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Month: December 2022

How is AWS Making a Startup’s Journey to Success Easier, Smoother, and Cost-Efficient?

Posted on by Mahesh Hegde

Getting started with AWS can be overwhelming, like treading on uncharted waters. Hence, it’s essential to map out how AWS supports startups and their requirements. Discovering and implementing the right features can get you the best results and make using AWS a smooth sail.

Startups can leverage AWS Activate to access free tools, resources, material, and content and build a startup. AWS provides more than 40 solution templates to develop and deploy a variety of products. In addition, it offers a rich library of tips and recommendations for technical requirements.

Why do Startups Need a Credible Solution for Development?

The success of startups can be directly correlated to a good user experience. Their journey from ideation to execution is driven by the rewards they will receive from their hassle-free services. According to a research article in Harvard Business Review, most failures that startups experience can be avoided through technical training.

Did you know that 6% of startups fail due to tech-related problems? This means that either these startups have chosen the wrong tech stack, or they lack in terms of security, or they are using outdated solutions for their development purposes.

We can relate this directly to another statistic indicating that 16% of startups fail because of cash flow problems. Quite evidently, if you invest in the wrong technologies, build the wrong product, and work with the wrong team, all of these lead to cash burn.

Amazon AWS presents a novel solution for startups and businesses to build effective solutions backed by formidable technology. While using AWS requires some learning, it can easily be mastered by even those with no technical experience.

What is AWS Activate?

The AWS Activate Founders is a program by Amazon allowing startup founders and entrepreneurs to build and grow their businesses. The suite of free tools and resources allows founders to build their product and launch in the market faster quickly, and that too, at lower costs.

However, to begin with, AWS Activate, the startup must satisfy the eligibility criteria;

  • The startup or founder must be new to AWS Activate.
  • The company must be funded or unfunded. The eligible series of a startup includes Pre-Seed, Angel, Seed, Debt Finance, and Series A.
  • The applying company must have a website or a public profile.
  • Lastly, the company must have been founded in the last 10 years.

Successful startups like DoorDash, Deliveroo, and even Airbnb have created their applications with the AWS Activate suite.

How AWS Makes a Difference in Startup Development?

When you are building an application, a website, or a web application, it has a front end and a back end.

The front end is the client’s end or the interface your customers will engage with. The back end includes the system that powers the front end and makes sure that the clients have a memorable user experience.

In AWS Cloud, the back end has the following aspects;

  • User Authentication
  • Data Store
  • File Store
  • API
  • Web Analytics

Amazon Cloud has a solution for all these components. However, using them requires some basic understanding and experience with technology. AWS Activate or its related services make it easier for startup founders to work on their products, even if they have a non-tech background.

AWS allows startup founders and entrepreneurs to build, test, deploy, and troubleshoot applications quickly and repeatedly. For a startup, understanding its customers and getting feedback about its product is essential. AWS allows startup founders to quickly add or remove these features and deliver better experiences to customers.

Here’s how it works;

  1. For a startup, it is essential to build and manage the required infrastructure. The AWS infrastructure model provides continuous access to repeatable infrastructure. This can be done with CloudFormation and or AWS Cloud Development Kit.
  2. For building, testing, and deploying the application automatically, you can use AWS CodePipeline. It automates the release sequence of software or application. Hence, startups can quickly process fast, tested, and reliable updates.
  3. Moving forward, the startups can use AWS Code Build for continuous integration. This is required for building, testing, and packaging code. It allows the founders to compile the source code, run tests, and churn out deployable software packages.
  4. Lastly, the AWS CloudWatch is a service allowing startups to monitor their product’s performance regularly. It can provide data and analytics, making the behind-the-scenes picture visible and demonstrating the performance. In this, you can also set alarms and reminders to respond to the arising issues effectively.

With all these pre-installed components and access to templates, businesses can progress with ease. As they use the available services, it becomes easier to build and deploy user-friendly products.

AWS does not limit its services to startups and founders. To help freshers with learning, a wide range of resources are available, including webinars, blogs, technical content, and presentations.

Even though AWS makes development and deployment easier, there is a learning curve. Furthermore, the founders will find a step-by-step guide on the website, sharing details of every step and process along the way.

In essence, Amazon Web Services has made cloud-based application development, testing, and deployment accessible to everyone. Going one step ahead, founders can also integrate Machine Learning systems in their products with AWS. It helps them go serverless and also use containerization for development and deployment.

Conclusion

Making a robust business from a startup is easier said than done. In an era when 90% of startups fail, AWS is giving these new businesses a ray of hope for taking their venture to the next stage. From helping them create products quickly to making changes, improving their outcomes, and monitoring their performance, AWS is built to make a startup’s journey smooth, cost-efficient, and quick.

Strategizing Security for Cloud-native SaaS Applications

Posted on by Mahesh Hegde

With cloud-native software coming into the picture, the cloud is no longer a limitation to SaaS application deployment and scalability. It empowers organizations to build, deploy, and run scalable SaaS solutions in a dynamic environment with utmost ease.

However, this new deployment model brings with it a new security risk – cloud-native applications are exposed to more vulnerabilities and can be more likely to be exploited.

To mitigate these SaaS application security risks, it is essential to have a thorough understanding of the security features that are available to cloud-native applications and how best to deploy them.

This blog will overview these security features and discuss how best to deploy them for cloud-native SaaS applications.

What is a Cloud-native SaaS Application?

As the name suggests, cloud-native SaaS applications refer to Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) developed, designed, and deployed using composable architecture. These are built to be flexible and use the advantages of the cloud for optimum speed and scalability. These allow developers to develop customer-centric products for rapid development cycles and continuous integration.     

SaaS Incidents and Business Impact

The cloud computing market is expected to grow at an annual CAGR of 16.3% to USD 947.3 million by 2026, and SaaS will have an instrumental role in this upward swing.

But cloud-native SaaS applications are highly vulnerable to security breaches, and protecting them is crucial.

It is because data stored in these applications are accessible from anywhere and on any device. Consequently, a lack of proper security measures can lead to data breaches and lost business opportunities. To mitigate such risks, it’s important to utilize encryption and authentication measures and stay up-to-date with current security trends. Doing so will help protect your data against unauthorized access or theft.

Shared Responsibility Model

The shared responsibility model means that the company is responsible for software application security – from development to operation. Various ways to implement security into your SaaS application include firewalls, data encryption, and penetration testing.

However, without a solid plan, you will be at risk of hackers breaching your system. Therefore make sure that you put together a robust security strategy that involves everyone who is a part of the cloud and stick to it religiously!

Limitations of Existing Solutions

There are a few limitations of existing solutions that security professionals should be aware of when it comes to cloud-native applications. For instance, security solutions for SaaS are not equipped to handle cloud-native applications, and data breaches can happen even with the best protection measures.

Moreover, current security solutions for SaaS are ineffective at preventing microservices or containerized attacks as they rely on a distributed architecture. In addition, traditional intrusion detection systems (IDS) cannot effectively identify threats posed by cloud-native applications as these often involve subtle differences from standard software configurations.

Therefore, security planners must consider incorporating new techniques, like microservices and containerization, to better protect against potential risks associated with these applications.

Look for The Solution: SaaS Security Management

Security for cloud-native SaaS applications is a critical concern. Make sure to assess your business needs and find the solution that best suits your needs. There are a variety of security solutions available, from managed services to DIY approaches.

Some cloud-based security solutions like AWS CloudFront, AWS Identity & Access Management (IAM), and Azure Security Center offer flexibility and scalability. Other solutions, such as PCI DSS and SOC 2, are industry standard and can protect your data while complying with regulatory requirements.

To make the best security decision for your cloud-native SaaS application, ensure you comprehensively understand your business needs and security requirements. Armed with this information, you can choose the best security solution for your business.

Automated Remediation Workflow

Implementing an automated remediation workflow is one of the most important steps businesses can take to protect their SaaS applications. By doing this, you can quickly identify and fix security issues in your software and prevent any customer disruptions or downtime. It’s also worthwhile keeping up to date with the latest trends in SaaS security management- so you can ensure that your approach remains updated and effective.

SaaS Security Management

As cloud-native applications become more and more prevalent, it is essential to keep security issues in mind. Cyber-attacks on cloud-based systems are usually carried out by hackers who gain access to the system through vulnerabilities that were not adequately addressed. Therefore, SaaS security management should comprise several measures such as encryption, firewalls, intrusion detection software, etcetera. For these solutions to be effective, proper partner alignment is essential – make sure you choose a provider who shares your same concerns and goals for protecting your data.

Software DevSecOps

Security is one of the top concerns for SaaS applications, and DevSecOps can help address this by automating and standardizing security processes. Doing this will make it easier to identify any vulnerabilities quickly and improve overall cybersecurity posture.

Continuous Compliance

Security is one of the most important aspects of cloud-native SaaS applications. A security management strategy must be in place to ensure data protection, user authentication, and access control.

Furthermore, a well-defined security process will help you comply with regulations such as PCI DSS or GDPR. With so many variables to consider, ensuring adequate security for your cloud-based software can be daunting. That’s where an expert comes in – they can customize a security solution that fits your specific needs and meets all the regulatory requirements.

SaaS Security Best Practices

Cloud-native SaaS application security has become a major talking point for organizations. So, here are some security best practices for cloud-native SaaS applications:

  • Enhanced automation – There is a need to automate the security side of things to prevent unwanted access. Adding limited authorization access and tight authentication will further contribute to enhanced security.
  • Data encryption – Following data encryption at all times can limit the chances of a security breach and prying eyes accessing data on the cloud.
  • Use SSPM – SaaS Security Posture Management (SSPM) should be implemented centrally across all SaaS applications to streamline implementing and enforcing cloud security measures.
  • Deploy CASB tools – CASB tools are crucial in securing data and ensuring cloud applications run smoothly. These tools ensure compliance with the organization’s security policies and help provide an additional layer of security for cloud SaaS applications.

Partner with a cloud-driven security enterprise to ensure optimum SaaS application security

Cloud-native SaaS Applications are growing in popularity as they offer several benefits, including improved security. As a cloud-based application, a cloud-native SaaS application is susceptible to security threats.

To secure a cloud-native SaaS application, you need to take a holistic approach that considers all aspects of the application. It includes security controls for data and application functionality, as well as authentication and encryption measures.

For this, most organizations prefer partnering with a dedicated cloud-driven security enterprise. It enables them to ensure optimum SaaS application security without having to over-deploy their resources. If you, too, are looking for a partner for your cloud security needs, consider Cloudlytics. Cloudlytics is one of the most trusted security partners for global businesses and offers a plethora of solutions to help meet your cloud security needs.

Recommended Reading: Get Ahead of the Curve with Cloud-native Data Security Governance

7 Top mistakes startups make on AWS which are avoidable

Posted on by Mahesh Hegde

Cloud technologies have been enabling startups the ease of business focus. Startups can focus on product development, while AWS deals with resource management. However, without the right strategy, even AWS can lose its edge!

According to Forrester, 94% of companies in the US use at least one cloud deployment service. So, there is no denying that cloud services are a major contributor to the digital transformation landscape. Most businesses, whether they are a startup or an enterprise, leverage cloud services for their development requirements.

Cloud services are not just an infrastructure management platform but provide a wide range of features and tools for companies. Startups have been leveraging cloud services to deliver more value to users.

It helps them with flexibility, scalability, and resource management. However, if they don’t use it right, cloud services can become a massive challenge for startups. So here are some of the top mistakes to avoid while using cloud services like AWS.

Getting the resource management wrong!

AWS is one of the significant cloud service providers, and it offers many features to businesses, including resource management. Managing resources manually can increase challenges, especially those related to scaling resources and data replication.

Startups need to have proper documentation to scale resources on demand. The amount of effort required for this is massive. So focusing on the business activities will become a challenge when you manage resources manually.

The best way to avoid the hassle of manual resource management and scaling needs is to leverage autoscaling features in AWS. Some of the features that AWS offers for auto-scaling resources are,

  • Amazon EC2- You can launch or terminate instances on demand
  • Amazon EC2 Spot Fleets- You can launch or terminate or replace EC2 instances automatically using the Spot Fleets
  • Amazon ECS- You can modify the ECS service and handle load variations
  • Amazon DynamoDB- You can use the DynamoDB table to extend provisioned capacity
  • Amazon Aurora- You will have the facility of dynamically adjusting data replication without any hassle.

Further, AWS provides automatic resource discovery, predefined optimization strategies, and predictive scaling. So, if you are a startup looking to optimize resource management, you can use the auto-scaling capabilities of AWS.

Going overboard with instances

AWS provides instances on-demand and the capability to terminate them when not needed. However, many startups falter at monitoring and terminating EC2 instances. Due to the pay-per-use model of AWS, if instances are not terminated when not in use, startups may end up paying more.

So, it becomes crucial for startups to monitor EC2 instances and terminate unused resources. Here, startups can use tagging of instances to identify ideal resources. Further, tagging can help monitor and stop idle resources like databases, instances, lambda functions, etc.

Lack of monitoring key metrics

Cloud resource metrics are important for startups to track resource usage, system stability, data transmissions, load times, bandwidth, etc. AWS, by default, comes with a monitoring and logging tool called CloudWatch.

Startups need to define key metrics to track, and then choose the tools to track and analyze data. Cloudwatch is not the only tracking tool, you also can use Cloudtrail and Datadog. But first, you need to define metrics like:

  • System availability
  • Mean Time Between Failure
  • Mean Time To Repair
  • Bandwidth
  • Cloud Security
  • Response time

Choosing the wrong cloud service

Selecting the right cloud service is important. Especially if you are looking to leverage AWS for your startup, there are many services that you can choose from, like,

  • Amazon EC2
  • DynamoDB
  • AWS Lambda
  • Amazon ECS
  • Amazon EKS
  • Fargate
  • RDS
  • CloudFront

Let’s take the example of Amazon EC2. It offers many options. You can use spot instances for non-critical tasks and on-demand instances as per requirements. Similarly, you can use fully-managed AWS services to enable resource management.

Engineer reliability

Many startups falter by going overboard with the engineering aspects. Especially during the initial stages, it is important to focus on product development and leverage minimum viable solutions. Optimization at the early stages of product development and deployments can burden the resources.

Cloud services do provide capabilities to scale on demand. So, prioritizing scale does not make sense early. Rather startups need to focus on creating a reliable product for enhanced user experience.

Neglecting cloud security

Security is one of the most critical aspects of any business. Moving to the cloud does not mean you can relax on the security front. If you think that migrating to the cloud is enough, think again! It can be one of the worst security oversights!

Negligence is not the only mistake startups can make when it comes to security. Here are some more;

  • Using admin or root accounts proper Identification and Access Management(IAM) policy
  • Lack of multi-factor authentication for data access and logins
  • No public access policy for key information
  • Providing public access to EC2 instances on ports 22 and 3389

One of the most significant security mistakes that startups make is providing access privileges to third-party vendors. Startups integrate third-party services for enhanced functionalities. If the privileges to data access are not mapped according to roles, it can lead to data breaches.

Many startups suffer from permission errors on AWS, which leads to privileges passed on to users for an enhanced experience. On the security front, this can lead to an attack on the system through exposed user credentials.

Lack of automation

Automation should be a part of your production strategy right from the beginning. However, most startups adopt automation only when they are cash-trapped, and revenues start dipping, as there are many manual tasks to handle.

The best way to avoid such a mistake is to leverage CI/CD with AWS. You can use automation with AWS tools like Lambda and Cloud formation. First, prioritize high-level tasks and gradually add more tasks later.

Conclusion

Repeating mistakes is not an option in a competitive market. So, the best approach is to rectify mistakes and improve your AWS usage. Here we have discussed key mistakes that startups make with AWS. Keep an eye on some of these mistakes and leverage AWS services for optimized user experience. Cloudlytics helps you with key monitoring tools like event analysis, cloud compliance, and asset monitoring to avoid such mistakes. So, start tracking your mistakes and rectifying them for higher ROI.

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