How do you know if your architecture is "good"? AWS, Azure, and Google all agree on these 6 Pillars of building secure, high-performing, resilient, and efficient infrastructure.
Running and monitoring systems. Automation (CI/CD), documentation, and improving processes daily.
Protecting data and systems. IAM, Encryption, Firewalls, and Incident Response.
Recovering from failure. Backups, Multi-AZ, Auto-scaling, and Disaster Recovery.
Using resources efficiently. Choosing the right instance type, using Serverless, caching data.
Stopping waste. Turning off idle resources, using Spot Instances, right-sizing servers.
Minimizing environmental impact. Reducing energy consumption and carbon footprint.
Mission: You are launching a startup. You have limited budget/time (Points).
Distribute your points wisely. If you neglect a pillar, you will face consequences when "Black Friday" hits.
To get 99.999% uptime, you need redundant servers in multiple regions. That costs 2x or 3x more money.
Encrypting every single packet and inspecting every request adds latency (slowness). Security adds friction.
Rushing to launch features often means skipping documentation and automation (Tech Debt), hurting Operational Excellence.