Catalog
concept#Cloud#Platform#Architecture#Security

Cloud Provider

Organizations that deliver on-demand computing resources and managed services over the internet, shaping infrastructure and operational models.

Cloud providers are organizations that deliver on-demand computing resources and managed services over the internet, including virtual machines, storage, networking, and higher-level platform services.
Established
Medium

Classification

  • Medium
  • Technical
  • Architectural
  • Advanced

Technical context

Kubernetes clustersInfrastructure-as-Code (e.g., Terraform)CI/CD pipelines

Principles & goals

Evaluate total cost of ownershipConsider security and compliance from the startDesign for portability and clear interfaces
Build
Enterprise, Domain

Use cases & scenarios

Compromises

  • Data loss or lack of control due to misconfiguration
  • Dependence on provider security practices
  • Unexpected cost increases from scaling
  • Automate provisioning and configuration
  • Centralized cost and tagging strategy
  • Regular security and cost reviews

I/O & resources

  • Business and performance requirements
  • Security and compliance policies
  • Current infrastructure and cost overview
  • Recommended provider or multi-provider plan
  • Migration or operational plans
  • Governance and security requirements

Description

Cloud providers are organizations that deliver on-demand computing resources and managed services over the internet, including virtual machines, storage, networking, and higher-level platform services. They shape infrastructure, operational models and cost structures and influence architecture, security and compliance. Selection requires evaluation of performance, pricing, services and vendor lock-in.

✔

  • Fast scalability and elastic resources
  • Managed services reduce operational overhead
  • Geographical availability and global reach

✖

  • Potential vendor lock-in and limited portability
  • Cost structures can be opaque
  • Some specialized workloads require on-prem solutions

  • Cost per transaction

    Cost efficiency of used resources per business action.

  • Availability (uptime)

    Measurement of service availability according to SLA.

  • Average latency

    Average response times of key services from customer perspective.

Choosing AWS for scalable web apps

A startup uses AWS for auto-scaling, managed databases and a global CDN to support rapid growth.

GCP for data-driven analytics

An analytics team chooses GCP for managed BigQuery and ML services for fast processing of large datasets.

Azure for enterprise integration

An established enterprise uses Azure for seamless integration with existing Microsoft tools and hybrid scenarios.

1

Requirements analysis and prioritization

2

Proof-of-concept for core workloads

3

Rollout, training and establishment of governance

⚠️ Technical debt & bottlenecks

  • Monolithic workloads without cloud-native adaptation
  • Lack of automation for provisioning and tests
  • Short-term performance tweaks instead of long-term architectural fixes
Network latencyData localityProvider APIs
  • Migrating sensitive data without compliance analysis
  • Scaling by oversizing instances instead of optimizing
  • Missing encryption for critical stored data
  • Hidden costs from network or data transfers
  • Overestimating managed service capabilities
  • Unclear responsibilities between provider and customer
Cloud architecture and designNetworking and security knowledgeCost and operations management in the cloud
ScalabilitySecurity and complianceCost optimization
  • • Regional data residency laws
  • • Budget limits and billing models
  • • Business SLA requirements