I know, I know, this isn’t exactly a new topic. And yes, everyone is talking about Generative AI these days. But let’s be honest: the AWS Well-Architected Framework is still one of the most valuable resources for building in the cloud.
I’ll admit it. I hadn’t given it much thought before. But now? Its value is crystal clear. If you're building on AWS, doesn't it make sense to follow AWS's own best practices and recommendations to create scalable, secure, and cost-efficient systems?
Seems too obvious, right?
Also, the AWS Well-Architected Framework is extended and complex because it contains much information, but if you can apply a few things in your real projects, aren't you interested?
I first wrote a similar version of this article in my blog, playingaws.com, where I share hands-on AWS insights. But since quick wins are always useful, I thought it made sense to bring it here too!
1. Introduction
In this article, we’re focusing on quick wins: practical, actionable steps you can take right now to improve your AWS architecture by following the AWS Well-Architected Framework.
Each of the Six Pillars is packed with best practices, and while implementing the entire framework takes time, there are some small changes you can make today that will have an immediate impact.
This guide breaks down pillar-by-pillar quick wins that are easy to implement and can immediately improve your AWS workloads in terms of operational excellence, security, reliability, performance efficiency, cost optimization, and sustainability.
2. Take action: Quick Wins You Can Apply Today
Once you understand the six pillars (more info here, you can jump straight into these actionable insights.
Quick wins are a great way to start with the AWS Well-Architected Framework because they:
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offer immediate improvementswithout requiring a complete revision of your cloud environment. - enhance performance, security, and cost-efficiency quickly.
- help teams
build momentumbefore tackling more complex optimizations.
By implementing these small but impactful changes first, you can see real benefits fast and implement more complex strategies after that.
2.1. Operational Excellence
Main Recommendation: Automate everything you can to minimize human error and improve operational efficiency.
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Quick-Wins:
- Enable AWS Config: Start tracking configuration changes for auditing.
- Set up CloudWatch alerts: Get notified about issues before they escalate.
- Use AWS Trusted Advisor: Identify operational improvements instantly.
- Document key processes: A simple shared document can prevent chaos.
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Other important recommendations:
- Continuously improve operations through feedback and automation.
- Build a culture of accountability and iteration.
2.2. Security
Main Recommendation: Apply security from the beginning and at every layer.
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Quick-Wins:
- Enable AWS Security Hub: Get a centralized view of security alerts.
- Enable AWS Security Hub best practice standards: Configure built-in best practice standards to assess compliance and detect potential security gaps.
- Enable GuardDuty: Detect threats and unauthorized activities in real-time.
- Enable MFA: Multi-Factor Authentication is a must-have.
- Turn on EBS default encryption: Protect your storage automatically.
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Other important recommendations:
- Build layered security across identity, encryption, and networking.
- Regularly assess and audit your security posture with automated compliance checks.
2.3. Reliability
Main Recommendation: Build for failure. Assume services will fail and design for recovery.
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Quick-Wins:
- Set up CloudWatch alarms: Detect failures before they cause downtime.
- Automate backups: Use AWS Backup to centralize backup management.
- Document recovery procedures: Ensure your team knows what to do when things go wrong.
- Test resilience: Simulate failures with AWS Fault Injection Simulator.
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Other important recommendations:
- Ensure redundancy and fault tolerance at all levels of your architecture.
- Implement proactive monitoring and automated recovery for key services.
2.4. Performance Efficiency
Main Recommendation: Continuously review your resource usage to ensure you are not over-provisioned.
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Quick-Wins:
- Use AWS Compute Optimizer: Get recommendations for right-sizing resources.
- Optimize EC2 instances: Adjust sizes for better performance and cost savings.
- Clean up unused resources: Identify and terminate unused EC2 instances, EBS volumes, and other resources.
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Other important recommendations:
- Regularly optimize and scale resources based on demand.
- Leverage serverless or managed services to minimize infrastructure management and focus on performance.
2.5. Cost Optimization
Main Recommendation: Always optimize by rightsizing and using savings plans.
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Quick-Wins:
- Review AWS Trusted Advisor: Identify cost-saving opportunities instantly.
- Set budget alerts: Use AWS Budgets to create cost thresholds and receive alerts if you are exceeding your budget.
- Use AWS Cost Explorer: Analyze your AWS costs and usage patterns for better financial efficiency.
- Delete unused resources: Stop paying for things you don’t use.
- Minimize data transfer costs by keeping workloads and resources within the same region.
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Other important recommendations:
- Adopt a pay-for-what-you-use mindset.
2.6. Sustainability
Main Recommendation: Optimize infrastructure usage by embracing serverless and managed services.
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Quick-Wins:
- Use AWS Managed Services: Benefit from AWS’s energy-efficient infrastructure.
- Turn Off Idle Resources: Automate shutdown of non-critical resources outside business hours.
- Optimize storage: Enable S3 Intelligent-Tiering to optimize storage costs based on access patterns.
- Track your AWS carbon footprint with the AWS Customer Carbon Footprint Tool.
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Other important recommendations:
- Reduce environmental impact by optimizing resource usage.
- Automate infrastructure management to minimize waste.
2.7. Visualizing the Quick-Wins
3. Conclusion
These quick wins give you a fast, high-impact way to start** applying AWS Well-Architected best practices. Even small tweaks can *significantly improve* your cloud efficiency, security, and cost-effectiveness.
But remember, quick wins are just the beginning. To fully optimize your workloads and ensure you're following best practices across all pillars, a deeper review is necessary. This is where the AWS Well-Architected Tool comes into play.
Remember, the Well-Architected Framework isn’t a one-time exercise. It’s a continuous improvement journey.
Start small, iterate often, and keep refining your AWS architecture.
4. Next steps
If you want to go beyond quick wins, I wrote a 4-article series diving deeper into the Well-Architected Framework on my blog:
- Overview of the AWS Well-Architected Framework: Why It’s Essential for Every Cloud Professional
- Deep Dive: Six Pillars
- AWS Well-Architected Tool: How the AWS Well-Architected Tool Can Transform Your Cloud Architecture
Also, you can explore AWS’s comprehensive resources:
Top comments (3)
It's good advice - but are they "quick wins"? Most of these best practices will take a good deal of time to properly learn and apply ...
But, it's a very nice list, even more so as I haven't even heard of most of these services and wasn't aware they exist - just wondering: are most of these "add on" services free, or do they come at an additional cost?
@leob most of them are actually 5-minute tasks, but it's true that there is a few that would require time... The key idea is to get started with small improvements that can make a real impact!
About the cost, it depends. Some services are free, while others have costs based on usage. But many of them offer free tiers or have minimal costs when used efficiently.
Thanks! I made a note and kept a link to your article in our "to do" list/roadmap for later evaluation!