Summary of key DRHC practices across the six Well-Architected Framework pillars
Operations: Achieving operational excellence for hybrid edge workloads
Operational excellence for hybrid edge workloads focuses on effective system operations, gaining operational insights, and continuous process improvement to deliver business value. It involves understanding data residency regulations and organizational policies, considering Recovery Time Objective (RTO) and Recovery Point Objective (RPO), and being aware of consequences of data residency violations or data loss. Key steps include monitoring performance, managing incidents, centralizing oversight, automating processes, updating policies, and fostering continuous improvement to enhance operational efficiency and reliability. For more information on Operational excellence, see Operational excellence pillar.
Security: Protect information, systems, and assets through risk assessments and mitigation strategies, balanced with delivering business value
The security design principles for data residency focuses on establishing control objectives, separating workloads based on data residency needs. Configuring detection mechanisms for unauthorized resource creation. Restrict physical access to AWS Outposts locations, and comply with environmental and networking requirements. Control data access tightly, and use data recovery mechanisms like snapshots, versioning, and replication on Outposts. For more information on Security, see Security pillar.
Reliability: Build reliable infrastructure services
Verify application recovery or availability during component failures (network, server, rack, and application). Deploy multiple Outposts anchored to multiple Availability Zones for high-availability and resiliency, and plan for disaster recovery with Outposts or Local Zones. Monitor and forecast storage, compute, and network capacity regularly while planning for high availability during on-premises maintenance activities. For more information on Reliability, see Reliability pillar.
Performance: Align services, configurations, and monitoring for efficient and adaptable workloads
Select the appropriate AWS services, Regions, and configurations that align with your workload requirements, and consider factors like latency, bandwidth, and data residency. Monitor performance metrics end-to-end, and adjust resources accordingly. Embrace modularity and loose coupling to easily integrate new technologies as they emerge. Periodically review your architecture, and make informed trade-offs based on evolving application needs, technical requirements, and the expanding AWS service offerings. For more information on Performance, see Performance pillar.
Cost optimization: Optimizing costs in hybrid cloud environments through tagging, monitoring, and workload placement strategies
Evaluate workload requirements to help determine the optimal placement across on-premises, cloud, and hybrid edge environments. Implement a tagging strategy for cost attribution and resource governance across hybrid environments. Monitor and optimize the utilization of fixed-capacity resources like Outposts to provide maximum value. Optimize network configuration and data transfer costs between these environments. Hybrid architectures should be designed with cost in mind, using local VPC peering and following networking best practices. Regularly monitor and review your workloads to identify opportunities for ongoing cost optimization over time. For more information on Cost optimization, see Cost optimization pillar.
Sustainability: Prioritizing renewable energy, efficient resource utilization, and continuous optimization
While designing sustainable cloud solutions, prioritize Region selection based on proximity to renewable energy sources and CO2 emissions. Align infrastructure scaling with demand through auto scaling, monitoring, and right-sizing to optimize usage with minimum resources. Optimize software architecture by refactoring unnecessary components and resizing over-provisioned instances. Manage data efficiently by removing redundant or unneeded data to reduce storage requirements. Use the minimum hardware and services necessary, continuously monitoring for more energy-efficient options. Foster a culture of keeping workloads up to date to adopt efficient features and improve overall sustainability. For more information on Sustainability, see Sustainability pillar.
