Title

AWS re:Invent 2023 - Clearwater Analytics delivers innovation & growth by migrating to AWS (SMB213)

Summary

Clearwater Analytics, a global FinTech company, successfully migrated over 500 applications and 200 databases to AWS Cloud in 10 months.
Umar Saeed, Senior Solutions Architect Manager at AWS, and Shilpa Dapke, VP of Global Platform Engineering at Clearwater Analytics, discussed the migration journey.
Key points of discussion included organizational mindset shift from CapEx to OpEx, the importance of organizational transformation, and the drivers behind the migration to the cloud.
The migration strategy was based on balancing complexity and business impact, with a focus on high-impact, low-complexity workloads to gain quick wins and build momentum.
Clearwater Analytics realized benefits such as improved client experience, elasticity, high availability, risk mitigation, and the ability to explore new technologies like AI.
The collaboration with the AWS account team was crucial, providing solutions, training, and cost-saving strategies.
The session ended with a mention of a fun treasure hunt event and a request for attendees to complete a survey for feedback.

The transition from on-premises to cloud infrastructure requires a significant mindset shift, particularly in terms of financial considerations (CapEx vs. OpEx) and the need for continuous organizational alignment and communication.
Clearwater Analytics' approach to prioritizing migration tasks based on a matrix of complexity and business impact is a strategic method that can be applied by other organizations undergoing similar transitions.
The success of the migration was measured not only in terms of technical execution but also in terms of business outcomes, such as improved service levels, elasticity during peak times, and high availability through multi-zone architecture.
The partnership with AWS was highlighted as a key factor in the migration's success, emphasizing the value of viewing cloud service providers as extended team members rather than mere vendors.
The AWS account team's proactive approach to cost management and resource optimization is a testament to AWS's commitment to customer success beyond just selling cloud services.
The session's content underscores the importance of cloud migrations for enabling business growth, geographical expansion, and technological innovation, particularly in data-sensitive industries like FinTech.