With over 25 years of expertise in delivering remote system administration services, ITProvider.io is well-versed in optimizing cloud management and infrastructure. Our 10+ years of experience in providing DevOps services further solidifies our understanding of cloud systems, enabling us to effectively address performance bottlenecks and maximize the utilization of your cloud infrastructure. We have accumulated a wealth of experience and solutions tailored to meet the demands of our clients, ensuring optimal performance and efficiency.
Amazon Web Services (AWS) stands as one of the leading cloud service providers, and ITProvider.io specializes in a diverse array of remote server administration tasks on this platform:
- Configuring AWS VPC peering to amalgamate resources from multiple AWS accounts upon request.
- Constructing CI/CD workflows utilizing AWS Pipeline.
- Tailoring Amazon EC2 instances and Amazon S3 storage to suit customer requirements.
- Enabling CI/CD workflows for product development through AWS Pipeline setup.
- Deploying AWS Fargate for running containerized applications on AWS ECS without the need for configuring Kubernetes clusters.
- Executing database migrations and upgrades for AWS RDS platforms such as MySQL, Maria DB, and PostgreSQL.
- Implementing auto-scaling capabilities via AWS Elastic Beanstalk, among other tasks.
Many businesses gravitate towards AWS for its extensive service offerings. However, navigating the complexities of the platform poses challenges, given its vast array of interconnected services. Despite the availability of comprehensive knowledge bases, configuring and managing cloud infrastructure flawlessly on the first attempt is often elusive. Moreover, delving deeply into the AWS knowledge base demands a significant time investment—a luxury not all startups can afford.
Consequently, companies typically opt for one of three approaches to address their cloud system administration needs:
- Building in-house expertise.
- Subscribing to AWS support services.
- Outsourcing to a Managed Service Provider.
While each approach has its merits, they also come with their respective drawbacks.
Recruiting cloud system administrators in-house mirrors the typical hiring process your company encounters. It involves investing time, financial resources, and offers no guarantees of success. The demand for skilled cloud system administrators, often referred to as DevOps engineers, far exceeds the available pool of specialists in the job market. Moreover, competent DevOps engineers are typically contentedly employed either by cloud vendors, Managed Services Providers, or prosperous companies, offering lucrative six-figure salaries and opportunities for professional growth and self-development.
Building an in-house team of DevOps engineers presents several challenges. It requires considerable time and managerial effort to foster cohesion and productivity among individuals transitioning into a cohesive team. Additionally, substantial resources are necessary to provide them with office space, hardware, and other essential office equipment to facilitate their seamless functioning. Not to mention, there are HR and team-building expenses to consider. Furthermore, the "bus accident" scenario looms, where the absence of any team member due to illness, vacation, or departure halts their portion of the project until a replacement is secured.
Opting for AWS support services is a common choice for many companies seeking to offload their cloud system administration responsibilities to dedicated cloud vendor support engineers. This approach offers access to highly skilled DevOps specialists proficient in the nuances of AWS services, capable of configuring optimal infrastructure tailored to your requirements, thereby obviating the need to invest in building an in-house team.
However, this approach does come with its drawbacks. Firstly, your tasks will be addressed within a shared queue alongside tickets from other AWS customers. Consequently, while service level agreements (SLAs) are adhered to, response times typically hover closer to four hours rather than the desired fifteen minutes. Additionally, AWS engineers tend to default to utilizing AWS services when constructing your cloud infrastructure, as they possess the most familiarity with these tools. Although open-source alternatives to most AWS products and services exist, implementing them correctly requires a comprehensive understanding of their functionalities—a task rendered challenging due to the aforementioned reasons. Consequently, there is a notable risk of vendor lock-in associated with this approach.
The third approach involves companies
outsourcing their cloud system administration tasks to an IT services company, commonly known as a
Managed Services Provider (MSP). These providers possess a deep understanding of cloud infrastructure management best practices, extensive experience in designing and implementing such infrastructures, and readily available solutions for a multitude of standard challenges and scenarios.
The appeal of working for an MSP is straightforward— it presents a win-win situation for aspiring DevOps engineers. MSPs predominantly collaborate with startups seeking rapid, reliable, and cost-effective solutions, empowering their teams to implement projects with autonomy. Consequently, DevOps engineers are unhindered by outdated technology and can leverage the latest advancements to construct and manage CI/CD processes and infrastructure for their clients.
Cloud system administrators employed by Managed Services Providers are equipped to tackle a diverse array of projects and leverage the most up-to-date versions of popular DevOps tools to achieve project objectives. This exposure enables DevOps engineers to accrue invaluable experience in addressing a broad spectrum of challenges using a myriad of tools. Meanwhile, clients benefit from receiving dependable, cost-effective, modular infrastructures comprising essential vendor-specific components supplemented by a wide array of open-source, freely available tools.
Concluding Remarks on Remote Cloud System AdministrationWhile the outlined approach offers promising solutions for cloud system administration, the primary challenge lies in identifying a trustworthy contractor. Many IT service providers tend to embellish their experience and capabilities, potentially resulting in project failure and wasted time and resources. To mitigate this risk, thorough research is essential, including examining customer reviews, independent ratings, and accolades garnered by the company throughout its tenure.
ITProvider.io stands out as a reputable Managed Services Provider, recognized as a leader in the IT outsourcing market.
We are poised to support businesses in achieving their cloud system administration objectives, facilitating the implementation of CI/CD pipelines, and optimizing cloud infrastructure management. Should you require such IT services, we are at your disposal.
Contact us , we are always glad to help!