PERF02-BP05 - Scale your compute resources dynamically
Implementation Guidance
“Scale your compute resources dynamically” helps remove wasted effort, unused capacity, and inefficient patterns that degrade cost and performance outcomes. Focus on continuous tuning backed by observed workload behavior rather than one-time adjustments.
For the question “How do you select your compute solution?”, define measurable outcomes, assign owners, and review execution regularly. Integrate this practice into delivery and operations processes so improvements persist as workloads and requirements evolve.
Key Steps
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Identify optimization targets:
- Profile current-state systems related to “Scale your compute resources dynamically”
- Prioritize bottlenecks and waste by business impact
- Define target utilization and performance goals
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Apply targeted improvements:
- Implement architectural, configuration, or code-level optimizations
- Use staged rollout to verify gains and limit risk
- Capture before-and-after metrics for each change
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Sustain gains over time:
- Automate periodic review and regression detection
- Retire ineffective optimizations and scale successful patterns
- Continuously refine targets as workload characteristics evolve
Risk / Impact
Level of risk if not implemented: Medium
Impact: Without this best practice, workloads typically accumulate inefficiencies and execution drift that increase failure probability over time. Problems often surface during traffic spikes, major releases, or dependency failures.
Benefits of implementation:
- More predictable operational and engineering outcomes
- Better alignment between architecture decisions and business goals
- Continuous improvement through measurable feedback loops
AWS Services to Consider
Amazon EC2
Offers flexible instance families to match workload performance and capacity requirements.
Amazon ECS
Runs container workloads with managed orchestration and scaling options.
Amazon EKS
Provides managed Kubernetes control planes for containerized application operation.
AWS Lambda
Runs event-driven automation without managing servers, ideal for remediation workflows.