Ahead in the Cloud: Best Practices for Navigating the Future of Enterprise IT

It's great when you read a book on Cloud migrations and implementations, and all the points you considered when doing your AWS migration are in it. It's slightly wounding to the ego when those points are only at best a third of Stephen's book! Any form of replatforming is guaranteed to be an 'entertaining' process, full of 'learning experiences' and many late nights with coffee and pizza to keep you going, If you add in a totally new, and radically different technology platform, these issues are going to be amplified significantly. Here's the thing though, Cloud platforms are the future of the vast majority of IT programs, sticking your head in the sand will only delay the inevitable and ensure that your company is not just on the back foot, but also has a concrete overshoe. Irrespective of the platform you choose, this book provides an excellent framework to base your approach to any migration, be it startup or multi-billion enterprise.

The content is excellent for anyone seeking to understand more about the value of and approaches to migrating to the Cloud. High level in most part but with lots of reference content for detail. Suited my needs perfectly. I’m much clearer now. NB Though others have commented that much of the content is available in blogs obtainable foc, I found it very useful to have in one place (on my Kindle). Recommended!

If you are looking for an easy to read book about Cloud and DevSecOps adoption within Enterprise IT, then this is a great book for you. It is a collection of Stephen's blog posts over the years as well as some from guest authors and so is very easy to read when you have a spare few moments and still take something away... most chapters can be read within 5 minutes! Although it makes mention of AWS tech quite a bit given Stephen's roles with AWS over the years, I think the majority of what is talked about is equally applicable to Azure and GCP (Google Cloud Platform). If you haven't been involved in introducing Cloud and DevOps into an organisation yet it will give you some excellent advice and lessons learned from people who have done it many times before... and if you have been part of a Cloud Transformation team you will find yourself smiling and saying to yourself "yes... we had that challenge as well"!

I found this book very interesting and would recommend for anybody regardless of job role who is starting out or trying to find their way in the cloud. The author shares first hand stories of business transformation using AWS allowing the reader to learn from his experiences. This book shows that there is no one best way to get started that will suit all organisations but will help you to think about the right things as you build up your cloud capabilities.

Great book. Very informative. As a non-tech myself, what I previously thought complex is broken down into clear, digestible terms to give a good basis and understanding of cloud computing, its importance shaping the future of business and how AWS have taken the lead in this space. Great use of anecdotes and examples of companies that have already adopted AWS. Highly recommend for both business decision makers and anyone working in the cloud! :)

I've read the book as soon as I've got my hands on it. I am AWS user and I am generally impressed with Amazon's cloud offering. I also understand the pain organisations are having when challenged to embrace the cloud. This book will be helpful to anyone questioning cloud's ability to accelerate your organisation forward. It will cover security, performance, skill gap and migration concerns in great detail. While I've mostly enjoyed reading this book and gained valuable insight, there are some negatives about it. What I didn't like about the book: * Lots of empty pages * Lots of repetition, I don't need to be reminded of Author's full title at this and that company with every chapter. * Repetition of content (most likely due to blog posts being adapted for print) * Graphics are unusable, I had to google original blog posts to use them * This book could have been made a third smaller, deliver the same information and save some of the reader's time

A must read for any C Levels on their journey to the Cloud. Informative & Insightful on the areas which must be considered during a Digital Transformation.

Loved it- Really well written and covers everything you should consider when moving into the public cloud. Would recommend for C-Level and sales professionals/consultants that have recognised that this is the future (for now)

The enterprise IT world has been screaming out for a book like this for a long time. Cloud practitioners will be familiar with the challenges of launching any size of cloud strategy in companies with on-premise IT, and the same difficulties and obstacles appear over and over. Cloud providers have offered whitepapers and generic presentations for years but mostly the information is fragmented and can be difficult to absorb in terms of converting to practical, actionable steps. Orban's book is the first time I've seen all the information you need in one place, and is broadly targeted to readers in an IT leadership role who will face the many questions around adoption and implementation. The book spends the first part dissecting the different adoption styles in a pragmatic way and then the remainder focuses on best practices and insights from companies that have completed the journey. The author made the wise decision to develop short chapters packed with information, so it's easy to absorb a few pages at a time. The writing style is clear and concise and he talks enthusiastically on a subject that can be difficult to convey. This is an extraordinarily broad and fluid area of IT and it's a truly admirable effort to corral all the important elements into one place. I've read many books on cloud and currently this is really "The Bible" when it comes to adoption and the real-life challenges of migration from on-premise solutions. This should be compulsory reading for anyone starting their corporate cloud journey - it will save a huge amount of time and frustration.

📚 Insightful Guide to Enterprise IT: "Ahead in the Cloud" offers a comprehensive exploration of best practices and strategies for navigating the rapidly evolving landscape of enterprise IT in the cloud era. Written by industry experts, it provides valuable insights and actionable advice for IT professionals striving to stay ahead in a constantly changing environment. 🌐 Navigating the Cloud Revolution: The book delves into key topics such as cloud migration, digital transformation, cybersecurity, hybrid cloud solutions, and more, offering practical guidance and real-world examples to help organizations successfully leverage cloud technologies for strategic advantage. 🚀 Practical Strategies and Best Practices: Through a combination of case studies, frameworks, and best practices, "Ahead in the Cloud" equips readers with the knowledge and tools they need to make informed decisions, mitigate risks, and maximize the benefits of cloud adoption for their organizations. 🔒 Addressing Security Challenges: One of the book's strengths lies in its thorough examination of security challenges and considerations in the cloud, providing actionable insights for implementing robust security measures and ensuring data protection in an increasingly complex threat landscape. 📈 Optimizing Performance and Efficiency: With a focus on optimizing performance and efficiency in the cloud, the book offers guidance on selecting the right cloud services, managing costs, optimizing workloads, and harnessing the full potential of cloud-native technologies for business innovation and growth. 📊 Data-Driven Decision Making: "Ahead in the Cloud" emphasizes the importance of data-driven decision-making and provides practical guidance on leveraging analytics, machine learning, and AI to extract actionable insights from data and drive business value in the cloud. 🌟 Recommended Reading for IT Leaders: Whether you're an IT executive, manager, or practitioner, "Ahead in the Cloud" is a must-read resource that provides valuable perspectives, strategies, and best practices for navigating the future of enterprise IT with confidence and success.

Today is my 3rd day working at AWS. Leading up to my start date, I read Ahead in the Cloud from cover to cover and it really helped me to understand why large customers are benefiting from what AWS can provide. I highly recommend this book to others who are looking to learn more about the journey from on-premise to cloud!

It is not a cook book but a knowledge sharing from experienced people, their positive results and pitfalls. Highly recommended for those who want to start seriously your cloud journey strategy.

Excelente libro