Cloud Infrastructure
Infrastructure sized and structured for what you actually run, with cost, complexity and failure modes all kept lower than the default architecture would give you.
Overview
Most organisations run more cloud complexity than they need. The architecture was designed for a scale that never arrived, or assembled over years by different people, and now nobody can fully explain the bill or draw the diagram. The complexity itself becomes the most common cause of outages.
Our recommendations usually go in the direction of less: fewer services, simpler networking, managed components instead of self-operated ones. It is cheaper, it fails less often, and it can be understood by the people who have to operate it at three in the morning.
Who this is for
- Companies with a cloud bill nobody can fully explain
- Businesses whose architecture was designed for a scale they did not reach
- Teams operating infrastructure they are not staffed to run
How we approach cloud infrastructure
The specific pieces of work a typical engagement covers. Scope is agreed up front — nothing here is a surprise line item later.
Architecture review
What is running, what it costs, what depends on what, and which parts exist for reasons nobody can now recall.
Right-sizing
Instances, storage and databases matched to actual use rather than to the estimate made before launch.
Cost optimisation
Reserved capacity, lifecycle policies and removing forgotten environments. The unused resources are usually the largest single saving.
Networking and security
Sensible segmentation, least-privilege access and secrets managed properly rather than in environment variables nobody rotates.
Resilience
Backups tested by restoring, failover rehearsed, and an honest recovery time rather than an aspirational one.
Migration
Moving between providers or into managed services with a rehearsed cutover and a rollback that has been tried.
From first call to measured result
The same sequence every time, so you always know what happens next.
Audit
Inventory, cost breakdown and dependency map, including what would happen if each component disappeared.
Simplify
Remove what is unused, consolidate what is duplicated, and replace self-operated components with managed ones where sensible.
Harden
Access, secrets, backups and failover, with each tested rather than documented as intended behaviour.
Codify
Define the result as infrastructure as code, so the state is reviewable and reproducible.
Outcomes, not deliverables
A pile of artefacts isn't progress. These are the changes the work is meant to produce — and what we report against.
A smaller bill
Right-sizing and removing forgotten resources typically reduces cloud spend noticeably in the first month.
Fewer failure modes
Simpler infrastructure breaks less, and when it does the cause is findable.
Recovery you have tested
A rehearsed restore turns a disaster recovery policy into an actual capability.
Infrastructure your team can run
Matched to the staffing you have rather than to the team the architecture assumed.
Common questions about Cloud Infrastructure
The things people ask before they get in touch. If yours is not here, ask us directly.
How much can we realistically save on cloud costs?
It varies, but the common findings are consistent: over-provisioned instances, non-production environments running around the clock, storage nobody has reviewed in years, and no reserved capacity on predictable workloads. The audit usually pays for itself quickly.
Should we use managed services or run our own?
Managed, unless you have a specific reason and the staff to operate the alternative. Self-hosting a database saves licence cost and adds an operational responsibility most teams underestimate until something goes wrong at a bad time.
Is multi-cloud worth it?
Rarely. It roughly doubles the operational surface for a resilience benefit most organisations never realise, and it prevents you using the managed services that make a single provider worthwhile. We would recommend against it in most cases.
How is this different from hosting and infrastructure?
That page covers hosting the sites and applications we build. This is infrastructure as an ongoing engineering concern across an estate, including cost, security and resilience. Larger organisations want this one.
Thinking about Cloud Infrastructure?
Tell us what you are trying to change. If we are not the right fit we will say so, and point you somewhere better.
Looking at the wider picture?
Cloud Infrastructure usually sits alongside other work in DevOps, Infrastructure & Technical Operations. Browse the full area to see what it connects to.