The cloud benefits organizations in multiple ways, helping them connect data, people and processes in new ways and opening the door to new opportunities that modern technologies enable. Today, numerous large organizations are considering moving to the cloud, and many of them are already taking action and leveraging the cloud to optimize processes and create new value for their customers, which is ultimately key to succeeding in a digital-first world. They are following in the footsteps of major players such as Facebook, Google, and Amazon, who were early adopters of cloud technology. From the public cloud and private cloud to the hybrid cloud and multi-cloud, there is a large spectrum of adoption when it comes to the cloud, and it’s worth noting that this adoption isn’t only happening in tech startups but also in large enterprises operating in traditional sectors, such as manufacturing, banking, telecommunications, and mining.
It’s worth noting that being cloud-native involves different aspects, such as infrastructure services, automation, virtualization and containerization, microservices architecture, and observability, to name a few, meaning that your application is created via modern cloud tech tools and is hosted and managed in the cloud by writing code, testing and deploying it, and ensuring that all the applications are operated in the cloud. In today’s world, it’s no longer enough to rehost your outdated applications in the cloud, which is known as the lift and shift process. Being cloud-native is the new way to do things. Below, you will find the main benefits of being cloud native, so make sure to check them out!
Ease of management
Being cloud native provides incredible solutions when it comes to making infrastructure management effortless. It started with PaaS platforms over a decade ago and continued to expand and involve serverless platforms as well. These platforms enable you to upload code in the form of functions, with the platform running the functions for you so that you won’t have to worry about provisioning cloud instances, allocating enough storage or configuring networking, as the serverless platform takes care of everything.
Cost savings
With containers, managing and securing applications become easier, regardless of the infrastructure that supports them. Essentially, a container is an allocation of CPU resources and memory on a node with the role of a computer. An application service relies on a container to perform computations on the node: for instance, a data integration service running on a grid can remotely run a mapping within a container. This, alongside an open-source model, translates into decreased costs. Cloud-based infrastructure allows businesses to save money on everything from maintenance and hardware to infrastructure while taking advantage of the pay-as-you-go model provided by cloud computing (meaning that you only get to pay for the utilized resources).
Increased agility and scalability
Cloud-native applications stand out for their agility, as they can be deployed and updated rapidly without requiring complex infrastructure or long testing cycles, thus enabling businesses to show more responsiveness to market changes and quickly adapt to the opportunities that arise. Another benefit is increased scalability. As businesses grow, they have no choice but to scale their applications in order to meet rising demands. Cloud-native applications aim to be highly scalable, meaning they can adjust rapidly and seamlessly to the changes in demand, enabling enterprises to meet customers’ needs and stay on top of competitors.
Better customer experiences
If you want to prioritize customer experiences, it’s paramount to ship new features at a faster pace and iterate constantly. Furthermore, a mobile-first approach is needed when it comes to application development and the implementation of human-centered design practices, such as design thinking. Nowadays, there is a strong focus on liberating enterprise data by engaging customers and employee experiences. API-based integration is the main way to link front-end apps and mammoth-sized enterprise data. This helps ensure that companies won’t have to abandon their decades of investment in legacy platforms but rather breathe new life into the systems, expanding their usage with web and mobile apps.
Enhanced security
Cloud-native applications provide better security than traditional ones, enabling businesses to strengthen their infrastructure and benefit from the latest security measures and technologies, including firewalls, encryption and access control. As a result, they can safeguard sensitive data against cyber threats and continue running smoothly without experiencing significant disruptions. This also ensures that employees in your company can collaborate seamlessly with each other and that administrators have enough control to govern and secure tenants.
How to get started with cloud native
If you’ve decided to become cloud-native, you can take a few steps to achieve this goal. First, it’s essential to take the time to understand microservices and containers, which are key components of a cloud-native application. Containers represent a virtualized software package that includes software, configuration files, and libraries, while microservices architecture involves breaking down complex applications into smaller services that are independent and can be managed separately. Software is one of the most important aspects when moving to the cloud because it allows you to respond properly to potential incidents while also guaranteeing fast and secure access for customers to the critical systems of the business. To this end, you can visit https://intercept.cloud/en-gb to learn more about cloud native software development and ensure a seamless experience when migrating.
Once you understand how elements such as containers and microservices work together, the next step is to explore cloud-native tools and platforms. Thankfully, there are multiple online resources, such as tutorials, documentation, and online communities, that you can benefit from when getting started, so be sure to make the most of everything available to make the process easier.
The bottom line
As already seen in the article, becoming cloud native comes with a plethora of benefits. However, it’s worth noting that you need to take action only after assessing your organization’s needs, as this isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. In some instances, changing the app may not be necessary, and it would be sufficient to implement another deployment model to make things more seamless. However, based on your business requirements and resources, becoming cloud-native is key if you want to remain competitive and agile.