SDA uses automation to minimize human error and ensure consistency. Amazon CloudWatch collects logs, metrics, and events, which are consolidated in a central system and transformed into actionable key performance indicators (KPIs) and alarms. Critical alarms are relayed in near-real-time to SDA’s operations team, helping ensure immediate attention and response. User data automatic backups are made in a secondary AWS Region every hour.

SDA uses AWS managed services that benefit from the inherent availability and reliability provided by AWS service teams. For self-managed services, SDA deploys resources across three distinct Availability Zones within an AWS Region. This distributed and load-balanced approach enables automatic replacement of malfunctioning resources and dynamic scaling based on demand.

Whether using AWS managed or self-managed services, SDA uses real-time usage metrics to right-size resources. This architecture's flexibility helps you swiftly adapt to and integrate new offerings, such as the latest EC2 instance generations. You can benefit from peak platform performance at competitive prices, all while maintaining a focus on sustainability.

As a subscription-based SaaS provider, SDA focuses on cost efficiency in its operations. By maximizing price-to-performance ratios with AWS resources, we help ensure savings that directly benefit customers. We prioritized the utilization of serverless services that offer automatic scaling and a pay-as-you-go model, meaning you only pay for the resources you use without having to worry about long-term or upfront commitments. We analyzed usage patterns, established baseline requirements, and instituted scheduled and dynamic auto-scaling policies that adapt swiftly to change in demand. This approach helps ensure that only necessary resources are allocated, eliminating wasteful idle capacities.

Because SDA only uses serverless services, resources are only consumed when necessary, reducing energy usage and waste. Cloud elasticity reduces operational costs but also contributes significantly to reduce the energy footprint of this Guidance. In the long run, this strategy aids in minimizing environmental impact through optimal resource utilization and lowering carbon emissions associated with data center operations.