Hybrid Cloud Environment with AWS and Azure

Background

Though cloud computing has been practiced at least since 2006 when Google and Amazon introduced the term to describe a new paradigm of accessing software, computer power, and files over the web, 80% of businesses still run their operations on premise. That is likely why IBM hired McKinsey to do a study on Cloud Transformation (March 2019) which found that “most enterprises are only 20% of the way into their cloud Journeys.” This deprives them of the greater speed, flexibility, elasticity and efficiency that cloud computing inherently provides.

The study says that “to get to the next 80%, teams should manage complexities that the basic cloud model doesn’t address. This means tackling 3 primary challenges: unique workload needs, multiple clouds and vendors, and lack of relevant skills.”

Client

Cloud Technology Partners (CTP), part of Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), is a premier cloud services and software company for enterprises migrating to AWS, Google, Azure and other leading cloud platforms. Since its origin in 2010, their architects have been designing, building and implementing IT solutions for Fortune 500 clients across industries and have completed over 500 cloud transformation projects.

CTP understands client concerns, unique workload demands, a multi-cloud environment and helps them with smooth and speedy migration, such that they can concentrate on their own development process.

Challenge

CTP Works with Symphony Solutions

CTP and Symphony Solutions have been collaborating for several years. Many CTP clients are still operating on premise and need assistance with migration and adoption. They asked Symphony Solutions for help with this.

This case study is one project of a continuing collaboration. Please see  Cloud Solutions Extends Portfolio on this website for another successful story.

How This Accommodated a Multi-Cloud Environment 

What We Did 

Symphony Solutions’ teams worked with CTP to build a Cloud Automation Framework (Infrastructure as code). This enables them to design and implement a cloud environment for each client quickly and efficiently with increased quality and consistency. 

This involved building:  

• a collection of automation code repositories with accompanying documentation.
• a flexible, component-based design that allows delivery engineers to select and configure the exact features needed to meet client needs. 

Solution

Different Solutions are required for AWS and for Azure. 

AWS: 

Solution for AWS: 

• Helped implement an AWS Landing Zone foundation – Logging, IAM, SSO. 
• Platform Common Services – Jenkins, Chef, Artifactory.
• Image Pipelines were developed to allow clients to create custom AMI’s. 
• Infrastructure pipelines were created for automation of change management of Infrastructure-as-code (IaC). 

Azure: 

Solution for Azure: 

• Helped implement a set of Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) modules orchestrated by master deployment scripts and using ARM templates. 

• Used Hub & Spoke architecture model to drive down cost and risk. 

• Platform Common Services – centralized logging, monitoring, directory services, network gateway services to on-premise, Jenkins, Squid proxy, Chef, shared image gallery.  

• Application Services – all modules needed for quick infrastructure deployment of the client applications. 

Result

Within our cloud native development and cloud managed services, the Automation Framework created a robust environment that is compliant with best practices – VM hardening, Centralized Logging, and Network Security. 

In essence, the infrastructure was deployed which supports all compliance security and reliability needs in an automated manner with flexibility and agile configuration.  

This enables CTP to provide speedy migration and adoption for clients to free them from excess operational demands, such that they can concentrate on increasing their own development process.