A cloud engineer was recently hired at a company. The IT manager has tasked the cloud engineer to perform server maintenance in its public cloud. The cloud engineer is unaware of the process to…

Requesting training might be a subsequent step if SOPs are unclear or insufficient, but the immediate first action should be to consult existing internal resources like SOPs.

While referring to previous documentation can be helpful, SOPs are specifically designed for explicit process guidance, making them a more direct and authoritative source than general historical documentation.

Performing updates in a test environment is a good practice for validating changes, but it should only be done after understanding the established process, which is outlined in the SOPs.

Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) are official, step-by-step instructions outlining how routine tasks, such as server maintenance, should be performed within an organization, making them the primary and most reliable resource for a new employee. Following SOPs ensures consistency, compliance, and adherence to established best practices and policies.