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Cloud Operations

What are Cloud Operations?

Cloud Operations (CloudOps) is a practice adopted by enterprises that manages the use of cloud computing technology to run and oversee applications and infrastructures. Cloud Operations teams are responsible for creating a foundation of cloud resources for development and application runtimes, as well as overseeing the deployment of technology on the cloud. Cloud Operations teams allow enterprises to derive more value from their cloud computing resources and realize new opportunities for scalability, performance, efficiency, security, and cost optimization.

What are the responsibilities of a Cloud Operations team?

Cloud Operations teams are responsible for developing the basic framework of cloud infrastructures and for overseeing the execution of applications on the cloud. More specifically, these responsibilities include: 

  1. Creating the foundation of a cloud architecture – Resources need to be properly allocated so developers have the components to build applications. 
  1. Overseeing applications on the cloud – Updating resources helps ensure applications deploy properly. 
  1. Optimizing cloud application performance and cost – Applications and infrastructure must maintain performance and efficiency, especially in critical areas such as API functions. 
  1. Monitoring the security of computing resources – CloudOps teams are responsible for ensuring a base level of security for cloud technology. 

What can successful cloud operations teams do to augment their cloud technology?

Cloud Operations teams can go beyond their explicit responsibilities to better optimize cloud resources. When CloudOps teams focus on value optimization, rather than cost optimization, they can realize new benefits. Whereas cost optimization simply focuses on doing more with less by improving efficiency and productivity, value optimization focuses on business value. It is important for Cloud Operations teams to consider how investments in the cloud can grow the business, even if that means spending more money in absolute terms.

CloudOps teams also have a critical role in establishing a Cloud Center of Excellence in their organization. A Cloud Center of Excellence (CCOE) is a cross-functional approach to centralized governance of cloud costs and of cloud performance. The CCOE is operated by a team of stakeholders, often chaired/overseen by a cloud architect, that focuses on driving cloud value by setting policy, guiding vendor selection, and serving as a collaborative internal consultant to improve outcomes and manage risks. The role of a CloudOps teams in establishing a CCOE is to help execute the holistic transformation of the cloud to optimize cost, performance, and overall business outcomes.

What are the benefits of cloud operations?

Cloud Operations have an in-depth understanding of how to use cloud resources and architecture and how to effectively operate on the cloud. They can locate opportunities to enhance the performance and efficiency of cloud technology.

Many enterprises adopt the cloud for scalability, efficiency, and security benefits, as well as to optimize their costs. However, many enterprises fall short of achieving these benefits, as they adopt cloud resources without a proper strategy and don’t have experience with the cloud. CloudOps teams can help enterprises avoid this pitfall with their expertise and insights.

What is the difference between CloudOps and DevOps?

DevOps is the partnership of developers and IT teams within an organization to accelerate the development and standardization of applications,  encouraging innovation and business transformation. CloudOps focuses on creating a foundation for DevOps teams to run on the cloud, overseeing the deployment. This contrasts with DevOps, which focuses on the development of applications and new capabilities, and less so on the oversight of cloud resources. The two teams are involved in processes that affect each other, but they have distinctly different focus.  

How can Azul help CloudOps teams augment their cloud technology?

Azul helps CloudOps teams by providing them with tools to optimize the performance and efficiency of their cloud computing resources. Azul Platform Prime, our performance Java runtime, is uniquely designed to optimize Java code. It’s a simple formula: 

faster code = less compute = smaller cloud bill 

This helps CloudOps teams by reducing infrastructure costs by up to 50 percent. Additionally, this approach allows applications to require less oversight by CloudOps teams, as the production environment can optimize and maintain performance. Azul’s product line, known as the Intelligence Cloud, provides analytics and optimizations across a company’s entire Java estate, helping CloudOps teams execute their responsibilities.  

Azul Platform Prime

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