding DevOps practices
DevOps brings together practices for software development, testing, deployment and operations. Tools can support these activities, but working processes and responsibilities also matter.
Practical examples
Examples illustrate how businesses may prepare cloud migrations, review delivery workflows and plan operational improvements. They are hypothetical scenarios rather than individual customer stories.
Accurate technical information
Guidance should distinguish proposed architectures, existing infrastructure, agreed changes and tested results without suggesting that every migration or automation change improves performance automatically.
Find answers to cloud and DevOps questions
Begin with a clear question
Choose the specific part of cloud or DevOps work that you want to understand.
For example:
- How do I assess cloud migration readiness?
- What should a cloud architecture review cover?
- How can DevOps improve software delivery processes?
- What does platform engineering involve?
Read the relevant explanation
Focus on the guidance that answers your question.
- Cloud readiness guidance for infrastructure preparation
- DevOps assessment guidance for delivery processes
- Platform engineering guidance for shared developer tools
Apply it to your environment
Use what you learn to identify infrastructure dependencies, prepare technical questions and describe the improvements you want to explore.
Clear information helps teams understand the proposed changes and organise the next technical steps.
Continue with the relevant cloud guide
Each cloud and DevOps guide focuses on a particular question and can help you identify the next technical subject worth exploring.
- A guide about preparing infrastructure can lead to Cloud Readiness Assessment.
- A guide about cloud adoption planning can lead to Cloud Strategy.
- A guide about delivery processes can lead to DevOps Assessment.
- A guide about infrastructure design can lead to Cloud Architecture Review.
Begin with the technical question you want answered. Then follow the related guidance that helps you understand the options and prepare for the next step.
Check your understanding before starting
Before moving from cloud and DevOps guidance into a job, you should be able to identify:
- The infrastructure or delivery process needing attention
- The difference between cloud migration and DevOps work
- The applications, data and dependencies involved
- The approach to testing, monitoring and operations
- The next cloud or DevOps question to explore
What good preparation includes
- A clear understanding of the technical objective
- Relevant information about existing infrastructure
- Defined requirements and expected deliverables
- Awareness of operational and security considerations
- A practical next step for technical planning
Related cloud and DevOps guidance
Found the information you needed? Continue with the cloud and DevOps guidance that matches your next step.
Explore cloud readiness, learn about migration planning, understand DevOps practices or post your job.