Amazon CTO Vogels hands down cloud "commandments"

LAS VEGAS: As Amazon Web Services (AWS) looks to expand its cloud computing product line, executives are offering companies tips on how they can best move their IT infrastructure into the cloud service.

Speaking at the company's re:Invent conference, Amazon.com chief technology officer Werner Vogels told attendees that first should follow a set of "commandments" when planning and deploying cloud computing platforms.

Vogels outlined several key principles, including security, resiliency and control which should be adhered to when developing cloud deployments.

The Amazon technology chief explained that cloud platforms often come with different capabilities and constraints than on-premise systems. As such, he advised companies to adopt a new way of thinking when approaching the cloud.

"If you go to build a new application and build it in the cloud, why don't you take a cloud-native thinking?" Vogels said.

"You have to leave that old world behind."

Vogels said that the company has found in both its dealings with customers as well as its dealings with customers and its own migration of Amazon.com that when moving to the cloud, developers are often able to eliminate complexity and streamline tasks.

In doing so, companies can also consider new factors during development, such as possible operating costs for applications.

"We should architect with cost in mind," he said.

"In this new world all of these resources are much finer-grain controlled and there is an explicit cost."

He also advised firms to plan for tighter security and reliability when developing cloud apps. Vogels suggested that firms can not only increase reliability, but also date security and safety by housing their applications in two or more regions around the globe.

Additionally, he advised firms to improve reliability and performance by, where possible, using APIs and other tools to automate tasks.

"It is time we stepped away from humans controlling these processes, we are not that good at it," he said.

"If you have to log in to the instance to change something, you should have automated it."