Your Cloud Computing performance is suffering. What can you do to fix it?

I found that assessing the needs often refer the technical side and miss the non-technical side. If an org want to move to cloud, the assessment should address topics such as: - Training: do we need to train our people on cloud computing? - Staffing: Do we have enough people to work on this? - Priority: Are we prioritizing cloud computing? And if yes, what are we dropping or de-prioritizing instead? - Ownership: Have we identified the key teams and stakeholders? - Process: Would our process fit into the new technology? Or do we need to change? These are all important questions that should in my humble opinion be part of this and not left until its too late.

Non functional requirements (e.g resiliency, scale, performance and so on) and faster innovation cycle (e.g. launch new products and features at speed) should be the most important factors to decide on Cloud usage as differentiator. As part of assessment prioritise cloud adoption for applications that weigh high on above factors

It is important to assess your needs first and take decision accordingly. Before deciding on the architecture/tech stack, we can identify the expected number of users of the application, no of concurrent users, volume of data, no of expected transactions, criticality of the application, complexity, scope of growth/scaling up etc., If the application is complex and has multiple components - it is better to go for a microservice architecture. If the application's user base is expected to grow it is better to out for an autoscaling deployment. If the application is simple and less complex then it is better to go for monolith architecture. It is always better to build an application that is easy extend.

To enhance cloud computing performance, focus on thorough monitoring and analysis, optimize architecture for scalability, leverage content delivery networks (CDNs), implement load balancing, optimize databases, and fine-tune network configurations. Application-level optimizations, security considerations, and cost-performance analysis are crucial. Regularly conduct performance testing, collaborate with cloud support, and adopt continuous improvement practices. The use of cloud provider-specific optimization services and tools is recommended, and a holistic approach is essential to address various aspects of infrastructure and application performance.

To keep it simple, Cloud Computing performance suffer via two main reasons: 1. Load 2. Issues When you are expanding or your business is growing, load is also suppose to grow and this is good. So the infrastructure should be planned in such a way that you have considered the potential performance degrade that the future might present. It's the second reason that worries most of the cloud engineers, that is the performance suffering due to unexpected conditions or simply put "issues". When your system design is an after though or application design is not properly analysis, then performance is bound to take a hit sooner rather than later. As a remediation, have as may thresholds as possibles. It sounds crazy but this works.

Depending if you can afford to assess, or you need a quick fix immediately. Perhaps try identify the bottlenecks (or potential ones) first. Just some suggestions to help you identify bottlenecks: 1. Performance Metrics: start gathering them from your system - including CPU utilization during spike, memory usage, disk I/O, network traffic, inefficient queries, etc. 2. Profiling tools, to analyze the performance of your application code. This can help identify which functions or methods are consuming the most CPU time or memory. 3. Use Monitoring Tools such as AWS CloudWatch, Prometheus, or Datadog to collect & visualize performance metrics in real-time. Identify patterns and anomalies that may indicate a bottleneck.

Based on my experience with the cloud computing, first of all, it is important for one to analyze the needs deeply. In doing so, one should completely assess all the advantages and disadvantages of cloud computing. Here, one would comprehend the volatility of the workload level, performance specification and potential obstacles. Perform an in-depth study of your app's structure as it relates to your network traffic pattern, the amount of data you store and the user access pattern. Getting knowledge on these aspects, you'll be able to know what areas to pay attention to early and work on them on a targeted basis.

To improve Cloud Computing performance: 1. Review resource allocation. 2. Optimize network configuration. 3. Implement scaling strategies. 4. Evaluate application architecture. 5. Optimize data management. 6. Monitor performance metrics. 7. Utilize cloud provider services. 8. Continuously optimize. These steps can help enhance Cloud Computing performance.

The first step is to stop throwing cloud jargon at all your current problems. It is essential to do a deep-dive with "why" rather that "how". If you have already jumped the gun and are now suffering in the hands of the Goliath, you must consider the following: Assess the resource allocation and ensure that CPU, memory, storage, and network bandwidth are appropriately allocated. Optimize the network configuration to reduce latency and improve throughput. Caching can be complicated but storing frequently accessed data closer to the users or app servers reduces need to fetch data, thereby improving response times and reducing load. More-Load balancing, db optimization, utilizing CDNs, serverless, APM and so on. The list is never-ending.

To determine the required information on the cloud inventory, we need to pull out the full CI list and then size along the purpose and owner of the application. Understand what the application is built for and its purpose. Assessment can be done in terms of architecture, deployment, process, and HA. Is the application deployed on the microservers for scalability and to make sure full extraction of native cloud features is extracted to make sure less is spent on the cloud and to extract the complete features? Make sure proper tags are in place to identify the environment details, owners, backup, and criticality of the application after discussion with the business owner.

It is paramount to assess the necessities when trying to find a suitable option, then opt for the cloud service that matches your performance specification. One must evaluate attributes like performance, virtualization features, network function, and automation provided by various cloud vendors during the cloud selection process. Decide, if a public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid-cloud is most aligned with your objectives. Moreover, ascertain the performance SLAs (Service Level Agreements) delivered by different cloud providers prior to choosing in order to confirm they can meet your performance objectives.

Depending on the nature of your workload, choose the appropriate compute instance types. Examine the variety of services that various cloud providers have to offer. Think about the opportunities for scalability that cloud services offer. Examine the storage choices that cloud providers offer. Examine the SLAs and performance guarantees that cloud providers are offering. Examine the availability zones and data center locations that the cloud service offers.

- Understand task characteristics and future scaling needs. - Track compute, memory, latency, and storage metrics. - Evaluate responsiveness application and user interaction quality. - Align resource scaling with financial constraints. - Ensure cloud provider agreements (SLA) meet performance needs. - Stay updated on cloud computing innovations and trends. - Work with relevant teams to ensure performance goals are met. - Perform regular performance testing for various workload scenarios.

Assess the range of services offered by different cloud providers. Consider the scalability options provided by cloud services. Review the performance guarantees and SLAs offered by cloud providers. Assess the geographic locations of data centers and availability zones offered by the cloud provider. Select the appropriate compute instance types based on your workload characteristics. Evaluate storage options provided by cloud services. Leverage managed services for databases, caching, and other components. Optimize for cost-effectiveness while ensuring that performance requirements are met. Assess the security features and compliance certifications of cloud services.

I've worked with all of the hyper-scalers and pretty much they are all capable of meeting most of the technical parameters of any customer. It's not necessary to overthink it if only 1 provider meets your unique needs. However, given how uncommon that is, it means these companies should be competing for your business based on what they can do to accelerate your business. Ask questions like 1. "How does your cloud create competitive advantage for my offer?" 2. "Are you willing to co-sell my solution using your sales teams?" 3. "What marketing programs can we participate in and are you willing to fund our participation?" 4. "What business KPI's are you willing to provide SLA's on?" Aligning both your technical AND business needs is best.

Optimize cloud performance by selecting the right service – IaaS for control, PaaS/SaaS for ease, or FaaS for serverless functions, minimizing overhead and enhancing efficiency

What cloud option is the best for you? - Private - Hybrid - Public If you are a startup, its easy, public 100%. If you are a company already with a Datacenter, probably Hybrid is the best solution for you. Or public if nearly all of your services are web-based and oriented to sell or marketing. If you are a factory, specially if you make products that require some quality controls and standarizations, Private is probably your need. With the usage or Hybrid for End User Computing and Administrative services. Do yo want to control your full infrastructure or delegate services? The hidden costs of Public Cloud jump to your wallet after the first one or two years, many people are going back their Public Cloud First journey. Open Source? :)

Selecting the appropriate cloud service is pivotal for optimizing your cloud computing performance. Options like IaaS, PaaS, SaaS, and FaaS provide varying levels of control, flexibility, scalability, and cost. If customization and control are priorities, IaaS is suitable; for application development without infrastructure concerns, PaaS or SaaS may be ideal. Opt for FaaS if running small, discrete functions is the focus. Aligning your choice with specific needs minimizes overhead and enhances overall performance.

Compare the different Public Cloud Providers for your use-case and create Hybrid/Multi Cloud if it is required. AWS is well known for high availavility via their availability zones. MS Azure can not live without network outages and downtimes. GCP is comparable to AWS with the availability and security. The SLAs are no guarantee, that the Cloud Provider is providing what is written down. Inform about setups by other companies with equal use-cases. Most are combiniting different Cloud Providers or one Public Cloud with their own datacentre.

Many fellow cloud technologists are saying recommending to setup the monitoring. But I dont see many digging into what to monitor? Setting up monitoring is easy, defining how to alert and take action on the monitor is another story. If you are using IaC (as you should in cloud ;) ) then is the team managing the infra the same as the one managing the app? If not, that right there causes a blame game if proper ownership and RACIs are not defined. Many similar questions should be answered before we jump into "setup monitoring".

Enhance cloud performance by monitoring and optimizing resources. Track CPU, memory, and network usage, utilizing tools and techniques like load balancing, scaling, and containerization for improved efficiency and cost reduction

Unless you have dedicated focus and tools on managing cost you are most likely going to be surprised with your bills. There are many innovative ways to optimise the monthly invoices such as identifying underutilised running services, oversized VMs, inefficient (resource heavy) services and so on. Every hyperscaler provides native services for cost optimisation which is a good start but not sufficient - extend these services to further optimise your cost based on your workloads

Couple reasons why I believe Regular Cloud Resource Monitoring is imperative is, for detecting the root cause of performance lagging and resource configuration optimizations. One must establish smart monitoring measures that include CPU usage, memory consumption, network latency, and I/O workload as the probing factor. Use the cloud-based monitoring solutions or third-party services which provide real-time visibility to the infrastructure. Examine the performance metrics frequently and optimize resource allocation comprising an adequate level of resources to accomplish requirements in order to achieve improved efficiency and performance as a whole.

Cloud performance monitoring and optimization ensures that cloud applications and services run well and prevent it from suffering performance issues. Solution Architects are experts who can help customers with this process using AWS tools and best practices. They can help customers choose, review, monitor, and improve their cloud performance.

Observability is the key and beyond monitoring now to have predictability and automation for in interrupted business operations.

To understand exactly what’s happening with the cloud service is crucial to take the proper decision. Visibility, knowledge and emotional intelligence are necessary to handle the pressure and act in the right time and mode.

Resource optimization is the best practice to keep the cloud workload up to the mark. Monitor all components in cloud infrastructure by using monitoring tool to detect anomalies and fix the problems accordingly. Auto scaling is better option to set the cloud infrastructure as needed.

Monitor cloud usage (CPU, memory, etc.) to identify bottlenecks. Rightsize resources or use autoscaling to match actual needs. Choose optimal instance types and leverage caching to improve performance and reduce costs.

Abiding by cloud computing best practices is critical in order to achieve optimal performance to the highest dependability. Developing the architectural concepts of microservice design, containerization, and serverless computing is necessary for building high-scalability and fault-tolerant system. It is important to devise tools for provisioning, scaling, and controlling resources automatically to reduce the need for human intervention with a view to optimize operations. In order to further improve the performance and minimize the latency as seen on the end of the user, one can make use of caching mechanisms, content delivery networks (CDNs), and load balancers.

Adhere to well-architected frameworks provided by cloud service providers. Architect your applications for scalability. Optimize data storage and retrieval mechanisms. Decouple services to enhance flexibility and scalability. Leverage CDNs to distribute content closer to end-users. Embrace cloud-native services and managed services offered by your cloud provider. Optimize code and application performance. Implement comprehensive monitoring and analytics for your applications. Use efficient load balancing strategies to evenly distribute traffic across multiple servers. Integrate security best practices into your architecture. Keep your systems and software up to date with the latest patches and updates.

Embrace architectural principles such as microservices and serverless designs to elevate performance and scalability. Streamline communication and deployment with tools like RESTful APIs, JSON, and automation.

While designing the cloud platform to run the cloud native application choosing the right services plays crucial role in terms of performance, security and high availability. starts from VPC , Network ingress egress traffic planning, choosing the right combination of computing instance , storage , SDN, load balancing firewalls are equally important.

Implement industry best practices for cloud computing, including but not limited to infrastructure as code (IaC) with tools like Terraform or AWS CloudFormation, containerization with Docker and Kubernetes, and automated testing and deployment pipelines with CI/CD tools like Jenkins or GitLab CI.

Applications developed by adhering the best practices always has solid performance, easy to debug and most importantly easy to extend. Usage of right data structure, design pattern based on the use case will help the apps run smoothly. Based on the use case, choose the right architecture. If application is complex and it is required to be highly available, then it is better to de-couple its services (using micro service architecture). It also helps the application to scale. If your use case even driven architecture only then you adapt to that. Make sure your are following the coding standards - do not hard code the credentials on your code even to test your code Dev instances. Have right config files. Secure your services etc.,

Boost cloud performance by adopting best practices in architecture, development, and deployment. Follow industry standards, leverage microservices, serverless, and adhere to sound principles for enhanced quality and efficiency

Practices like auto-scaling to adjust resources based on demand & monitoring resource utilization. Optimizing database performance and utilizing CDNs can further enhance performance. Load balancing evenly distributes traffic, promoting. Disaster recovery measures, including backups and failover mechanisms, minimize downtime. Immutable infrastructure principles ensure consistency and repeatability in deployments. Performance testing helps identify bottlenecks and optimize system performance. Serverless architectures can offload infrastructure management and scale automatically. Incorporating these best practices ensures a proactive approach to performance optimization, maintaining high service levels & driving business success in the cloud.

Improving application’s code and architecture leads to significant performance enhancements. Per my best to my knowledge, this might be include - Rewriting the application algorithm - Optimisation of database queries - Implementing efficient data caching strategies - In some cases, adopting micro-services architecture can help breaking down the application into smaller - CDN content cache at the edge locations where your user base located, this helps users to receive data from nearest server I hope this helps.

Enhance cloud performance by securing data and infrastructure. Utilize encryption, authentication, and security services like IAM and SIEM to protect against unauthorized access and ensure compliance.

In my experience, To secure your cloud environment while fixing performance issues: 1. Review security settings. 2. Monitor access closely. 3. Keep software patched and updated. 4. Implement network security . 5. Encrypt data in transit and at rest. 6. Strengthen IAM policies. 7. Deploy DDoS protection

Security and safe cloud performance is inseparable. You need to put in place the best secure technique and practices that will keep your data, applications and your infrastructure safe from cyber threats and unauthorized access. You must utilize encryption for data in rest and movement, employ access controls and identity management process, and always make sure that all security patches and configurations are updated. It is important to continuously run security audits and penetration testing to detect possible such shortcomings and to maintain a violation of standards.

Ensure that you always follow the least privilege principle. Try to avoid secrets / static access keys, if you can't, set up a process to automatically rotate your secrets.

To secure and optimize cloud computing performance: 1. Review security settings and implement network security measures. 2. Monitor access closely and strengthen IAM policies. 3. Keep software patched and updated, and deploy DDoS protection. 4. Encrypt data in transit and at rest using encryption technologies. 5. Utilize authentication and authorization mechanisms to prevent unauthorized access. 6. Implement security services like IAM and SIEM for enhanced protection and compliance.

Security is the prominent aspect for any organisation which uses any public or hybrid cloud solution’s, it should adhere to the organisation compliance in terms of data locality, encryption, multi availability zones regions to store and access the data .

Based on my experience as a Cloud Security Architect, there are many methods to secure and protect your cloud environment. Key factors you should consider, - MFA - Least IAM privileges - Data Encryption with CMEK or 3rd party provided key - Network Security - use VPC - Securing SSL/TLS - Securing API - Securing Containers for applications deployment - Securing your codes - Implementing SOC and monitoring proactively - Plan to implement DR for business continuity - Securing ML models - Securing CI/CD pipeline And many more.

Ensure that only authorized users have access to resources and employ the principle of least privilege to restrict unnecessary permissions. Enable MFA for user accounts to add an extra layer of security. Utilize encryption for data in transit and at rest. Implement network security best practices. Enable logging and monitoring for all cloud resources. Regularly review logs to detect and respond to security incidents promptly. Develop an incident response plan outlining steps to be taken in case of a security incident. Conduct regular security audits and assessments. Keep all software and systems up to date with the latest security patches. Implement regular data backup and recovery procedures.

Safeguard your cloud environment by employing robust security measures such as network segmentation, encryption at rest and in transit, multi-factor authentication (MFA), and regular security audits and compliance assessments. Leverage native security services provided by your cloud provider as well as third-party solutions where necessary.

To enhance cloud computing performance, here are few suggestions- 1.Optimize resource allocation. 2.Improve network infrastructure. 3.Employ efficient load balancing. 4.Streamline data storage. 5. Utilize caching mechanisms. 6.Employ content delivery networks (CDNs). 7.Enhance security measures, implement auto-scaling. 8.Regularly monitor and optimize system configurations for optimal performance.

The pertinent measure to know if your cloud is functioning is to find those portions where you can improve. One should adopt performance monitoring software, and performance check-ups to set the defined metrics and track the performance of your computer system. It is important to identify performance bottlenecks by running tests, and carry out the root-cause analysis which will assist in driving the focused optimizations across the board for better efficiency & responsiveness. By utilizing cloud supplier counsel and benchmarks from the industry you can get your infrastructure suitable enough and therefore, aim to perform well.

To address cloud computing performance issues, I'd first analyze resource allocation and optimize usage. Scaling resources vertically or horizontally based on workload demands can help distribute the load effectively. Reviewing and optimizing the system architecture to identify bottlenecks is crucial. Additionally, implementing caching mechanisms to reduce latency and improve response times for frequently accessed data can enhance performance. Continuous monitoring and analysis of performance metrics are essential to identify and address any ongoing issues promptly.

Nothing can be improved without being measured. Make sure you are measuring the right things and review them constantly looking for incremental improvements.

Continuously monitor key performance metrics such as CPU utilization, memory usage, network latency, and response times. Conduct regular performance reviews to assess the effectiveness of optimizations and changes implemented. Solicit and analyze user feedback regarding application performance. Perform benchmarking exercises to compare the current state of your cloud environment against industry standards and best practices. Conduct load testing to simulate various scenarios and workloads. Regularly analyze resource utilization patterns. Optimize for both cost and performance. Treat performance optimization as an iterative process. Periodically evaluate your technology stack.

Evaluate and enhance your performance by conducting regular performance assessments using tools like AWS Trusted Advisor, Azure Advisor, and Google Cloud Profiler. Fine-tune your infrastructure configurations, optimize application code, and leverage caching and content delivery networks (CDNs) to improve overall performance.

As an Organization after hearing and maybe deployed Cloud services... take the chance now and explore, play within your acquisition by looking at expenses, turn around time of work, with all this in mind you will ideally be able to tell your story hence the evaluation and thus improving where you have fallen short.

For a cloud based system until and unless we evaluate the system on a certain load we don't get to know the break points and the durability of the cloud system. Generally the break points for a Cloud resource when tested on high load are high CPU usage and not enough memory which can be easily tracked in a performance monitoring dashboard. Hence we need to make sure that our system is able to scale up during high demands and we have the right set of Auto Scaling configurations to meet these demands. Also high performance and costing can be directly proportional,so we must ensure that once the demand lessens the infra sizing also reduces back to normal to save some cost.

Testing your application response its always a must on the CI/CD pipeline before passing into Prod. Find the gaps and invest resources on tunning queries and having the best design for your application to access to the data needed.

Consider additional factors such as disaster recovery and data backup strategies, compliance requirements, vendor lock-in risks, and potential cost optimizations through reserved instances or spot instances. Continuously iterate and adapt your cloud strategy to meet evolving business needs and technological advancements.

Right sizing the cloud computing environments is the key. However this is the hardest puzzle to solve. Most customers design the sizing at the beginning and never revisit it until a problem occurs. Extensive data collection, a process pipeline to gain insights and applying those insights, it is an iterative process. Establishing an SRE practice with the right SLIs, SLOs help both developers and operations team to optimize their environments. Aligning with business stakeholders to understand market conditions, events help to cater for unforeseen events and respond without draining the bank.

What you can't measure - you can't improve. Checking how the performance has been over a period of time, analyse if there is a consistent drop or there has been ups and downs. Carefully analyse what variables have changed. (May be the performance is the same but the traffic has increased?, Popularity has led the traffic from different regions?). Leverage best practices, design frameworks, specialist knowledge.

Other vital aspect warrant consideration in the factoring of the cloud computing performance challenges. They are reflected in the technique of configuring networks in order to make transmission of data reasonably, use caching and content delivery strategies to minimize latency, using scaling automatically with the purpose of adjustment of resources based on load fluctuations and considering the location to increase availability and to decrease latency for the users uniting the globe. On the other hand, modern technology is a constant process, and hence, one must stay updated on the latest technologies and best of the cloud computing techniques to refine performance. It encourages cheap and better competitiveness in the fast changing world.

It's important to consider why and how you ended up where you are. Did the right inputs contribute to your current situation, or was one set of requirements allowed to overrule other business requirements? Did you choose a cloud platform because "they're really big" or because they were the right platform for your organization and needs?

The answer to this (and almost any other architecturally significant question) is “it depends”. As a step 0 I would dig into what exactly the person or organization asking the question means by performance: literal computational performance, financial, impact on productivity or business value, or something else. That would determine what needs to be assessed and optimized. Recently a client of my (a fortune 100 company) complained that our cloud was too slow. When I tried to find out the specifics the leadership told me that it takes 6 weeks to create a project. Upon further investigation it turned out that this includes 5 weeks, 6 days, 23 hours and 59 minutes of approvals, reviews and committees and few seconds to create it.

1. Check if the performance issues are during specific time, if yes, analyse if upscaling is enabled as per demand, 2. Review on which Availability Zone is your environment hosted. If you are in APAC and your tenant is hosted in NA, there will be overall performance issues.

You should consider a multi-cloud strategy. Not all clouds are equal. Some clouds are great hosts for front end applications. And, other clouds run databases really well. Consider the best cloud for each part of your datacenter operations. Also, security should never be sacrificed.

Use caching to reduce the load on backend systems and to decrease data retrieval times. This is especially effective for read-heavy applications.

Using frameworks such as AWS Well-Architected to look at cost and performance from an application architecture lens also helpful!