AWS Challenges and Solutions for Cloud Engineers

Introduction

Amazon AWS aims to provide businesses with the greatest cloud interoperability at the lowest feasible IT cost and better services. However, there are numerous challenges in companies deploying AWS. This article discusses various AWS challenges and solutions that help cloud computing engineers deploy AWS in their firms. Explore our AWS course syllabus. 

AWS Challenges and Solutions for Cloud Engineers

Here are the AWS challenges and solutions:

Configuring the infrastructure

Challenge: A complicated AWS infrastructure setup can be difficult, particularly for complicated applications. 

• It is possible to automatically and frequently provision infrastructure using AWS CloudFormation.
• The intricacies of service upgrades, regulatory compliance, and configuration management can make configuring AWS infrastructure difficult. 

Solutions: Here are a few strategies to deal with these issues:

• Utilize CloudFormation on AWS: Provisioning can be automated and repeated by using infrastructure as code.
  • To guarantee uniformity and minimize human error, you can either make your own templates or utilize pre-made ones.
• Utilize an automation tool for AWS infrastructure: AWS infrastructure setup and monitoring can be made more efficient with the use of these tools.
  • They can assist with cloud resource provisioning, configuration, and management.
• Utilize the AWS CDK: Cloud infrastructure can be defined by developers and administrators using a supported programming language.  
• Employ an MSP (managed service provider): Applications, platforms, and infrastructure setup can be aided by an MSP.
  • They can also assist in ensuring that the resources you receive are appropriate for your requirements and financial situation. 
• Utilize CodeCommit: Git-based repositories can be hosted using this source control service.
  • It can be used to store and manage AWS CloudFormation template versions. 
• Utilize an IPS/IDS program: Your needs will determine which IPS/IDS system is best for you.
  • To provide defense in depth, you can combine a host-based IPS/IDS with a network-based IDS/IPS. 
• Utilize AWS Firewall Manager: In AWS Organizations, you can centrally set up and manage firewall rules for all of your accounts and apps with AWS Firewall Manager. 

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Data Migration Challenge

Challenge: Particularly when it comes to data compliance regulations like GDPR, PCI-DSS, and HIPPA, data migration can be difficult. 

There are several obstacles to overcome while moving data to AWS, such as:

• Compliance and security: Concerns around illegal access and data breaches may arise when sensitive data is moved to the cloud. 
• Data Quality: Dealing with human error, various data sources and legacy technologies can make data quality difficult.
• Technical Difficulties: Technical know-how is necessary for setting up and sustaining a data space, particularly in fields like cybersecurity, data integration, and data governance.
• Rules for Firewalls and Security: Post-migration problems may arise from differences in firewall and security policies between cloud and on-premises configurations.
• Authorizations: Application failure may result from a mismatch in rights between on-premises and cloud environments.
• Bandwidth: The normal application traffic of your company will not be able to use the network bandwidth used for data migration.
• Cost: On the business side, moving to AWS might be very expensive. You must carefully plan your budget and keep an eye on things at all times.  

Solutions: Here are some solutions to Overcome the Data Migration Challenges

• Cost Explorer for AWS: This tool advises consumers to choose one-year compute choices that don’t require upfront payments to optimize expenditures. AWS automatically uses the reduced Savings Plans prices when a user enrolls in Savings Plans to calculate use.
• Assuring data security and compliance: You must ensure that your data is safe and complies with all relevant laws before moving it to AWS. This covers the use of data governance, access control, and encryption techniques.
• AWS security tools like AWS Key Management Service (KMS) for data encryption and AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) for access management can help. Additionally, you can become acquainted with AWS compliance initiatives such as SOC, GDPR, and HIPAA.
• Make sure that your data is compatible with the programs that are already in use. Additionally, since some apps may be using the database without your awareness, you must identify all dependent apps.
• You must ascertain the amount of data being transferred as well as the available bandwidth. 

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Setting up accounts on AWS

Challenge: It’s crucial to account for all the resources required for both new and existing services when setting up an AWS account.  

When setting up AWS accounts, several difficulties include:

• Standardization: It may be challenging for various systems to share data if data formats, schemas, and ontologies are not standardized.
• Scaling: Confirming that further resources can be added as needed and that the system is scalable.
• Sign-in Challenge: You can attempt the following actions if you get an error when attempting to log into the IAM Identity Center console:
  • Check the device you’re using’s date and time settings.
  • Make sure that your identity provider’s IdP certificate matches the one you supplied to the IAM Identity Center.
  • Make sure that the service account’s login information is accurate and up-to-date.  

Solutions: Here are a few ways to overcome these challenges:

• Automate the configuration process: To automatically configure both new and existing AWS accounts, use a solution such as ServiceNow instances.
• Turn on AWS Configuration: To make sure your AWS resources are configured according to best practices, use AWS Config to audit their setup.
• Create standardized frameworks and norms: Create standardized frameworks and norms to aid in resolving standardization issues.
• Develop a multi-account plan: Use a Security Tooling account and a Log Archive account to create a multi-account strategy.
  • Log data from every account in the company is combined in the Log Archive account. 
  • Security information from all over the environment is centralized in the Security Tooling account.

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Operation Cost Challenge in AWS

Challenge: Whether you utilize cloud-based or legacy technologies, operational costs can always be a problem.

Solution: The following are some strategies to lower AWS operating expenses:

• Employ spot instances and auto-scaling. Configure autoscaling using scaling policies and launch configurations.
  • Spot instances are another way to bid on available EC2 capacity.
• Make use of AWS Cost Explorer: To find EC2 instances that are underutilized or idle, use this tool. These instances can then be stopped or reduced in size.
• Use Compute Optimizer on AWS: This tool offers suggestions for various instance kinds, such as EC2 instances that are part of an Auto Scaling group, downsizing, and upsizing.
• Utilize Well-Architected Labs on AWS: This resource includes code and documentation to assist you in learning and developing cost-optimization-focused architectural best practices.
• Employ Intelligent Dashboards for the Cloud (CID): These dashboards offer pre-made visualizations to assist you in controlling and maximizing your AWS expenses. 
• Utilize Reserved Instances and Savings Plans: AWS Compute, EC2, Amazon SageMaker, Amazon RDS, Amazon Redshift, Amazon ElastiCache, Amazon OpenSearch Service, and Amazon DynamoDB can all be discounted with their help. 
• Utilize AWS Usage and Cost Reports: A complete collection of cost and consumption statistics is included in these reports.
  • To get an estimate of the cost and consumption, you can tag this data. 
• Establish cutoff points according to current or anticipated costs: This generates a notification for your projected or actual expenditure. 

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Monitoring Challenge in AWS

Challenge: Sophisticated monitoring technologies can assist in spotting such problems and quickly fixing them.

The following are some challenges with AWS monitoring:

• Disintegration: For gathering and analyzing data from all of its services, AWS lacks a centralized platform. You might need to employ several technologies, such as CloudWatch and Kinesis, to monitor several services.
• Limited Analytics: It’s possible that AWS’s built-in monitoring tools don’t give you adequate insight into your AWS services.
• Data Ingestion: Getting monitoring data into AWS’s native tools can be challenging. Data may need to be passed over an S3 bucket, lambda functions, and kinesis.
• Manual Monitoring: Monitoring your AWS environment by hand can be laborious, prone to mistakes, and lead to you missing crucial indicators.  

Solutions: Here are a few ways to overcome these obstacles:

• Use One-Click Monitoring Option: Several AWS services’ operations data can be combined into a single AWS Management Console using this Application Manager under the Systems Manager option.
• Automate Monitoring: To automate monitoring chores, use AWS CloudFormation, AWS Lambda, or AWS Config.
• Apply Machine Learning: To find trends and irregularities in your data, use machine learning services like Amazon SageMaker and Amazon Rekognition.
• Utilize Grafana and Prometheus: Metrics from multiple sources can be gathered and stored by Prometheus. Grafana can create alerts and visualize metrics.
• Utilize Amazon CloudWatch: Get up-to-date information on resource usage, application performance, and general health with CloudWatch.
• Utilize Amazon GuardDuty: To keep an eye out for illegal activities and malicious activity, use Amazon GuardDuty.  

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Multi-Cloud Management Challenge in AWS

The AWS cloud operations expertise may be extended to hybrid and other cloud environments with the aid of AWS Hybrid Cloud Solutions. 

Challenges: Managing multiple clouds with AWS presents some difficulties, including:

• Compliance and security: It might be challenging to maintain uniform security and compliance requirements across several cloud platforms.
• Control and visibility: Risks to security and compliance may arise from managing workloads and resources across several cloud platforms, which can limit visibility and control.
• Automation: It might be difficult and prone to mistakes to coordinate automation tasks across several cloud providers.
• Various sets of tools: Maintaining a consistent management procedure is challenging because cloud providers give their own management tools and interfaces.
• Steep learning curve: Learning how to administer a new cloud platform might take some time, and finding employees with multi-cloud expertise can be difficult.  

Solutions: Here are a few ways to overcome these challenges:

• Utilize AWS Systems Manager: Automation, observability, and unified monitoring are all aspects of multi-cloud operations management that AWS Systems Manager can assist with.
• Utilize AWS Lambda: Combining AWS services to develop a unique solution is possible using AWS Lambda.
• Utilize Containers: Applications can be made more portable and easier to manage by being packaged with all of their dependencies.
• Consider the 80/20 Approach: Address specialized tasks on an individual basis while concentrating on 80% of workloads.
• Analyze the pricing and performance: Analyze the benefits of distributing a task among several cloud providers.

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Conclusion

We hope this article helps you understand various AWS challenges with solutions. If you are new to cloud computing, consider joining our AWS training in Chennai at SLA.