Title

AWS re:Invent 2023 - Improve operational efficiency and resilience with AWS Support (SUP310)

Summary

• Shantan Kesharaju, Principal Product Manager for AWS Trusted Advisor, along with Neil Sanders, Principal Technical Account Manager, and Kara Mosley, Cloud Platform Manager at Koch Industries, discussed improving operational efficiency and resilience with AWS Support.
• They highlighted the challenges organizations face in terms of operational efficiency and resilience, and the impact of inefficiencies on businesses.
• AWS Trusted Advisor was introduced as a proactive tool with over 300 checks across 45 services, providing recommendations in six categories: cost optimization, security, fault tolerance, performance, operational excellence, and service quotas.
• AWS Trusted Advisor Priority was launched to provide prioritized recommendations based on customer context, with a feedback loop for continuous improvement.
• Neil Sanders discussed AWS support programs like Dr. PET for resiliency planning and execution, Security Improvement Program for security posture, and Cloud Cost Optimization Workshop for managing cloud costs.
• Incident Detection and Response (IDR) was introduced as a service for monitoring critical environments and improving incident response times.
• Kara Mosley shared Koch Industries' cloud journey, focusing on overcoming challenges in speed, visibility, and technical debt by leveraging AWS support programs and tools.
• Koch Industries' focus areas included resiliency, security, monitoring and governance, and cost management, with significant improvements and savings achieved through AWS support programs.
• Future plans for Koch Industries include implementing IDR for high-value applications and better utilizing TAM knowledge for curated recommendations.

Insights

• AWS Trusted Advisor and its Priority feature are critical tools for organizations to maintain operational efficiency and resilience, offering tailored recommendations and tracking capabilities.
• The integration of AWS Trusted Advisor with internal systems and the use of APIs can significantly enhance the ability to respond to recommendations and automate processes.
• AWS support programs like Dr. PET, Security Improvement Program, and Cloud Cost Optimization Workshop provide structured and expert-led approaches to address specific operational challenges.
• Incident Detection and Response (IDR) is a proactive service that can reduce the mean time to engagement and resolution during critical incidents, which is crucial for maintaining business continuity.
• Real-world examples from Koch Industries demonstrate the practical application and benefits of AWS support programs, highlighting the importance of aligning cloud strategies with business objectives and continuously improving cloud operations.
• The session emphasized the importance of sharing knowledge and best practices learned at events like AWS re:Invent with broader teams to ensure widespread operational improvements.