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2023 Blog, AWS Platform, Blog, Feature Blog, Featured

AWS Cloud Technology & Consulting Specialization for Products and Solutions

By on

June, 2023

- 2023 Blog, AWS Platform, Blog, Feature Blog, Featured

Relevance Lab (RL) has been an AWS (Amazon Web Services) partner for more than a decade now. While the journey started as a Services Partner it has now extended and matured to a niche technology partner with multiple solutions being offered on AWS Marketplace.

Here is a Quick Snapshot of AWS Capabilities:

  • RL is involved in Plan-Build-Run lifecycle of Cloud adoption by enterprises over a multi-year transformation journey.
  • The approach to Cloud Adoption is built on some key best practices covering Automation-First Approach, DevOps, Governance360, and Application-Centric Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) focus.
  • In Cloud Managed Services we cover all aspects of DevOps, AIOps, SecOps and ServiceDesk Ops leveraging our Automation Platforms – RLCatalyst BOTs, Command Centre, ServiceOne.
  • Involved with 50+ Cloud engagements covering large scale (5000+ nodes, 15+ regions, 200+ apps, 5.0+M annual spends) setups and optimization.
  • Deep partnership with AWS and ServiceNow to bring end-to-end Governance360 covering Asset Management, CMDB, Vulnerability & Patch Management, SIEM/SOAR, Cost/Security/Compliance Dashboards.
  • Products created and deployed on AWS for Self-Service Cloud Portals and Purpose-built cloud solutions covering HPC (High Performance Computing), Containers, Service Catalog, Cost & Budget tracking, and Scientific Research workflows.
  • Our work and resources cover Cloud Infrastructure, Cloud Apps, Cloud Data and Cloud Service Delivery with 800+ cloud trained resources, 450+ Cloud specialists and 100+ certifications.
  • RL is global number one preferred partner for AWS as an ISV provider for Scientific Research Computing building solutions using AWS Open-Source solutions like Service Workbench.


Our unique positioning of Products + Services helps create platform-based offerings delivered as playbooks for digital transformation.

Our key focus areas in Cloud Offerings are the following:

  • Cloud Management & Governance
  • Full Lifecycle Automation and Self-Service Portals
  • Containers, Microservices, Well Architected Frameworks and Kubernetes
  • AIOps and Site Reliability Engineering

What Makes Us Different?

  • Automation-First approach across “Plan, Build & Run” Lifecycle helps customers use “Cloud the Right Way” focused on best practices like “Infrastructure as a Code” and “Compliance as a Code.”
  • RLCatalyst Products offer Enterprise Cloud Orchestration and Governance with a pre-built library of quick-starts, BOTs, Self-Service Cloud Portals, and Open-source solutions.
  • AWS + ServiceNow unique specialization leveraged to provide Intelligent Cloud Operations & managed services.
  • ServiceOne AIOps Platform covering workload migration, security, governance, CMDB, ITSM and DevOps.
  • Frictionless Digital Application modernization and Cloud Product Engineering services for native cloud architecture and competencies.
  • Open-Source Co-Development with AWS for Scientific Research Solutions (Higher Ed and Healthcare).
  • Agile Analytics with our Spectra Data platform that helps building Enterprise Data Lakes and Supply Chain analytics by with multiple ERP systems connectors.

Our Solutions Sweet Spot
Governance360
Built on AWS Control Services a prescriptive and automated maturity model for proper workload migration, governance, security, monitoring and Service Management.

RLCatalyst BOTS Automation Engine and ServiceOne
Product covering end-to-end automation with a library of 100+ pre-built BOTs. Intelligent user and workspaces onboarding and offboarding.

Research Gateway – Self Service Cloud Portals
Self-Service Cloud Portal for Scientific Research in Cloud with HPC, Genomic Pipelines, covering EC2, SageMaker, S3 etc.

ServiceNow AppInsights built on AWS AppRegistry
Dynamic Applications CMDB leveraging AWS and ServiceNow with focus on Application Centric costs, health, and risks.

DevOps Driven Engineering and Cloud Product Development
DevOps-driven CI/CD, Infra Automation and Proactive Monitoring. AWS Well-architected. Cloud App Modernization, APM, API Gateways, Cloud Integration with Enterprise Systems. AWS Digital Customer Experience competencies

SPECTRA Data Platform for Cloud Data Lakes
Enterprise Data Lake with large data movement from on-prem to Cloud systems and ERP integration adapters for Supply Chain Analytics.

AWS Product Focus Areas
Control Tower, Security Hub, Service Catalog, HPC, Quantum Computing, Data Lake, ITSM Connectors, Well-Architected, SaaS (Software as a Service) Factory, Service Workbench, CloudEndure, AppStream 2.0, QuickStart for HIPPA, Bioinformatics

Focus on Software, Databases, Workloads
Open-source and App development stacks, Java, Python, MS .Net, Cloudera, Databricks, MongoDB, RedShift, Hadoop, Snowflake, Magento, WordPress, Moodle, RStudio, Nextflow


Key Verticals Solutions

  • Technology companies (ISVs & startups)
  • Media/Publishing/Higher Education/ Research
  • Pharma/Healthcare/Life Sciences
  • Financial and Insurance

The following are some Customer Solutions highlights:


Digital Publishing & Learning Specialist Cloud Migration, DevOps, Digital Platform Development covering Content, Commerce, E-Learning and CRM products, User Experience Designs, Cloud Arch, Data Cloud/BI, Sustaining, Perf testing, Automation
Global Pharma & Health Sciences Leader Data Analytics/Search Solutions leveraging Cloud & Big Data technologies. Enterprise Data Lake Analyzing ERP Data (SAP and others) to extract and load and associated cleansing, aggregation, data modelling and visualizations. Self Service Portal for AWS and Hybrid Cloud provisioning
Large Financial & Asset Mgmt. Firm Drive Cloud Adoption, App Modernization and DevOps models as part of IT Transformation journey leveraging their Cloud, Automation and Data Platforms.
Specialist Automation ISV Global partnership working across joint long-term engagements with multiple enterprise customers covering Infrastructure Automation, Application Deployment Automation, Compliance-as-a-Code and Hybrid Cloud Automation.

Summary
Relevance Lab has close collaboration and partnership with AWS for both products and competencies. We have been part of successful digital transformation with 50+ customers leveraging AWS across Infrastructure, Applications, Data Lakes, and Service Delivery Automation. We enable AWS Cloud adoption “The Right Way” with our comprehensive expertise and pre-built solutions better, faster, and cheaper.

Learn more about our cloud products, services, and solutions, feel free to contact us at marketing@relevancelab.com.

References
Get Dynamic Insights into Your Cloud with an Application-Centric View
Automation of User Onboarding and Offboarding Workflows



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2023 Blog, AWS Platform, Blog, Featured

Cloud Management, Automation, DevOps and AIOps – Key Offerings from Relevance Lab

By on

January, 2023

- 2023 Blog, AWS Platform, Blog, Featured

Relevance Lab (RL) is a specialist company in helping customers adopt cloud “The Right Way” by focusing on an “Automation-First” and DevOps strategy. It covers the full lifecycle of migration, governance, security, monitoring, ITSM integration, app modernization, and DevOps maturity. Leveraging a combination of services and products for cloud adoption, we help customers on a “Plan-Build-Run” transformation that drives greater velocity of product innovation, global deployment scale, and cost optimization for new generation technology (SaaS) and enterprise companies.

In this blog, we will cover some common themes that we have been using to help our customers for cloud adoption as part of their maturity journey.


  • SaaS with multi-tenant architecture
  • Multi-Account Cloud Management for AWS
  • Microservices architecture with Docker and Kubernetes (AWS EKS)
  • Jenkins for CI/CD pipelines and focus on cloud agnostic tools
  • AWS Control Tower for Cloud Management & Governance solution (policy, security & governance)
  • DevOps maturity models
  • Cost optimization, agility, and automation needs
  • Standardization for M&A (Merger & Acquisitions) integrations and scale with multiple cloud provider management
  • Spectrum of AWS governance for optimum utilization, robust security, and reduction of budget
  • Automation/BOT landscape, how different strategies are appropriate at different levels, and the industry best practice adoption for the same
  • Reference enterprise strategy for structuring DevOps for engineering environment which has cloud native development and the products which are SaaS-based.

Relevance Lab Cloud and DevOps Credentials at a Glance

  • RL has been a cloud, DevOps, and automation specialist since inception in 2011 (10+ years)
  • Implemented 50+ successful customer cloud projects covering Plan-Build-Run lifecycle
  • Globally has 250+ cloud specialists with 100+ certifications
  • Cloud competencies cover infra, apps, data, and consulting
  • Provide deep consulting and technology in cloud and DevOps
  • RL products available on AWS and ServiceNow marketplace recognized globally as a specialist in “Infrastructure Automation”
  • Deep Architecture know-how on DevOps with microservices, containers, Well-Architected principals
  • Large enterprise customers with 10+M$ multi-year engagements successfully managed
  • Actively managing 7000+ cloud instances, 300+ Applications, annual 5.0+M$ cloud consumption, 20K+ annual tickets, 100+ automation BOTs, etc.

Need for a Comprehensive Approach to Cloud Adoption
Most enterprises today have their applications in the cloud or are aggressively migrating new ones for achieving the digital transformation of their business. However, the approach requires customers to think about the “Day-After” Cloud in order to avoid surprises on costs, security, and additional operations complexities. Having the right Cloud Management not only helps eliminate unwanted costs and compliance, but it also helps in optimal use of resources, ensuring “The Right Way” to use the cloud. Our “Automation- First Approach” helps minimize the manual intervention thereby, reducing manual prone errors and costs.

RL’s matured DevOps framework helps in ensuring the application development is done with accuracy, agility, and scale. Finally, to ensure this whole framework of Cloud Management, Automation and DevOps are continued in a seamless manner, you would need the right AIOps-driven Service Delivery Model. Hence, for any matured organizations, the below 4 themes become the foundation for using Cloud Management, Automation, DevOps, and AIOps.


Cloud Management
RL offers a unique methodology covering Plan-Build-Run lifecycle for Cloud Management, as explained in the diagram below.


Following are the basic steps for Cloud Management:

Step-1: Leverage
Built on best practices offered from native cloud providers and popular solution frameworks, RL methodology leverages the following for Cloud Management:

  • AWS Well-Architected Framework
  • AWS Management & Governance Lens
  • AWS Control Tower for large scale multi-account management
  • AWS Service Catalog for template-driven organization standard product deployments
  • Terraform for Infra as Code automation
  • AWS CloudFormation Templates
  • AWS Security Hub

Step-2: Augment
The basic Cloud Management best practices are augmented with unique products & frameworks built by RL based on our 50+ successful customer implementations covering the following:

  • Quickstart automation templates
  • AppInsights and ServiceOne – built on ITSM
  • RLCatalyst cloud portals – built on Service Catalog
  • Governance360 – built on Control Tower
  • RLCatalyst BOTS Automation Server

Step-3: Instill
Instill ongoing maturity and optimization using the following themes:

  • Four level compliance maturity model
  • Key Organization metrics across assets, cost, health, governance, and compliance
  • Industry-proven methodologies like HIPAA, SOC2, GDPR, NIST, etc.

For Cloud Management and Governance, RL has Solutions like Governance360, AWS Management and Governance lens, Cloud Migration using CloudEndure. Similarly, we have methodologies like “The Right Way” to use the cloud, and finally Product & Platform offerings like RLCatalyst AppInsights.

Automation
RL promotes an “Automation-First” approach for cloud adoption, covering all stages of the Plan-Build-Run lifecycle. We offer a mature automation framework called RLCatalyst BOTs and self-service cloud portals that allow full lifecycle automation.

In terms of deciding how to get started with automation, we help with an initial assessment model on “What Can Be Automated” (WCBA) that analyses the existing setup of cloud assets, applications portfolio, IT service management tickets (previous 12 months), and Governance/Security/Compliance models.


For the Automation theme, RL has Solutions like Automation Factory, University in a Box, Scientific Research on Cloud, 100+ BOTs library, custom solutions on Service WorkBench for AWS. Similarly, we have methodologies like Automation-First Approach, and finally Product & Platform offerings like RL BOTs automation Engine, Research Gateway, ServiceNow BOTs Connector, UiPath BOTs connector for RPA.

The following blogs explain in more detail our offerings on automation.



DevOps and Microservices
DevOps and microservices with containers are a key part of all modern architecture for scalability, re-use, and cost-effectiveness. RL, as a DevOps specialist, has been working on re-architecting applications and cloud migration across different segments covering education, pharma & life sciences, insurance, and ISVs. The adoption of containers is a key building block for driving faster product deliveries leveraging Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery (CI/CD) models. Some of the key considerations followed by our teams cover the following for CI/CD with Containers and Kubernetes:


  • Role-based deployments
  • Explicit declarations
  • Environment dependent attributes for better configuration management
  • Order of execution and well-defined structure
  • Application blueprints
  • Repeatable and re-usable resources and components
  • Self contained artifacts for easy portability

The following diagram shows a standard blueprint we follow for DevOps:


For the DevOps & Microservices theme, RL has Solutions like CI/CD Cockpit solution, Cloud orchestration Portal, ServiceNow/AWS/Azure DevOps, AWS/Azure EKS. Similarly, we have methodologies like WOW DevOps, DevOps-driven Engineering, DevOps-driven Operations, and finally Product & Platform offerings like RL BOTs Connector.

AIOps and Service Delivery
RL brings in unique strengths across AIOps with IT Service Delivery Management on platforms like ServiceNow, Jira ServiceDesk and FreshService. By leveraging a platform-based approach that combines intelligent monitoring, service delivery management, and automation, we offer a mature architecture for achieving AIOps in a prescriptive manner with a combination of technology, tools, and methodologies. Customers have been able to deploy our AIOps solutions in 3 months and benefit from achieving 70% automation of inbound requests, reduction of noise on proactive monitoring by 80%, 3x faster fulfillment of Tickets & SLAs with a shift to a proactive DevOps-led organization structure.


For the AIOps & Service Delivery theme, RL has Solutions like AIOps Blueprint, ServiceNow++, End to End Automated Patch Management, Asset Management NOC & ServiceDesk. Similarly, we have methodologies like ServiceOne and finally Product & Platform offerings like ServiceOne with ServiceNow, ServiceOne with FreshService, RLCommand Center.

Summary
RL offers a combination of Solutions, Methodologies, and Product & Platform offerings covering the 360 spectrum of an enterprise Cloud & DevOps adoption across 4 different tracks covering Cloud Management, Automation, DevOps, and AIOps. The benefits of a technology-driven approach that leverages an “Automation-First” model has helped our customer reduce their IT spends by 30% over a period of 3 years with 3x faster product deliveries and real-time security & compliance.

To know more about our Cloud Centre of Excellence and how we can help you adopt Cloud “The Right Way” with best practices leveraging Cloud Management, Automation, DevOps, and AIOps, feel free to write to marketing@relevancelab.com

Reference Links
Considerations for AWS AMI Factory Design



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2021 Blog, AWS Platform, Blog, Featured

Helping Clients Adopt Cloud the Right Way – Our 2020 AWS Partnership Journey

By on

January, 2021

- 2021 Blog, AWS Platform, Blog, Featured

The year 2020 undoubtedly brought in unprecedented challenges with COVID-19 that required countries, governments, business and people respond in a proactive manner with new normal approaches. Certain businesses managed to respond to the dynamic macro environment with a lot more agility, flexibility and scale. Cloud computing had a dominant effect in helping businesses stay connected and deliver critical solutions. Relevance Lab scaled up its partnership with AWS to align with the new focus areas resulting in a significant increase in coverage of products, specialized solutions and customer impacts in the past 12 months compared to what has been achieved in the past.

AWS launched a number of new global initiatives in 2020 and in response to the business challenges resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. The following picture describes those initiatives in a nutshell.


Relevance Lab’s Focus areas have been very well aligned
Given the macro environment challenges, Relevance Lab quickly aligned their focus on helping customers deal with the emerging challenges and those areas were very complementary to AWS’ global initiatives and responses listed above.

Relevance Lab’s aligned its AWS solutions & services across four dominant themes and by leveraging RL’s own IP based platforms and deep cloud competencies. The following picture highlights those key initiatives and the native AWS products and services leveraged in the process.


Relevance Lab also made major strides in improving Initiative to progress along AWS Partnership Maturity Levels for Specialized Consulting and Key Product offerings. The following picture highlights the major achievements in 2020 in a nutshell.



AWS Specializations & Spotlights
Relevance Lab is a specialist cloud managed services company with deep expertise in Devops, Service Automation and ITSM integrations. It also has an RLCatalyst Platform built to support Automation across AWS Cloud and ITSM platforms. RLCatalyst family of solutions help in Self-service Cloud portals, IT service monitoring and automation through BOTs. While maintaining multi-sector client base, we are also uniquely focused with existing solutions for Higher Education, Public Sector and Research sector clients.


Spotlight-1: AWS Cloud Portals Solution
Relevance Lab have developed a family of cloud portal solutions on top of our RLCatalyst platform. Cloud Portal solutions aim to simplify AWS consumption using self-service models with emphasis on 1-click provisioning / lifecycle management, dashboard views of budget / cost consumption and modeling personas, roles & responsibilities with a sector context.


A unique feature of the above solutions is that they promote a hybrid model of consumption wherein users can bring their own AWS accounts (consumption accounts) under the framework of our cloud portal solution and benefit from being able to consume AWS for their educational and research needs in an easy self-service model.

The solutions can be consumed as either an Enterprise or as a SaaS license. In addition, the solutions will be made available on AWS Marketplace soon.


Spotlight-2: AWS Security Governance at Scale Framework
The framework and deployment architecture uses AWS Control Tower as the foundational service and other closely aligned and native AWS products and services such as AWS Service Catalog, AWS Security Hub, AWS Budgets, etc. and addresses subject areas such as multi-account management, cost management, security, compliance & governance.

Relevance Lab can assess, design and deploy or migrate to a fully secure AWS environment that lends itself to governance at scale. To encourage clients to adopt this journey, we have launched a 10-10 Program for AWS Security Governance that provides clients with an upfront blueprint of the entire migration or deployment process and end-state architecture so that they can make an informed decision


Spotlight-3: Automated User Onboarding/Offboarding for Enterprises Use Case
Relevance Lab is a unique partner that possesses deep expertise on AWS and ITSM platforms such as ServiceNow, freshservice, JIRA Service Desk, etc. The intersection of these platforms lends itself to relevant use cases for the industry. Relevance Lab has come up with a solution for automated User onboarding & offboarding in an enterprise context. This solution brings together multiple systems in a workflow model to accomplish user onboarding and offboarding tasks for an enterprise. It includes integration across HR systems, AWS Service Catalog and other services, ITSM platforms such as ServiceNow and assisted by Relevance Lab’s RLCatalyst BOTs engine to perform an end-to-end user onboarding/offboarding orchestration in an unassisted manner.


Key Customer Use Cases and Success Stories in 2020
Relevance Lab helped customers across verticals with growing momentum on Cloud adoption in the post COVID-19 situation to rewrite their digital solutions in adopting the new touchless interactions, remote distributed workforces and strong security governance solutions for enabling frictionless business.


AWS Best Practices – Blogs, Campaigns, Technical Write-ups
The following is a collection of knowledge articles and best practices published throughout the year related to our AWS centered solutions & services.

AWS Service Management


AWS Practice Solution Campaigns

AWS Governance at Scale

AWS Workspaces

RLCatalyst Product Details

AWS Infrastructure Automation

AWS E-Learning & Research Workbench Solutions

Cloud Networking Best Practices


Summary
The momentum of Cloud adoption in 2020 is quite likely to continue and grow in the new year 2021. Relevance Lab is a trusted partner in your cloud adoption journey driven by focus on following key specializations:

  • Cloud First Approach for Workload Planning
  • Cloud Governance 360 for using AWS Cloud the Right-Way
  • Automation Led Service Delivery Management with Self Service ITSM and Cloud Portals
  • Driving Frictionless Business and AI-Driven outcomes for Digital Transformation and App Modernization

To learn more about our services and solutions listed above or engage us in consultative discussions for your AWS and other IT service needs, feel free to contact us at marketing@relevancelab.com



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