Is Cloud Native App Development Worth It For Your Business

The world around us is transforming at a rapid pace. It is not only the world but the technology that drives our everyday life is also progressing continuously.

The technological advancements have opened new doors for businesses to offer better services and enhance customer experience. One such technological trend is cloud computing.  

Businesses today prefer cloud native app development over others. 

As per Venturebeat, 75% of companies are focusing on cloud native apps. Another report by Gartner states that over 95% of new digital products will be cloud based by 2025.

Why are companies so focused on cloud native apps?

Cloud native app development services enable you to build future ready apps that are easily scalable, portable and resilient. 

Whether you want to upgrade new features, scale up your applications or resolve a glitch, cloud native apps ensure an uninterrupted customer experience. 

The question is – How does the cloud promise scalability and adaptability?

What are the business benefits of cloud native apps?

Is cloud native app development really cost-effective?

Let’s find out the answers to these questions in the blog below.

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What is cloud native app development?

Cloud native app development is an approach where you build, test and deploy software applications in the cloud. It does not only support app development. You can easily modify, upgrade and manage your entire application on the cloud without much hassle. 

The best thing about cloud app development services is that they require less coding. Further, the containerized application components accelerate the app development and deployment process. Therefore, enabling your developers to quickly build or modify app components. 

The cloud services offer you the platform and tools to build robust, secure and high performing applications. Further, with the help of SaaS, IaaS and PaaS, you can lay the groundwork for a successful business model that can sustain the dynamic market scenario.

Credit to the microservices, containers, CI and DevOps, cloud development services smoothen your journey to build, test and deploy apps. That too in the most cost-effective way!

One thing that you need to understand is that cloud native app development is different from app modernization. App modernization or legacy modernization, whatever you call it, is like a "lift and shift" strategy. Here you shift or update the app software, framework or computing to the cloud.

However, cloud native apps are built in the cloud from scratch. They are built for cloud platforms which allows them to leverage the full potential of the underlying infrastructure and processes.

Reasons why businesses choose cloud native App Development

• Due to microservices, it's easy to modify app components without interfering with the functioning of other components.
• Even if there is a fault in one of the components, it does not affect the overall performance of the app.
• As the microservices are independent, one component does not affect others elevating the user experience.
• You can easily scale up or down as per the market demand.
• Further, you can leverage the CD and DevOps to quickly build and release software updates or expand your application to adapt to future trends.
• Most importantly, you don’t need to invest in additional IT infrastructure or other resources to scale, upgrade or expand your applications. 
  
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How does cloud native app development benefit your business?

Cloud native app development brings several benefits to your business. Some of the notable advantages are:

Scalability

To scale up your business with on-premises infrastructure, you will require additional IT support and resources. You will have to invest in more data storage and its security. Further, to maintain your application you will also have to hire IT experts. All these add up to a huge financial burden on your business.

Cloud resolves this issue by offering you the flexibility to scale up or down as per the demand. You can easily choose to scale up or down your application as and when required. It is possible because of the microservices architecture of the cloud application.

The only cost you will pay will be the cloud billings. Surprisingly it will be way lower than what you will spend on strengthening your IT infrastructure.

Reliability and Efficiency

Cloud applications are built using microservices and containers. These two pillars of cloud computing ensure that one app component is not affected by another. 

If one component is faulty, it will not interfere with the functioning of other components. Simultaneously, if you need to upgrade or modify one component, you can easily do it without hampering the overall app performance. 

These are possible due to the independent nature of the microservices. Microservices help developers build and manage reliable and highly efficient app which prioritizes customer experience.

Accelerated Development

Cloud native app development allows developers to quickly build, modify and deploy applications.

There are two factors that contribute to the speedy app development.

• Containers application architecture
• CD and DevOps

The container architecture helps developers quickly build and deploy components without the need for complex coding. This simplifies the app development. 

The CD and DevOps streamline and automate the app development process. Your team can follow the DevOps practices to quickly build and release software products. This reduces your time to market and increases your app development efficiency.

Cost-effectiveness

Cloud native development offers several cost benefits over on-premises infrastructure. In the latter, you will have to spend a hefty amount to run and host software applications.

Not to forget the complications in managing the on-premises infrastructure. Compared to that, the cloud provider relieves the burden of managing the software and hardware infrastructure.

While cloud services are based on a "pay as you use" model. You will have to pay a much lower amount to build and manage your applications on the cloud. 

Further, the cloud pricing model only charges you for the services your app uses. For example, if your app witnesses traffic spike for a specific time, you will have to pay for additional resources for that time period only.

Portability

The container architecture makes cloud native apps portable and widely adaptable. 

Containerized applications can run on any platform smoothly without changing the code. Moreover, you can always shift your app to any platform or cloud provider.

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Key pillars of cloud native app development

The key pillars of cloud native app development that make the above benefits possible are:

Microservices

Cloud native applications are divided into smaller components known as microservices. These microservices are independent entities but work together with the help of APIs. 

Every microservice is assigned one duty. Therefore, they function accordingly without interrupting other components. This prevents the overlap and disruption of app components. 

Collectively all the microservices with their code and library make the entire app functional.

Containers

Software containers are portable operating environments of a cloud application. It is packed with microservices, coding library and other files needed to run the app.

Container orchestration enables the app to smoothly run on any platform. Further, it helps developers to build, modify and maintain the app components easily.

API

API or Application Programming Interface allows two software systems to exchange data. 

In the case of cloud native apps, APIs are used to connect microservices. Microservices are loosely coupled with APIs which brings all the components together to work in sync.

Microservices use the APIs to request data and produce output. This architecture simplifies the app functioning and modification process utilizing fewer resources.

CD/CI

Cloud-native development necessitates a Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) process, fostering a collaborative and iterative environment for DevOps teams to create, assess, and deploy applications. A shared code repository is in place, accessible to all developers for contributions. 

Automation plays a crucial role in the CI/CD pipeline, streamlining tasks like compilation, building, and testing of application code, thereby reducing the potential for human error and ensuring swift deployment.

DevOps

An organized development team and a structured workflow are necessary for the success of an app.

DevOps brings together your development and operations team. It guides them with a streamlined and automated workflow that enables them to build apps reliably.

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Understanding Cloud Computing Models - Which one is best for your business?

Cloud computing models are divided into two categories:

• Deployment models 
• Service models

Let’s understand which one your business requires.

Deployment Models:

Public Cloud:

Description: Public clouds are owned and operated by third-party cloud service providers. These providers make their computing resources, like servers and storage, available over the internet. Examples include AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform (GCP), and IBM Cloud.

Use Case: Suitable for applications with varying workloads, development and test environments, and for hosting websites and web applications.

Private Cloud:

Description: A private cloud is used exclusively by a single organization. It can be hosted internally or by a third-party provider. It offers more control and customization but can be more costly.

Use Case: Industries with strict data privacy requirements (like healthcare or finance), large enterprises, or organizations with specific compliance needs.

Hybrid Cloud:

Description: A hybrid cloud combines public and private clouds, allowing data and applications to be shared between them. This model provides more flexibility and optimization of existing infrastructure.

Use Case: Suitable for organizations with a mix of sensitive data and resources, where some parts of the infrastructure can be kept in-house while others can be outsourced.

Community Cloud:

Description: A community cloud is shared among several organizations with similar concerns (e.g., compliance, security, or jurisdiction). It may be managed by the organizations or a third-party provider.

Use Case: Often used by organizations with shared concerns, such as government agencies or companies within a particular industry.

Service Models:

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS):

Description: Provides virtualized computing resources over the internet. It offers virtual machines, storage, and networking capabilities on a pay-as-you-go basis.

Use Case: Useful for businesses that need to quickly scale up or down, run applications, and test new ideas without having to invest in physical hardware.

Platform as a Service (PaaS):

Description: Provides a platform and environment to allow developers to build, deploy, and manage applications without worrying about the underlying infrastructure.

Use Case: Ideal for developers who want to focus solely on creating and deploying applications, without managing the servers, storage, or networking.

Software as a Service (SaaS):

Description: Delivers software applications over the internet on a subscription basis. Users can access the software through a web browser without installing or maintaining it locally.

Use Case: Common for applications like email, office software, customer relationship management (CRM), and other productivity tools.

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How can Ampcome help in cloud native app development?

Ampcome has a decade-long experience in building cloud native apps. We have the technical expertise and industry experience to build cloud native apps aligned to your business needs. Our team is well-equipped with a cloud framework and architecture that empowers them to deliver a wide array of cloud services.

From cloud native app development to cloud migration, app modernization, cloud management, consulting and more, we help businesses leverage the benefits of the cloud to propel their growth. 

Get in touch with us for robust, secure and scalable cloud services.