Cloud architecture and consulting

Make sure the systems behind your business can keep up.

An aging server, an unreliable application, or a growing cloud bill can turn an ordinary workday into a technology problem. You need to understand what is happening, what needs to change, and what it will cost.

Edwards Consulting Group helps you make those decisions and carry out the work. We review the systems your business depends on, explain the options in plain language, and plan improvements around your budget and day-to-day operations.

Talk through your cloud setup How engagements are priced

Familiar signs that it is time for a closer look

Your business depends on an older server or application that is getting harder to maintain.
You are paying for cloud services without understanding what drives the bill.
A system slows down or becomes unavailable when your team needs it.
You want to move an application but cannot afford an improvised migration.
Backups exist, but nobody has demonstrated how the business would recover.
Your current setup is understood by one person, and the documentation is missing.

Cloud architecture is the plan for how your applications, information, access, and supporting services work together. A useful plan also explains who maintains them and what happens when something fails.

Start with the decision your business needs to make.

Understand what you have.

Review the systems, costs, dependencies, and responsibilities behind your current setup. Identify the problems worth addressing first.

Plan a move with fewer surprises.

Compare keeping an application where it is, improving the current setup, moving it, or replacing it. Define the preparation, testing, expected disruption, and steps to return to the previous setup if needed.

Modernize an application that is holding you back.

Improve the parts that make a system difficult to maintain, connect, or change. The work may involve replacing an aging component, improving how updates are released, or using a managed service where it makes sense.

Prepare for interruptions.

Set realistic recovery goals, review backups and access, and test the agreed recovery process. Plan around how long the business can tolerate an outage and how much information it can afford to lose.

Know what you are getting before work starts.

A review or planning engagement can include:

A readable diagram of your current setup and the proposed changes.
A prioritized list of issues tied to business impact.
Options with expected costs, tradeoffs, and responsibilities.
A migration or improvement plan with testing and recovery steps.

If you want help carrying out the plan, implementation is scoped explicitly. That can include configuration, migration, automation, testing, documentation, and handover. You will know which parts ECG handles and which belong to your team or existing provider.

How we approach the work

1. Understand the business dependency.

Start with what the system supports, who uses it, and what an interruption would mean.

2. Compare practical options.

Review reliability, security, running costs, and the effort needed to maintain each approach.

3. Make agreed changes in manageable steps.

Test the work and plan the transition around your operations.

4. Hand over a system people can understand.

Document responsibilities, routine tasks, monitoring, and recovery procedures included in the engagement.

Questions owners ask

Do we need to move everything to the cloud?

No. The recommendation depends on your applications, internet access, costs, data requirements, and maintenance needs. Keeping some systems where they are may be the right decision.

Will moving to the cloud save money?

It depends on the workload and how it is run. We compare the expected service bill with migration effort, support, licensing, and ongoing responsibilities. A move should have a clear business reason, whether that is cost, reliability, easier maintenance, or room to grow.

Which platforms do you work with?

AWS is our deepest area of experience. We also work with Azure and Google Cloud when those are the platforms your business uses. We start with the system and the problem before recommending a platform.

Can you work with our current IT provider or developer?

Yes. We can review a design, help plan a specific change, or support implementation alongside the people who already know your business. Access, responsibilities, and handover are agreed at the start.

Can you guarantee that a migration will have no downtime?

The plan depends on the application and its constraints. We discuss expected disruption, test the transition, and agree on recovery steps. We will explain what is achievable before you commit.

Get a clear plan for the systems your business depends on.

Bring the application problem, the cloud bill, or the move you are considering. Chris will help you understand the choices and define a useful next step.

Discuss your cloud or application project

Prefer to read first? See how we approach a cloud architecture review.