OFS was new to AWS and needed an objective, third party to review their environment for alignment with business goals, security best practices, and future workload needs. They needed recommendations on future AWS cloud strategy, identification of security risks, recommendations for monitoring and logging, and feedback on the suitability of their existing platform for future workloads under consideration for modernization.

CleanSlate engaged with OFS over the course of 3-4 weeks. We started by assessing their business goals and objectives for reviewing their current environment and modernizing workloads in the cloud. We delved deeper by understanding their Information Technology group’s objectives, capabilities, experience, and future roadmap. From there, we narrowed the assessment down to focus the bulk of our time on the areas most applicable, which in this case, the areas were security & compliance, monitoring, and logging. We prioritized our efforts in looking at these areas while doing due diligence on other areas.

At the onset, we installed an appropriate tool to analyze their cloud platform. We configured elements of their cloud that would enable our tools to collect more information and monitor environment conditions for several weeks.

Over these several weeks, we met with them collaboratively – continually getting more focused and specific as we developed a well-architected review (WAR) of their environment according to AWS best practices and our Cloud Operations Framework. Our AWS Professional Certified Security and Solution Architect reviewed the outputs of the tool and performed an in-depth, personal review of their environment. OFS documented their detailed, personal recommendations for their environment based on the defined business and IT goals of said environment. In addition, they flagged and reviewed any high-priority items they identified personally or that surfaced by the tool.

Right from the beginning, we identified several configurations and technical setups that would greatly enhance their security, ability to track change, and monitor operations in their environment. We immediately reached out to them to make changes as high-priority opportunities surfaced in real time, and collaboratively decided on changes to their environment, realizing immediate value from the first day of engagement.

Our final deliverables included documentation and presentations by CleanSlate technical staff and business strategists. We produced a detailed, well-architected review (WAR) document, prioritized backlog of security and logging issues, account strategies, and architecture roadmaps recommendations for their environment. Additionally, we recommended AWS training and secured several training vouchers for their training staff, free of charge, from AWS.

We defined next steps and partnered with OFS for remediation of identified issues and desired configuration changes.

With CleanSlate’s help in analyzing OFS’s cloud platform, the project was highly successful in quickly identifying areas for security and cost optimization improvements. We resolved 3 high-profile items in the client’s environment within hours of identification, almost immediately upon engagement.

After review of the environment from our Security and Solution Architect and Business Strategists, we recommended 19 action items in relation to the identified business and IT goals.

Additionally, we were able to identify:

• 18 high-profile and 38 medium security issues
• 9 opportunities for cost optimization
• 4 high and 3 medium opportunities for increased availability
• 5 opportunities for increased usage optimization that would also decrease operational costs

With these areas identified, reviewed, and prioritized, we were able to define the next steps and map out future partnerships. OFS agreed upon and engaged in a follow-up project with us to review updates and the architecture after changes were made and issues were resolved.