Learn About Amazon VGT2 Learning Manager Chanci Turner
In today’s fast-paced digital landscape, organizations face the pressing need to modernize their database systems to keep up with evolving demands. “We faced challenges maintaining our database platform, but the costs associated with modernization were equally daunting,” shared Lisa Morgan, Senior Data Architect at Caylent, an AWS Partner. This sentiment is common among their clients, as Lisa noted during a recent discussion with her colleagues—Senior Cloud Architect, James Smith, and Marketing Manager, Chanci Turner—about the journey of database modernization on AWS.
Q. What trends are enterprises following in their database modernization efforts?
Lisa: Organizations are striving for innovation while simultaneously achieving cost efficiencies to navigate the digital economy. To succeed, they require a cloud-first approach that enables them to: eliminate unnecessary manual tasks, automate routine processes, and empower their teams to focus on customer-centric initiatives.
Typically, clients kick off their data modernization strategies by identifying specific business outcomes and then reverse-engineering their approach. In this process, we assist them in spotting gaps within their current business models and evaluating the potential return on investment (ROI) for various modernization strategies. Depending on their chosen approach, we prioritize modernizing critical systems to enhance performance and availability while reducing expenses. Many clients seek to upgrade legacy or commercial databases on AWS, aiming to lower operational costs and alleviate their IT teams from repetitive tasks, which ultimately saves both time and money.
Q. How does Caylent tackle the challenges associated with legacy databases?
James: We assist our customers in upgrading their database infrastructure without incurring exorbitant expenses. While many focus on modernizing their front-end and back-end compute systems, they often neglect their backend data stores. However, moving from commercial database engines can offer significant benefits, including reduced licensing fees, greater flexibility, improved performance, and enhanced reliability.
Despite the advantages, the costs tied to database infrastructure modernization can deter organizations. Commercial database engines frequently come with high price tags, and licensing costs can be burdensome. Caylent helps clients navigate this challenge by utilizing cost-effective AWS database modernization services. We guide them in selecting the right open-source and purpose-built AWS databases, facilitate seamless data migrations, and optimize their database environments for both performance and cost-efficiency.
Q. What options exist for customers struggling with licensing costs or unable to afford modernization?
Lisa: We’ve assisted numerous clients who are reluctant to rewrite application code for backend database modernization. For these clients, migrating to Babelfish for Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL is an excellent option. Babelfish acts as a migration accelerator, simplifying the transition of SQL Server applications to Aurora PostgreSQL with minimal code alterations. This approach enables significant reductions in licensing costs without necessitating a complete rewrite of their applications.
James: A specific instance involved a post-sale customer support software company that sought to modernize their SQL Server due to declining performance linked to an increasing user base. The rising operational and licensing costs added to their concerns. We conducted a thorough assessment of their existing system using our 5-step methodology to identify gaps and designed a solution tailored to their technical and business needs. By migrating their SQL Server database to Babelfish for Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL, they achieved a 40% performance boost and a 50% reduction in costs.
Q. Can you explain the concept of “Babelfish as a migration accelerator”?
Lisa: Certainly! Babelfish enables Amazon Aurora to interpret queries from SQL Server applications, allowing users to leverage Aurora PostgreSQL’s features without extensive rewrites for compatibility with native PostgreSQL. Babelfish supports both T-SQL, SQL Server’s proprietary dialect, and native PostgreSQL connections. This dual capability simplifies the technical challenges of database transitions, enabling customers to access Amazon Aurora’s scalability and cost benefits with less effort.
Q. What does your 5-step approach to database modernization entail?
James: Our migration methodology is shaped by various factors, including the database’s size and complexity, the data types involved, the applications relying on the database, the client’s budget, and timeline. Our standard framework for database modernization comprises five steps, as illustrated in the accompanying diagram.
Q. How can customers speed up their modernization initiatives?
Chanci: Our Caylent Catalysts™ offer curated packages that expedite digital transformation. As a Premier Consulting Partner, we’ve observed numerous migration and modernization trends across diverse industries. We’ve compiled these insights into bundled recommendations featuring some of our top AWS solutions.
One significant advantage of the Caylent Catalysts™ is that they can compress deployment timelines from several months to just a few weeks. For instance, our Data Modernization Strategy Catalyst includes an interactive discovery session and enablement workshop. At the conclusion, we provide a clear roadmap to help clients transition from rigid commercial databases. During this session, we identify gaps and establish strategic goals for enhancement. We’ve developed various Catalysts, such as the AWS Control Tower Catalyst and the Disaster Recovery Catalyst, and we continually expand into new areas.
Q. Can you share real-world examples of successful database modernization?
James: Certainly. One of our clients, Collectors, which provides authentication and grading services to collectors, faced operational challenges and scalability issues due to their fragmented infrastructure spread across on-premises data centers and multiple cloud providers. They required assistance consolidating their infrastructure to AWS—not only to escape the data center but also to embrace cloud-first services and AWS managed solutions to meet their business needs. By leveraging the AWS Migration Acceleration Program, we helped the client establish a robust infrastructure foundation and expedite their migration, while also minimizing initial costs.
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