The first one was filed on November 19, 2017. Seven years ago. The ask: let an admin change a customer’s email address in Jira Service Management. Not migrate accounts through a four-step workaround involving Atlassian ID. Just… change an email address. The kind of thing you’d expect a junior developer to ship on a Tuesday afternoon. As of today, it has 779 votes, 447 watchers, and a status of “Future Consideration.” Which, in SaaS-speak, translates roughly to: “we heard you, we filed it, please stop asking.”

The second one landed in January 2019. The request: make Confluence’s alphabetical page sorting persistent, so new pages don’t just pile up at the bottom like uninvited guests. Six years later: 600 votes, 261 watchers, status “Under Consideration.” Progress!

Now, to be fair to Atlassian, they’re not uniquely terrible. Every major SaaS vendor has a graveyard of feature requests exactly like these. Sensible, obvious, clearly wanted by thousands of paying customers. Just… never quite prioritized. Because they have a roadmap. And you’re not on it.

This is the part of the SaaS brochure they don’t show you.

The Pitch vs. The Reality

SaaS vendors are exceptionally good at one thing before you sign: making you feel like you’re about to get exactly what you need. The demos are polished. The slide decks are beautiful. The onboarding is smooth. Eighty percent of your requirements? Covered, on day one.

It’s that remaining twenty percent where things get interesting.

That twenty percent is where your actual workflows live. The edge cases. The things specific to how your organization actually operates. And when you file a support ticket asking about them, you enter a fascinating parallel universe where time moves differently. Features are “on the roadmap.” Updates will come “in a future release.” Your vote has been registered. Thank you for your feedback.

Meanwhile, you’re paying. Every month. For the product as it exists, not as it was promised.

The Numbers Are Telling

The scale of SaaS sprawl is difficult to overstate. According to BetterCloud’s annual State of SaaSOps report, the average number of SaaS applications per company peaked at 130 in 2022 and even after a wave of consolidation, still sits at over 100 today. That’s more than 100 subscriptions to manage, renew, secure, and integrate. For every single organization.

The waste embedded in that sprawl is just as striking. Gartner estimates that approximately 30% of purchased SaaS licenses go unused, what they bluntly call “toxic spend.” BetterCloud puts a price tag on it: companies report wasting an average of more than $135,000 per year on unused software licenses alone. And Gartner projects SaaS spending will continue growing at around 19% annually, reliably outpacing the budgets meant to fund it.

Do the arithmetic on a typical mid-market tool. Fifty users. €50 per user per month. That’s €30,000 per year. Every year. With annual price increases that arrive in your renewal email as a polite fait accompli. After five years, you’ve spent €150,000-plus on software you don’t own, can’t modify, and can’t easily leave and somewhere between a quarter and a third of those licenses have been sitting idle.

Something Changed

Here’s what’s different in 2026: building software got dramatically cheaper and faster. Not incrementally but by an order of magnitude.

Tools like Claude Code and Kiro represent a new category of agentic coding assistants. They don’t just suggest the next line. They can take a requirement, reason through a solution, write the code, test it, catch errors, and iterate, with minimal human supervision. What previously required a team of developers and months of work can now be done by one technically capable person in days.

This isn’t science fiction. It’s happening right now in engineering teams across the world.

And it fundamentally changes the math on one of the oldest questions in IT: should we build or buy?

What You Get When You Build Your Own

When you build a custom application -even a relatively simple internal tool- you build exactly what you need. No more, no less. You control the data model, the workflow, the integrations, and the roadmap. And critically: you decide what gets built next. Not a product manager in Sydney who’s never seen your workflows.

Running on cloud-native infrastructure like AWS means scalability, security, and availability are largely handled by the platform. The operational gap between “something you built” and “something a vendor hosts for you” has narrowed considerably. And the cost gap has flipped.

A custom-built equivalent to that €30,000/year SaaS tool, developed with AI-assisted tooling and running on serverless AWS infrastructure, might cost a fraction of that annually in operational expenses, after a one-time build investment that has also come down dramatically. More importantly: you own the asset. It does exactly what you need. And you’re not waiting seven years for someone to let you update an email address.

A Word of Honesty

Custom software isn’t free of responsibility. Someone has to maintain it, secure it, and evolve it. The SaaS argument, that someone else handles the infrastructure, the uptime and the patches, is not without merit. And for commodity functions like email, video conferencing, or payroll, that argument still wins. These are solved problems. Building your own would be an expensive act of reinvention.

But pairing custom-built applications with managed cloud services gives you the operational coverage of SaaS without the product dependency. You get uptime. You get security. You get to decide what comes next.

So What Should You Actually Do?

Not everything should be custom-built. That would be its own kind of madness.

The question worth asking is simpler: where are your core differentiating workflows? The processes that encode years of operational knowledge. The edge cases that keep showing up in feature request threads, yours and everyone else’s, year after year, status unchanged.

Those are exactly the features that will never quite make it onto a SaaS vendor’s roadmap.

The question is no longer “can we afford to build?” The question, in 2026, is whether you can afford to keep waiting.

JSDCLOUD-5746 would like a word.

The post Dear SaaS Vendor, We’ve Been Waiting Since 2017. appeared first on Cloudar.

Cloudar Renews AWS MSP Partnership with a Perfect Score!

At Cloudar, we are very proud to announce that we have successfully renewed our AWS Managed Service Provider (MSP) partnership for the second time—and with a perfect score! This achievement further solidifies our position as a leading AWS MSP, ensuring that our clients receive the highest level of cloud expertise and managed services.

A Hard-Earned Accreditation

Achieving the AWS MSP competency is no easy feat. The renewal process involves an extensive and rigorous two-day external audit, where AWS evaluates a company’s capabilities in security, automation, DevOps, customer success and more. This intensive assessment ensures that only the best-in-class providers are recognized, and we are happy to have met and exceeded every requirement.

A Six-Year Legacy of Excellence

Cloudar has been an authorized AWS MSP for six years, continuously demonstrating our ability to deliver exceptional managed services to our clients. This designation reaffirms our deep expertise in AWS technologies, proactive monitoring, and automation, helping businesses optimize their cloud environments while focusing on their core operations.

The Only Belgium-Based AWS MSP

We take great pride in being the only AWS MSP headquartered in Belgium. In a competitive and ever-evolving cloud landscape, this distinction highlights our unwavering commitment to excellence and customer satisfaction. Our local team of AWS-certified experts works tirelessly to provide best-in-class cloud solutions tailored to each client’s needs.

An Exclusive Global Network

The AWS MSP designation is highly exclusive, with only 185 companies worldwide holding this prestigious competency. As part of this elite group, Cloudar continues to set the standard for managed cloud services, ensuring businesses maximize their AWS investments.

Why Work with an AWS MSP?

Partnering with an AWS MSP like Cloudar means businesses can focus on what truly matters: delivering value and innovation. Our expert team handles the complexity of cloud management, security, and optimization, allowing organizations to drive efficiency, reduce costs, and scale with confidence.

We are incredibly proud of this accomplishment and remain dedicated to helping businesses thrive in the cloud. Thank you to our customers, partners, and the entire Cloudar team for making this achievement possible!

Looking for a trusted AWS MSP partner? Get in touch with us today and discover how Cloudar can elevate your cloud journey!

The post Cloudar renews AWS MSP partnership appeared first on Cloudar.

Cloudar has achieved the AWS Global Security & Compliance Acceleration (GSCA) certification, underscoring our commitment to providing secure, compliant cloud solutions. For AWS users, this milestone brings several benefits, helping them streamline operations, meet compliance requirements, and ensure the highest levels of security.

About the AWS Global Security & Compliance Acceleration Program

AWS designed the GSCA program to support partners in strengthening the security and compliance of cloud environments. Through the GSCA program, we have gained access to advanced training, resources, and AWS experts, enabling us to fine-tune our security capabilities and stay ahead of ever-evolving threats.

This program emphasizes automation, governance, and continuous monitoring, empowering us to proactively address security challenges and scale securely in the cloud.

Enhanced security posture

With this certification, Cloudar can provide customers with ready-to-go security solutions, customized to fit their unique requirements. From secure infrastructure setup to automated incident response, we can ensure your workloads are protected from day one.

By adhering to AWS’s best practices, we can ensure that your infrastructure is secure by design. We leverage tools like AWS Security Hub, Amazon GuardDuty and AWS Config to provide customers with continuous threat detection, rapid incident response, and real-time insights into security events. This means your business can identify and mitigate risks before they escalate.

Regulatory compliance

Compliance is no longer an afterthought. Cloudar uses AWS-native tools to continuously monitor for regulatory compliance and offers pre-built templates to help meet industry standards, reducing the time and effort required to maintain compliance.

Whether your business operates in a heavily regulated industry like healthcare, finance, or government, the GSCA certification ensures that we can help you meet key regulatory requirements such as GDPR, HIPAA, SOC 2, and more.

Faster time-to-market:

By automating security and compliance processes such as patch management, configuration drift detection, and log monitoring, we can significantly reduce the time it takes to implement secure, compliant workloads on AWS.

Cloudar ensures that our customers can maintain a high security posture without the overhead of manual intervention. This leads to lower operational costs and more efficient resource allocation, so you can focus on innovation and growth, while we handle the complexities of cloud security.

Cloudar helps you leverage the power of AWS Security

Cloudar’s approach goes beyond simply implementing AWS’s built-in tools. We work closely with your teams to tailor solutions that fit your specific business needs, ensuring that you get the most out of the AWS cloud while keeping your data secure and compliant.

We design cloud architectures that follow AWS’s security best practices, but are customized to fit the scale, complexity, and compliance needs of your business.

Whether you’re migrating to the cloud or optimizing existing workloads, Cloudar ensures a smooth integration of AWS security services with your current operations.

But our support doesn’t stop after deployment: Cloudar continuously monitors your cloud environment, ensuring you stay compliant and secure as your business grows.

The Cloudar Difference

At Cloudar, we understand that security and compliance aren’t just checkboxes – they’re critical to building trust with your customers and staying ahead in a competitive market.

By achieving the Global Security & Compliance Acceleration on AWS, Cloudar once again proves that we are not just a partner, but a trusted ally in your cloud journey.

We provide peace of mind that your AWS workloads are not only running efficiently but are also secured against threats and aligned with the latest regulatory standards.

If you’d like to learn more about how Cloudar can enhance your cloud security and compliance, or if you’re ready to take your AWS workloads to the next level, don’t hesitate to get in touch with our team today!

The post Achievement Unlocked: Global Security & Compliance Acceleration on AWS appeared first on Cloudar.

#1 Specialized expertise

While basic cloud functions are fairly accessible to everyone, it takes specialized expertise to use the cloud optimally. Cloud consulting services provide access to experts who have extensive knowledge of cloud technology and can help businesses leverage cloud solutions to achieve their objectives. These experts can help businesses understand the benefits of cloud technology, choose the right cloud platform and services, and design and implement cloud solutions tailored to their specific needs.

#2 The most for your money

It takes knowledge to invest your cloud spend in the most effective way possible. Cloud consulting services can help reduce IT costs by optimizing cloud resources, minimizing downtime, and ensuring that businesses are only paying for the services they need. Cloud consultants can also help identify opportunities for cost savings, such as switching to more cost-effective cloud services or implementing cloud automation to reduce manual labor.

#3 Improved security

Cloud security is a critical concern for businesses, with cyber criminals becoming more sophisticated by the day. Cloud consulting services help improve cloud security by identifying potential security threats and implementing security best practices. They also help businesses comply with industry regulations and standards, such as HIPAA or GDPR, by ensuring that their cloud solutions meet the necessary security and compliance requirements.

#4 Increased Flexibility and Scalability

Cloud consulting services help businesses achieve greater flexibility and scalability by leveraging cloud technology. They design and implement cloud solutions that can scale up or down quickly to meet changing business needs. This can help save time and money by avoiding the need to invest in costly on-premises infrastructure that may become obsolete quickly.

#5 Competitive Advantage

Cloud consulting services help secure a competitive advantage by enabling businesses to take advantage of the latest cloud technology and services. They constantly update their knowledge, staying on top of the latest trends and best practice. This gives them the know-how to help businesses boost their agility, speed, and innovation, allowing them to respond quickly to changing market conditions.

Are you looking for a consulting partner to help get the most out the cloud? Get in touch!

The post Maximize the cloud: 5 ways cloud consulting services benefit your business appeared first on Cloudar.

What are low- and no- code solutions?

low- and no- code development platforms are visual software development environments that non-programmers and programmers can use to manipulate components to create digital products. They allow people to build applications without needing to write code line by line or knowledge of traditional programming languages, development environments or testing protocols.

In low- and no- code solutions, all the coding is done behind the scenes. Instead of lines of code, the person developing the product sees a user-friendly interface. Through pointing and clicking, dragging and dropping, they can manipulate components and test modules to build their digital product. No-code solutions are really geared towards people without a technical background, while low-code solutions are meant more for people with coding skills who want to speed up and simplify the coding process.

How low- and no- code benefits you

Low and no-code have taken off due to a lack of skilled software developers. There is a huge talent shortage in the IT sector. Faster turnaround means a decrease in not only the cost of building apps, but also hiring costs. And it comes with reduced error and greater accessibility, helping to make everyone on the team more productive.

With the huge demand for digital products, low- and no-code helps speed up developments projects and accelerate digital transformation. The ease that low- and no- code solutions provide in creating apps means improved agility to create flexible apps that function smoothly across multiple devices. This helps organizations adapt faster to market changes and customer needs.

Say hello to AWS Application Composer

The newly launched AWS Application Composer is a visual designer for building serverless applications from multiple AWS services. It helps developers simplify and accelerate architecting, configuring, and building serverless applications. AWS services can be dragged, dropped, and connected into an application architecture by using its browser-based visual canvas. AWS Application Composer maintains deployment-ready infrastructure as code (IaC) definitions with integration configuration for each service.

This innovative new tool removes the steep learning curve developers can face when composing applications from multiple AWS services. It allows developers to start a new architecture or import existing template. It also makes it easier to make changes to existing applications, maintaining the visual representation of application architecture in sync with IaC in real time.

The key to low- and no-code solutions is the cloud, where users can access these solutions as a service. Just one more way the cloud is driving innovation! We expect low- and no-code to be used for a majority of development going forward.

Want to know more about how we can help you deploy low- and no-code solutions to accelerate innovation? Reach out to us!

The post Game changer: AWS & the low- and no- code revolution appeared first on Cloudar.

Using less to achieve sustainability

During AWS re:Invent 2022 in Las Vegas, I attended a few sessions on sustainability in the cloud. One of the things that stood out to me and has kept my mind occupied since is the question: “Are we taking the right course of action?” It’s clear that there is still a lot of work to do to make the cloud more energy sustainable.

The angle I don’t see tackled as much in the meantime shifting to a focus on efficiency. While people are warming up to pushing for high levels of resource efficiency through FinOps and GreenOps principles, there is also a case to be made to push for operational efficiency. I firmly believe that “use less” is key to achieving sustainability in various aspects.

Operating at scale

One of the big issues I still see in the IT landscape today is that a lot of organizations try to do everything in-house, which often leads to a lot of legacy set-ups, architecture lock- ins and technical debt. Compare it to doing Christmas shopping. Take a street with 10 cars. These 10 cars all drive off to various stores, on multiple trips, maybe coming back without finding the gifts they need. That’s a lot of emissions for maybe a handful of gifts. Now, imagine these 10 households all do their shopping online and let package delivery services handle the door-to-door process. One delivery van might deliver the same amount of gifts to that street and then some. It’s all a matter of consolidating tasks and handling them in an efficient way.

It’s not impossible to do cloud operations internally in an efficient way, but it requires a level of investment and dedication that is doesn’t always align with budgets, goals and bottom lines. Managed services providers strive for operational excellence and operational efficiency. We make sure that whatever we manage is kept in line with business needs in an efficient way. Like a delivery van, we consolidate knowledge and expertise and dedicate resources to carry out cloud operations 24/7, which we can do because we operate at scale. That scale also allows us to rapidly gain experience and continuously improve. We improve the operational efficiency of your cloud environment, which leads to achieving more with less.

Want to know more about how we can drive sustainability through maximum efficiency? Reach out to us!

The post Managed Services provide the sustainable edge appeared first on Cloudar.

#1 24/7 Availability

Your systems run 24/7, and your MSP should too. This includes round-the-clock monitoring and technical support. Issues should be identified and addressed in real time so that they don’t create disruptions or downtime. The last thing you need is to micromanage your MSP, so you should trust that they’ve got your back any time of day.

#2 Proactiveness

Solving issues as soon as they come up is key, but it’s even better to be one step ahead of them by proactively adapting your systems according to business or technology changes. This means joining forces with an MSP with vision that anticipates your business growth and external trends. Your MSP should also be obsessed with continuously adapting and improving their services and solutions.

#3 Tailored approach

A great MSP doesn’t try to squeeze you into a template solution. Every business is different, requiring a tailored approach. Your MSP should put their minds together with yours to think about your business goals and which solutions you need to achieve them. They should also follow up with regular check-ins to review performance and prepare for changes in your business and industry.

#4 The right qualifications

MSPs need the skills and experience on board to meet whatever challenges your business and industry are facing. Checking certifications is a good way of evaluating whether your MSP has the right knowledge for your sector and the type of solutions you require. It’s also good to take a look at their practical experience managing similar environments to that of your business.

#5 One-stop shop

It’s important to get an overview of all the services the MSP offers and how they align to your current and future needs. Do they handle all of these services in-house or do they subcontract? Check out which partners they are working with, what their strengths are and how the manage the workflow between them. Choose an MSP that has everything you need to support you over the long term.

#6 Transparency

There’s only so many assurances you can get while choosing an MSP. You need to know that you can follow up on their performance throughout your relationship to evaluate whether this is a beneficial partnership. Are your systems running smoothly? Are they doing everything you agreed on and anticipating changes? Having some visibility in the form of a reporting platform is key.

#7 A solid reputation

Once you’ve checked everything else off your list, it’s time for a reputation check. There is no better way to get a feel for how it is to work with an MSP than talking with their customers. Check customer references to get granular feedback on the MSP’s approach and performance. Make sure their company values and standards align with yours. Get a feel for the human side of their business: this can make all the difference!

Want to know how we measure up to all of the above? Get in touch to learn more about Cloudar’s way of working.

The post Top 7 qualities to look for in a managed services provider appeared first on Cloudar.

Focus on data management and analysis

We can no longer afford to focus only on configuring and maintaining cloud environments. Going forward, we will need to pay close attention to how we manage the data that’s stored in the cloud as well. To ensure data security and prevent data leaks, everyone who operates in the cloud should implement a solid backup strategy and disaster recovery plan. The more the cloud develops, the more interesting it becomes for data thieves. We must protect our data by prioritizing data management and cloud security.

Adequate and future-oriented data analysis is the key to accessing greater operational insights to improve wider data-driven decision making. Managing and analyzing our data effectively will become more important than ever, requiring extensive expertise and know-how. After all, we all want to get the most out of our existing data assets and resources. This means there will be a growing need for certified cloud specialists.

From IoT to IoB

The Internet of Things (IoT) enables us to connect devices, systems and data to efficiently exchange information without the need for a central server. IoT also facilitates the constant collection and storage of data in the cloud. With IoT, companies will be able to act based on automated analytics to truly propel innovation.

Every organization relies on personal relationships, be it with customers, vendors, or employees. They are our most valuable assets. This is where Internet of Behavior (IoB) comes in. IoB evolved from IoT, but where IoT is technology focused, IoB pivots around people and their connections. IoB applications allow people to trust data through their personal connections with others or with companies, without having any need or ability to access the data directly. In the years to come, IoB will combine social interactions with machine learning. Social networks and apps will use IoB for user behavior tracking and personalization.

Automate and optimize with AI

With the help of AI, seemingly mundane tasks can be automated and optimized. This frees up time and resources to develop innovative products and revolutionary services. AI will create intricate new ways to offer personalized and tailor-made services to customers, allowing for very specific customer segmentation and experience creation.

Looking ahead, IoT, IoB and AI are set to propel us into a completely new way of doing business.

Do you want to make sure you’re ready for the cloud revolution? Contact us at Cloudar. We’re an official Next Generation AWS Managed Service Provider Partner, born in the cloud and offering Managed Services fit for the cloud. Let’s talk!

The post 2022 and beyond: The future of cloud managed services appeared first on Cloudar.

#1 Free your mind and results will follow

COVID-19 showed us that flexibility in business and the way we regard work in general were the determining factors in how companies were able to successfully navigate these extraordinary circumstances. Organizations that were quick to integrate managed services and trusted them with the tasks that aren’t business-differentiating, created the opportunity for their employees to focus on innovation and recovery.

#2 Agility is key

The agility necessary for companies to adapt to changing circumstances has become all the more essential and noticeable. Its importance can therefore not be overstated. Integrating and training swift and flexible resolution and survival compels businesses to collaborate with new partners, such as managed services providers.

The confidence companies need to make agile business practices possible requires knowing operations and data are safe and secure at all times. Although there is no longer a need for physical backups, it’s still a good idea to back up virtual servers. AWS offers you the building blocks to take those backups. On top of that you’ll still need a framework to implement retention schemes, cross region backups, cross account backups and more. Having a trusted managed services partner to provide and manage such a framework will give you the assurance you need.

#3 Full force digital

Even before the pandemic, many businesses were implementing tools and applications to maximize digitization and automation in their operations. Ready or not, the pandemic has aggressively sped up this process. Managed services give companies solutions that already include fast, cost-effective access to technologies such as AI, trusted intelligence and automation as well as the technical expertise needed to master these, without the big upfront costs or challenges of finding the right talent.

#4 Continuous compliance

Even though businesses have been through very trying times, it’s important to keep looking at the future. Reshaping our professional landscape requires decisiveness, courage and boldness. In that process of change and transformation, continuous compliance is key. A dependable managed service provider can guard compliance, even when regulations and circumstances keep changing around us. In this way they provide companies with the confidence to venture into uncharted territory and discover new ways to do business.

Monitoring and managing compliance and smooth operations is a hefty assignment that is not to be underestimated. Subscribing to managed services takes this task off your hands. Dedicated monitoring, immediate reporting and round-the-clock support will limit downtime and issues. Together with your managed services partner, you decide on the support you need while making sure you only pay for what you need and use.

#5 Optimize costs, maximize results

Managed services providers like Cloudar keep an active eye on the cost of the cloud infrastructure they manage for you. Through monitoring, we have a clear view of how your provisioned infrastructure fits the measured activity and where we can better optimize the cloud cost to be in line with business value.

We work with you to make sure that your infrastructure fits your needs at all times and actively help you keep control of your cloud bill. We make sure that you pay for what you use and not just for what you provision. Our cost management comes down to this: using an external managed services provider helps you free up time and resources to focus on growing your business instead of only growing your cloud bill. This allows you to really maximize the business value you get out of your cloud infrastructure.

#6 Next-level expertise and analytics

The sooner businesses are able to respond to their changing circumstances, the smoother the transformation. Adaptability enables smarter and faster decision making. These strategic shifts are made possible through the expertise and thorough data analytics provided by managed services. They guarantee durable results, ongoing support and up-to-date knowledge and expertise.

When you decide to subscribe to managed services, you gain immediate access to a team of trained and AWS-certified engineers who are continuously refining their skills, following up on updates and patches, upping their game. They never stop looking for ways to improve and optimize your setup to make your infrastructure more reliable, performant and cheaper to run. You could hire an expensive team to try and manage all of this in-house, of course. But why would you?

Are you excited to find out how managed services can transform your business? Contact us at Cloudar. We are an official Next Generation AWS Managed Service Provider Partner, born in the cloud and offering Managed Services fit for the cloud. Let’s talk!

The post Fast-tracking change: 6 ways managed services spark business innovation appeared first on Cloudar.

AWS has limited responsibility

Yes, AWS takes away a lot of the so-called heavy lifting. They do this by managing all the physical infrastructure and providing Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS). They also go further up the stack and provide you with a managed Microsoft SQL Server (RDS) for example, or a managed NFS (EFS) in what we call Platform as a Service (PaaS). They even offer Software as a Service (SaaS) tools like QuickSight, which is a competitor to the likes of Tableau and Power BI. But there are very clear boundaries between what they do and don’t manage for you.

As you can see in this image of the AWS Shared Responsibility Model, everything in blue is the sole responsibility of the customer. That would be you! And what a huge responsibility it is: I’m sure you’ve heard the horror stories of companies misconfiguring AWS services and leaking confidential data or getting hacked. Or running up their cloud bill to insane amounts in days. Unfortunately those stories are true.

When pitching our Managed Services Offering to prospects, we sometimes get the question why they would need an MSP. Isn’t AWS managing everything already? In this article I’d like to debunk the biggest Cloud Myth: no, AWS does not manage everything, and yes, an MSP will add considerable value to your business. Not in the least because it allows you to focus more on that business, and less on the operational burden of your cloud environments.

You need trained brains

You can see why you would need the proper expertise to adequately manage your AWS environments. Sure, your developers can write your CloudFormation or Terraform code and make sure everything works. But your AWS doesn’t just need to be developed: it needs to be managed. At this point you have two options: either hire and train the staff you need to support and manage your AWS environments, or make use of an MSP.

We find that customers often have a very hard time finding skilled engineers, as there is a high demand for AWS profiles on the market. Keeping them on board once they’re trained is another challenge (recruiters are vicious!). To fully manage an AWS environment around the clock while providing good working conditions for your employees and accounting for the occasional absence, you’ll probably need a team of at least four engineers. Even if you don’t really have enough work for them to do.

The big advantage an MSP has is scale. Instead of all our customers implementing their own services 24/7, we provide them. And instead of hiring, constantly training and retaining qualified engineers, we’ve already got them on board. The service an MSP provides is in most cases cheaper than staffing your own operations, and you no longer have to worry about finding and keeping the talent you need.

Your MSP has got you covered

There are other benefits too: MSPs implement and operate your AWS presence in a Well-Architected way, and offer traditional services like monitoring, a service desk, backups and patching. They also make sure you don’t spend too much and advise you on architectural decisions. Not only will they help define a deployment strategy, they will be your developers’ best friends in a true DevOps kind of way. And last but not least, they’ll keep your environment secure, preferably by using a Cloud Security Posture Management System.

MSPs are trusted partners. We can be yours! To find out more, feel free to get in touch with us.

The post Why you should partner with a Managed Services Provider appeared first on Cloudar.