Key Features to Look for in a Third-Party Cloud Management Platform for AWS and Azure

Garry Forsyth (Chief Technology Officer) 02-Mar-2023 13:39:00

Cloud Management

Effectively handling cloud infrastructure is an intricate undertaking demanding time, expertise, and resources. To tackle this challenge, businesses are increasingly adopting cloud management platforms to assist their in-house teams in efficiently overseeing their cloud environments.

Third-party cloud management platforms can offer enhanced capabilities for public cloud services like Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure.

In this post, we will discuss the key features that businesses should look for in a third-party cloud management platform for AWS and Azure.

Multi-Cloud Support

Hybrid and multi-cloud environments mean you don't have to rely on one provider for all of your services. The most common scenario is that a business has Office365 and uses Microsoft for identity but then has deployments in both Azure and AWS.

Once you have infrastructure in multiple locations, CloudOps provides a central dashboard for you to review all of your cloud infrastructure.

This functionality is particularly essential in managing large-scale enterprise infrastructures. It allows businesses to automate tasks and streamline management activities, regardless of the cloud provider used. Therefore, when looking for a third-party cloud management platform, ensure it can support multiple cloud service providers.

IG CloudOps cloud management platform is plug-and-play with AWS & Azure. For a full list of features including monitoring, cost analysis, backup, patching and security auditing see the full details here.

Cost Management

Cloud environments can be costly, particularly if they are not appropriately managed. A good cloud management platform should offer a robust cost management feature that allows businesses to monitor and optimise their cloud spend.

This includes features such as identifying cost-saving opportunities, cost allocation and budget tracking. An ideal cloud management platform should also provide detailed billing insights, so you can track your cloud usage and make informed decisions.

CloudOps integrates with the native cost APIs for both AWS and Azure so it can provide LIVE cost telemetry, budget alerts and running totals for hourly / monthly for your price list. Find out more about our cost management services for AWS and cost management for Azure underpinned by CloudOps.

Security and Compliance

This is a concern for any cloud administrator, as data breaches become more common, cloud admins must ensure that their cloud infrastructure is secure and meets regulatory requirements.

A good cloud management platform should offer features such as security compliance reports, security automation, and security event monitoring. This helps businesses to identify vulnerabilities and ensure their infrastructure is secure and compliant with relevant standards and regulations.

CloudOps professional includes quarterly security audits and integrated penetration testing.

Automation

This can be one of the biggest bonuses when moving deployments to the cloud. The opportunity to automate away day-to-day processes and manage by exception means you can free up your team's time.

CloudOps includes features such as full stack monitoring, patching, backup, cost analysis and antivirus updates as well as 24/7 assisted support. This means our cloud management platform can help you automate and drive efficiency.

This can include features such as automated provisioning, patching, backup, and disaster recovery. An ideal cloud management platform should provide businesses with the flexibility to automate their workflows to meet their specific needs.

Analytics and Reporting

A cloud management platform should provide detailed analytics and reporting capabilities. This functionality allows businesses to monitor their cloud environment's performance and identify areas that require optimisation. An ideal cloud management platform should offer a range of reports, including performance metrics, cost analysis, security and compliance reports, and resource utilisation. This helps businesses to make data-driven decisions and optimise their cloud infrastructure for maximum efficiency.

Next steps

A cloud management platform from a third party can aid businesses in streamlining their cloud management processes and optimising their cloud infrastructure for peak efficiency. When choosing a cloud management platform, businesses should seek a solution that accommodates multi-cloud environments, offers robust cost management, ensures security and compliance, supports automation, provides analytics and reporting, and allows customisation. Opting for the appropriate cloud management platform enables businesses to save time, cut costs, and enhance the security and compliance of their cloud infrastructure.

CloudOps addresses all the areas mentioned in this article and can help you manage your cloud more effectively. For a free test drive where we walk you through the main capabilities of CloudOps, you can book online.