The Role of Diagramming in Enterprise Cloud Strategy 

In enterprise cloud strategy, diagramming paints an accurate visual depiction of the architecture so technical and non-technical stakeholders can be on the same page while directing the organization in: 

• How to deal with breaches
• Purchasing and budgets 
• Staying up to date with the most relevant technology 

This type of depiction would not be possible through verbal or written text, making diagramming an essential tool for cross-functional collaboration. 

In this blog, we will explore each of these points further, considering how diagramming can help different teams work together to form an enterprise cloud strategy.  

Enhancing Security and Dealing with Breaches 

Disaster Recovery and High Availability 

High availability in cloud architecture refers to the design and implementation of systems and services that ensure minimal downtime and continuous operation, even in the event of hardware failures, software issues, or other disruptions. 

If one aspect of your cloud environment goes down, high availability means you have a way to continue processing the system interactions that happen at that time. You have one architecture system replacing the other, redundant components, or even a backup environment. 

Documenting and being able to communicate those contingency plans can help you get buy-in from key stakeholders and address incidents faster. 

Network Breaches  

Network breaches are high-risk incidents that require immediate intervention. Having a clear plan of action makes incident management more effective.  

Cloud architecture diagramming helps a busy team in a security incident by making it easy to understand the inputs and outputs of the system and identify which parts need to have access cut off from external threats. 

VPC 

A VPC, or Virtual Private Cloud, is a fundamental cloud service that allows you to create an isolated, private network within a public cloud environment. Its importance lies in providing security, control, and isolation for your cloud resources. 

VPC is a critical element in cloud architecture diagrams because it represents the network boundary and foundation for all other services. When you diagram a cloud application, the VPC is the containing element that all other components reside within. 

Diagramming a VPC helps you visualize network structure, plan and communicate security, and facilitate collaboration. 

Improving Purchasing and Budgeting Processes 

Modeling different scenarios for cloud services can help decision-makers assess the financial impact of each one and allocate costs to different departments or teams. 

During this process, non-technical stakeholders should define the business goals and budgetary constraints. At the same time, collaboration with technical stakeholders helps them understand their needs and map those needs to potential cloud services.  

Non-technical stakeholders might question the costs and provide feedback on their priorities. For example, they might ask about using less expensive storage options if the team doesn’t need immediate access or analyze the cost difference if the system needs to support more users in the future. 

Technical stakeholders then explain the trade-offs. They can show how a change to the architecture might impact performance, security, or future scalability. They can also offer alternatives, such as using a different type of database or a more cost-effective managed service. 

A high-level architecture diagram can help the two sides of the conversation communicate more effectively. It can act as a visual aid to help non-technical stakeholders understand the proposed solution’s structure so both sides can collaborate on decisions.  

Staying Up to Date with Relevant Technology 

Maintaining updated architecture ensures risk mitigation and security as well as the ability to control allocation of finances and uphold cost optimization practices. 

You would not want your environment to be open to vulnerabilities that you could have identified or miss “zombie” resources that are costing money but no longer serve a purpose, such as an unused database.  

Additionally, updated architecture provides a platform for ongoing collaboration, communication and knowledge sharing. It is easy to become complacent when systems are running smoothly or at least appear to be, but then you miss teaching new team members how your architecture is structured to keep the knowledge alive.  

Final Thoughts  

Cloud strategy requires technical and non-technical business stakeholders to come together and collaborate for the benefit of the organization. Diagramming is the conduit that makes that collaboration happen.  

When the technical side understands how to address issues, and the non-technical side can justify purchasing and budgets and stay up to date with the most relevant technology, both are equipped for success.  

Want to learn more about cloud architecture diagramming? Check out our comprehensive guide to cloud architecture diagrams or one of our video tutorials, then start your free evaluation of Gliffy to follow along.  

Try Gliffy Free