You’ve successfully migrated to the cloud: Now what? Welcome to the Cloud Modernization phase of your cloud transformation. It’s time to take what you’ve put in place and turn up the dial to get more out of it. Modernization is where you can set yourself apart from the rest.
Let’s take an Olympic swim race as an example. For the 2008 Beijing Olympics, all the Freestyle Men’s 100M athletes spent the previous 4 years (if not their entire lives) preparing – technique, diet, training, discipline – all in an effort to gain the slightest advantage to win the gold medal. There is no doubt they are all exceptional swimmers. So, what else could be done to give them a 00:01 second advantage over the other swimmers? Enter the LZR full body suit by Speedo.
The LZR design eliminated the stitching that had been known to contribute to drag in the water (by as much as 38% reduction in drag). Additionally, it introduced compression on strategic parts of the body, enabling swimmers to exert less energy while at the same time gaining further distance with each stroke. This new technology completely transformed Olympic swimming, leading to 98% of all record-breaking races in 2008 being won by swimmers wearing these suits. Although the full-body suits were eventually banned, it led to new types of competitive swimming suits that leveraged this new technology and are now used by nearly every Olympic swimmer.
What does this mean for Cloud Modernization? Just like the full-body suit transformed competitive swimming, security (or lack thereof) can single-handedly derail or lead to the success of your modernization efforts. You’re probably thinking: There is no way security alone can have this great of an impact.
Just like an Olympic swimmer wouldn’t show up to their swim race in a cotton suit and no training, you can’t show up to the cloud transformation race without the proper training (aka preparation) and equipment (aka technology). Preparation and technology are the key to successfully modernizing your environment as part of your cloud transformation. These two elements, combined with key strategic choices you are forced to make early on, are the key to unlocking your ability to successfully compete in the race. Security plays a critical role in this step. You’ll need to find ways to address security needs while at the same time, maintaining the velocity of your transformation projects without cutting corners.
Preparation
Preparation is imperative for modernization. If you don’t properly prepare, you won’t be successful in completing this stage of your transformation effectively.
Perhaps you’re looking for more efficient or effective ways to manage your business applications or you’re considering container technologies. The benefits of cloud transformation are endless, but if you approach it without a security strategy in mind, you could be exposing your organization to risk down the road. You’ll need to consider the following:
- Will you be utilizing a public or private cloud environment?
- Are you planning on building out your container environment in AWS?
- Do you have the required in-house expertise to transform legacy software to cloud?
- Can you detect cyber attacks in real-time within container technologies?
Perhaps you’re considering adopting new services or operating models. Your responsibility in the shared responsibility model will evolve during the modernization phase as you adopt new services and operating models. You’ll need to ask yourself:
- Do you understand your responsibilities in the shared responsibility model?
- Are you confident you know what it takes to protect your environment?
- Are you confident you can effectively modernize your security capabilities to align accordingly?
Your answers to these considerations directly influence the next step: Selecting the right technology.
Technology
From a technology perspective, one-size does not fit all. But one thing is true for all, you’ll need to maintain constant visibility and security as you embrace modernization. And you’ll need to do so in a way that ensures you can maintain the velocity of your modernization efforts without cutting corners.
It is also important to have technology in place to address both before and after a successful attack—the moment of “boom.” You need technology left of boom to proactively identify vulnerabilities and configuration issues so they can be addressed to reduce the attack surface and prevent attacks. You also need technology right of boom to ensure you can quickly detect suspicious or malicious activity from attacks and take swift action to respond and prevent or minimize damage.
As you transform your legacy software into SaaS (software-as-a-service) platforms and applications, you might consider ready-made solutions to accelerate that transformation. Leveraging technology to help you make that transformation could give you that competitive edge you seek. Like the swimmer in the LZR bodysuit, leveraging cloud-native technology that specializes in cloud coverage could be the difference between successfully and unsuccessfully completing this phase of your transformation.
Whether you’re looking to integrate cloud-native security into all stages of the application lifecycle or simply want to reduce the cost and complexity of demonstrating security capabilities to your customers, you don’t have to do it alone. Leverage the expertise of vendors who have demonstrable success in cloud security. See how Alert Logic can help you get across the finish line with that crucial 0:01 lead over the competition.
