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Based on Webinar content / known FAQs specify a number of sub-topics, like

• Costs
  • An estimate for the cost for a basic/medium-sized Delft-FEWS system in the cloud would de around 12k€- 15k€ .
    This is an estimate and will differ per Delft-FEWS system. Important cost variables are:
    • data (size and egress)
    • size of the whole Delft-FEWS system (sizing of the VM's, number of the VM's, number of Delft-FEWS components per VM)
    • the number of users (depending on the location of the Operator client; in the cloud v.s. on-premise)
    • requirements regarding redundancy, High Availability, Disaster Recovery, performance 
  • Data ingress and egress (egress exits the cloud and ingress enters the cloud)
    Ingress and data traffic in the cloud environment is often free of cost.
    Egress however is not free. The egress cost depend on the type of connection and on the amount of egress data.
    Some examples/comparisons for Azure can be found on this webpage: How to calculate the right Azure outbound capacity and choose the best egress option
  • Type and number of machines
    The price difference between for example a 32GB virtual machine and two 16GB virtual machines (VM) is quite the same. However, depending on your requirements, each separate VM requires additional and individual services like for example back-up and security. 
  • Data storage
    Data can be stored in different cloud solutions each with it's own price and functionalities. Depending on your requirements you can add managed disks to your machine or a dedicated storage solution like Azure files or Blob storage solutions
  • Managed v.s unmanaged
    Cloud providers offer managed services like for example a managed database. The price for a managed solution is higher than an unmanaged solution. However, a managed solution requires a lot less of your own IT-staffing hours regarding managing the system.

Scalability

         Kubernetes/Containers

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1. The inner layer is the central database (and optionally Deltares Open Archive).
2. The middle layer are the components that communicate directly with the database using encryption.
3. The third layer (optional) is a reverse proxy to the database that can be accessed externally.

How to get started

Deltares has done several migrations and implementations of Delft-FEWS in the cloud. Microsoft Azure is the most popular provider among the community but Delft-FEWS will run in any cloud-environment.
Based on our experience with successful migration and implementations like  MDBA (link) we drafted a "how to get started" bullet list.

1. Make sure your IT solution provider is involved from the beginning of the project
2. It's a big plus in case your organisation or IT solution provider has a good understanding and knowledge of the specific cloud you want to host your system
   Mapping the functional requirements of the possible cloud solutions can be done much faster with people skilled in the cloud domain. A good example is MDBA, they have a high level of knowledge of both the Delft-FEWS systems as well as the new technologies offered by cloud solutions.
3. Create a list of requirements.
   Both functional and technical. Also incorporate requirements like performance, uptime, disaster recovery, high availability etc.
   Make sure that you also are aware of your company rules regarding using and migrating to the cloud.
4. Organise a couple of workshops with Deltares (or another partner) to map the requirements on the cloud solutions.   
5. Create an implementation or migration plan
6. Implement a dry run phase
   In this phase, the whole system is up and running but not for operational use. During this phase, the users can use the system like an operational system to test whether everything is functioning as expected. 

Best practices & recommendations

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