Moving from on-premises servers to the cloud
An organization whose servers are nearing end of life wants to move to the cloud in phases while keeping sensitive data in-kingdom.
EPlatforms & Infrastructure
Cloud & DevOpsInfrastructure that scales quietly. Releases nobody dreads.
We architect cloud platforms, automate build, test and deployment, and instrument systems end to end, so your teams ship with confidence and costs stay under control as usage grows.
- Code
- E
- Practice
- Platforms & Infrastructure
- Scope areas
- 11
- Delivery phases
- 6
Overview
Secure, scalable cloud foundations, automated delivery pipelines and full observability on AWS, Azure and Google Cloud.
The cloud promises agility and speed, but without deliberate design it turns into rising bills nobody can explain, hand-built environments nobody fully understands, and deployments scheduled for midnight out of fear of outages. The problem is rarely the cloud provider itself; it is the absence of disciplined engineering around it.
AMA GROUP builds infrastructure as code: every network, database and permission defined in Terraform or an equivalent, then reviewed, tested and versioned like any other code. We design CI/CD pipelines that make deployment a routine event (several times a day if needed), with a fast, rehearsed rollback path and observability that surfaces problems before users notice them.
Data residency is treated as a core requirement, not an afterthought. When your data classification or applicable regulations require data to stay in Saudi Arabia, we design on in-kingdom cloud regions or locally available providers, or on a hybrid of private infrastructure and public cloud. The end goal is a platform your own team understands and can operate, not a black box that depends on us indefinitely.
Scope of work
What this service can cover. Most engagements combine several of these areas.
Cloud architecture
Multi-account landing zones with segmented networks and least-privilege identity, following the well-architected principles published by the major providers.
AWS, Azure & Google Cloud
We work across all three major providers, choosing the right managed services for each workload and avoiding unnecessary lock-in where portability matters.
Docker & containers
Containerizing applications into lean, hardened multi-stage images that behave identically on a developer’s laptop and in production.
Kubernetes
Designing and operating managed or self-hosted Kubernetes clusters with Helm, GitOps, autoscaling, network policies and resource limits.
CI/CD
Pipelines that build, test, scan and deploy automatically, with a preview environment per pull request and progressive strategies such as blue-green and canary releases.
Infrastructure as code
Defining the entire estate in Terraform, OpenTofu or Pulumi with reusable modules, plan reviews before every change, and detection of drift from the declared state.
Cloud migration
Assessing existing applications and assigning each the right path (rehost, replatform or refactor), then migrating in waves, each with its own rollback plan.
Monitoring & observability
Metrics, logs and distributed traces in a unified stack, with operational dashboards and alerts based on user impact rather than every passing signal.
Reliability
Defining service level objectives, designing disaster recovery around backups whose restores are actually tested, and incident runbooks backed by blameless post-incident reviews.
Scaling
Horizontal autoscaling for applications, databases and message queues, designed to absorb predictable peaks, such as seasons and campaigns, without permanently over-provisioning.
Performance optimization
Profiling latency from browser to database and tuning caching, CDNs and queries, while optimizing cloud spend at the same time.
Typical use cases
Representative scenarios where organizations need this service: examples of the need, not past client engagements.
A platform preparing for a seasonal peak
A store or booking platform whose traffic multiplies during Ramadan and peak seasons needs load testing, autoscaling and a contingency plan ready in advance.
A development team deploying by hand
Deploying by copying files to the server keeps causing outages; the team needs an automated CI/CD pipeline, identical environments and instant rollback.
A cloud bill out of control
A startup whose infrastructure costs grew faster than revenue needs usage analysis, right-sizing, commitment-based pricing and cleanup of idle resources.
A SaaS product moving to Kubernetes
Multiple services scattered across virtual machines move to a unified container platform managed through GitOps, speeding up releases and standardizing operations.
Delivery approach
Clear phases with defined outputs, so you can follow progress and make decisions at every stage.
- Step 1
Current-state assessment
We review architecture, spend, the deployment process, observability and security posture, and rank the risks and opportunities.
- Step 2
Target architecture & roadmap
We design the target platform and break the path there into phases, each with clear value and a rollback plan.
- Step 3
Platform foundation as code
We build accounts, networks, identity and pipelines as reviewed code, so every environment can be recreated on demand.
- Step 4
Migration & rollout in waves
We move workloads in sequence, lowest risk first, with acceptance tests and heightened monitoring after each wave.
- Step 5
Observability & SLOs
We agree on service health indicators and objectives with your teams, then build alerts and response runbooks around them.
- Step 6
Enablement & continuous improvement
We train your team to run the platform, review cost and performance on a regular cadence, and provide ongoing operational support where needed.
Technical capabilities
Tools and platforms we select from, based on your context, constraints and existing stack.
Cloud providers
- AWS
- Microsoft Azure
- Google Cloud
- Oracle Cloud Infrastructure
- Cloudflare
Containers & orchestration
- Docker
- Kubernetes
- Amazon EKS
- Azure AKS
- Google GKE
- Helm
- Argo CD
- Flux
Infrastructure as code
- Terraform
- OpenTofu
- Pulumi
- Ansible
- Packer
CI/CD
- GitHub Actions
- GitLab CI
- Jenkins
- Azure DevOps
- Argo Rollouts
Observability
- Prometheus
- Grafana
- OpenTelemetry
- Loki
- Datadog
- Sentry
- ELK Stack
Technologies listed are capabilities and ecosystems we work with, not partnerships, certifications or endorsements.
Deliverables
What you receive during and at the end of the engagement. The exact set depends on the agreed scope.
- Assessment report covering current architecture, cost and risk
- Target architecture diagrams and decision records
- Infrastructure-as-code repository with all modules
- Documented CI/CD pipelines for every application
- Monitoring dashboards, alerts and service level objectives
- Disaster recovery plan with restore-test results
- Runbooks for incidents and routine operations
- Cost optimization report with actionable recommendations
It depends on your situation: the licenses and skills your team already has, the managed services your application needs, the availability of regions that meet data residency requirements, and the expected pricing for your workload. An organization heavily invested in the Microsoft ecosystem, for example, may find Azure the shortest path. We design for portability where it matters and back our recommendation with a documented comparison.
Related industries
Sectors where this service is commonly needed.
Technology Startups
Product engineering for founders: from a validated MVP to a scalable, investor-ready SaaS platform.
Financial Services & Fintech
Secure digital banking, payments and analytics platforms engineered for trust and scale.
Retail & E-commerce
Unified commerce platforms that connect online stores, apps, branches and fulfillment in one experience.
Government & Public Sector
Citizen-centered digital services, interoperable platforms and Arabic-first experiences for public entities.
Healthcare
Patient-centered digital health platforms, from booking and telehealth to interoperable clinical data.
Related concept projects
Design explorations showing how this service could come together in a real product, not delivered client work.
Concept Project: A design concept that shows how we think, not a delivered client project.Manufacturing & Industrial Operations
Mizan: A Unified Enterprise Resource Platform
An Arabic-first ERP exploration that brings finance, procurement, inventory and production planning onto one operational record for a multi-site manufacturer.
View conceptConcept Project: A design concept that shows how we think, not a delivered client project.Retail & E-commerce
Rawaj: A Unified Commerce Ecosystem
A headless commerce exploration that connects web store, mobile app, physical branches and marketplaces through one inventory and a seamless Arabic shopping experience.
View conceptIllustrative Solution: A model of a possible solution, not completed client work.Finance & Performance Management
Marsad: A Financial Analytics Workspace
An illustrative analytics platform that gives the finance office one trusted number, from the executive dashboard down to the original journal line.
View conceptIllustrative Solution: A model of a possible solution, not completed client work.Technology Startups
Falak: A Multi-Tenant SaaS Foundation
An illustrative cloud-native SaaS architecture that separates control plane from data plane and grows from the first customer to enterprise accounts without a rebuild.
View conceptRelated services
Services that often work alongside this one.
Security Engineering
Security built into architecture, code, and delivery pipelines from day one, not bolted on after launch.
Maintenance & Technical Support
Bug fixes, monitoring, security updates and continuous improvement that keep your software healthy after launch.
Data Engineering & BI
Reliable pipelines, governed warehouses, and executive dashboards that turn scattered data into decisions.
QA & Software Testing
Test strategy, automation and performance engineering that let teams release often without releasing risk.
Tell us what you are building.
Share your goals for Cloud & DevOps. We will come back with a clear approach, a proposed team shape and practical next steps.