Key Takeaways

  • Even experienced cloud customers can become overconfident and overlook new AWS technologies that could meaningfully improve business outcomes.
  • Security in the cloud isn't just about control; it requires expertise to architect AWS services into a solution that actually strengthens security posture.
  • Keeping up with continual AWS innovation is a real investment; a knowledgeable partner frees internal developers to focus on core initiatives instead.
  • Involving solutions architects and cloud engineers in business decisions, not just IT, leads to better modernization outcomes by bridging the technical/business communication gap.
  • Pairing professional services (migrations, app development) with ongoing managed services under one partner reduces operational overhead and makes modernization more efficient.

Cloud services have been widely adopted for years, which is long enough for users to gain confidence in their understanding of the technology. Yet as cloud continues to grow and develop, customer knowledge does not always grow proportionately. When users become overconfident, they can unknowingly overlook new Amazon Web Services (AWS) technologies and services that could have a significant impact on positive business outcomes.

What cloud customers are overlooking

Control is not necessarily security

In the early days of the cloud, many companies were reluctant to offload everything to cloud services due to security concerns. Today, many CTOs and IT Directors are still unsure how security translates to the cloud and remain hesitant about giving up control.

AWS provides a proven, secure cloud platform for migrating, building, and managing workloads. However, it takes knowledge and expertise to take individual services and architect them into a solution that maintains, or even heightens security. A partner well-versed in AWS services and advanced cloud technologies can identify and deploy tools and services that strengthen your security posture and add value to your business.

Keeping up with cloud innovation is an investment in continual learning

This can be a tall order for organizations with limited internal resources or cloud knowledge. Partnering with cloud experts who stay constantly informed about new AWS services – and know how to implement them – gives you immediate access to cloud innovation. It also frees up your developers and engineers to focus on core initiatives.

Aligning business and IT delivers better results

Internal teams that pitch a cloud-forward strategy often face hesitancy from business leaders. This is because executives have historically made decisions about how to allocate and manage IT resources, leaving developers to work within the parameters they are presented. However, involving solutions architects and cloud engineers in decision-making brings a crucial technical perspective that uncovers additional options with better results.

Bridging this gap is a matter of translation, as what makes sense to an in-house developer might seem like jargon to executives in other business units. Because our engineers understand both business and technology, we can bring clarity to modernization initiatives by acting as a translator between business and IT – preventing major communication and technical headaches down the line.  

The benefits of pairing managed and professional services

If your cloud partner is capable of handling larger professional services projects such as migrations, app development, and modernization as well as the ongoing maintenance of managed services, you will be far more successful at optimizing resources, improving security, reducing stress, and realizing cost savings.

There are several advantages of pairing professional and managed services:

  • Reduce operational overhead and optimize workloads
    Allowing a partner to directly manage more systems reduces your operational overhead and optimizes workloads. This guarantees your business will not get bogged down with redundant operations or pay for more computing power than is truly needed.

    For instance, you may be paying high colocation costs to house everything in your data center. By engaging a partner that offers both professional and managed services, you can move a workload safely from on-premises to the cloud with the same functionality, make it more secure, maintain compliance, and have confidence it is being optimized for performance and cost.

  • Upgrade and modernize more efficiently
    Having professional services and managed services under one roof makes it easier and more efficient to upgrade or modernize. Changes to infrastructure go much smoother with a trusted cloud partner at the wheel who has access to customer systems. Without access, the partner has to navigate the back and forth between client-controlled systems and new professional services before any real progress can take place.

    The goal is not to scrap an entire in-house system, but to develop a smooth transition where managed and professional services work in harmony. With the right context, and the right cloud partner, you can translate the ROI of pairing professional services and managed services so your executives are onboard with cost-saving proposals and your developers have a seat at the table.

In summary, you can maximize the benefits of cloud services by engaging a partner with the technical expertise, business experience, and deep knowledge of AWS services to support your modernization efforts.

Connect with our Modernization EngineersTM to find out how we can help you unlock the full power of the cloud.

Jeff Finley is a Senior Cloud Architect at Effectual Inc. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do experienced cloud customers still miss opportunities?

As cloud technology matures, customer knowledge doesn't always keep pace — overconfidence can cause users to overlook new AWS services that could meaningfully impact business outcomes.

Does using the cloud automatically mean giving up control of security?

No. AWS provides a secure platform, but it takes expertise to architect individual services into a solution that maintains or even strengthens your security posture; a knowledgeable partner helps identify and deploy the right tools.

Why should business leaders involve solutions architects in IT decisions?

Involving cloud engineers and solutions architects in decision-making brings a technical perspective that surfaces additional options and better outcomes, rather than leaving developers to work only within pre-set parameters.

What's the benefit of a partner offering both professional and managed services?

It reduces operational overhead, avoids redundant operations, and makes upgrades and modernization go more smoothly, since the same partner has ongoing access and context rather than navigating back-and-forth handoffs.

Who wrote this article?

Jeff Finley, Senior Cloud Architect at Effectual.