Cloud-Native Technology is the Future of Development
Cloud technology continues to become more advanced, and its next stage is the cloud-native era. Many organizations have yet to embrace cloud-native technology; however, many are now seeing the benefits of developing and running applications in a cloud environment with no reliance on physical infrastructure.
In this article, we will discuss why cloud-native technology is the future of development and explain how it makes building applications much easier, faster and more secure.
What is Cloud-Native and Why is it Needed?
The term cloud-native technology is very multi-faceted and cannot be described in a simple statement. The technology can be used in countless ways to develop all manners of apps, platforms and services, using an optimized approach in a cloud environment and ensuring high levels of speed and efficiency.
From a developer’s perspective, containers are at the forefront of the technology that has helped to transform the DevOps landscape. Containers are software packages that contain all the elements needed to run in any environment. Creating a virtualized operating system so they are practically ‘plug & play’ apps or platforms.
Containers can be run from private data centers, a developer’s personal device, on a public cloud and many more different environments.
Google is a good example of this, running all its services from containers, including Gmail and YouTube. Containerization enables Google’s development teams to work extremely quickly and deploy software where and when needed, allowing for impressive scalability.
Whether you are a global player like Google or starting a small business in California or anywhere else in the U.S., a cloud-native approach is a viable option.
The benefits of developing apps in a cloud environment include:
- The design and deployment stages use distributed computing resources to enable increased flexibility and scalability.
- They are very simple to deploy and manage on demand due to the lack of infrastructure and gateways.
- Apps can respond dynamically to any workload changes.
- Apps developed in a cloud environment are very resilient and the chance of failure is drastically reduced.
The Importance of Cloud Native
Cloud native allows organizations to transform the outcomes of their digital and business efforts, promoting a more efficient way of working and contributing to better results.
A cloud-native strategy can:
- Improve the customer experience and boost customer loyalty.
- Products can reach the market quicker, providing a competitive advantage.
- Reduce costs with more efficient business operations.
- Help to develop new business models.
- Generate higher profits via new revenue streams and increased customer value.
The Core Capabilities of Cloud Native
The DevOps life cycle can be broken down into numerous stages, and each of these stages can be further broken down into individual processes to ensure the end product is ready to hit the market. Cloud-native technology can help improve each stage and process thanks to three core capabilities.
- Continuous Evolution – As cloud-native technology can easily adapt to new technologies and approaches, DevOps can constantly evolve and continue to create new and exciting products.
- Scalability – Cloud-native environments are highly scalable, making it easy to expand business offerings and measure business impact, helping to set more predictable budgets in the future.
- Manage Complex Environments – The number of different components across the stack can be overwhelming, therefore, it can be difficult to maintain and manage all of them on a daily basis. A cloud-native stack and the use of containerization make this much more manageable.
Why Cloud-Native Technology is the Future of DevOps
A cloud-native stack (also known as a “new stack”) allows apps to be developed, run, and hosted in the cloud if we describe it at its most basic level. This allows DevOps teams to improve on existing models and experiment with more innovative ideas, helping to progress the industry.
Cloud-native systems are typically microsystems that use an agile, container-based DevOps approach. With the use of containers, apps can be developed much more efficiently for a range of platforms and services, offering higher speeds and streamlining processes. In addition, this approach also allows developers to quickly adapt to any market changes.
Netflix is a prime example of a platform that has successfully adopted cloud-native technology on a global scale, prompting many other businesses to follow suit. The rising cost of living has also accelerated the adoption of new, cost-effective strategies such as cloud-native DevOps which can successfully boost profits and minimize expenditure.
Cloud-Native DevOps
Cloud-native DevOps is a set of principles that dictates how DevOps teams work together and use tools to build, deploy, and manage applications in a cloud environment. This has resulted in an evolution in development roles, the tools used and a change in workflows.
The key aspect of cloud-native DevOps is the full use of modern architecture to encourage experimentation, resulting in more agile software and higher delivery speeds.
The key advantages of a cloud-native DevOps approach are:
- Ensures faster time to market
- Helps to develop new features and offer new customer experiences
- New insights can help to drive innovation
- New technologies can be adopted quickly
- Promotes a more experimental and creative DevOps culture
- DevOps can be more closely aligned with the overall business goals
However, with any emerging methodology, there are always challenges that need to be overcome. Once a cloud-native DevOps approach has been adopted, it is likely that there may be some communication and collaboration issues initially, in addition to challenges such as unbalanced call rotations and time management.
Cloud-Native DevOps Approach – Measuring Success
Once any initial hurdles have been overcome, it is important to measure the success of any strategy. In terms of a cloud-native DevOps strategy, correlated data and targeted actions are vital to measure performance and optimize software delivery in the future.
Correlated data also provides valuable insights that developers can use to establish an experimental culture within the organization. This is because accurate data removes any emotion and the assigning of blame when unproductive decisions are made.
Speed is vital when it comes to the development and delivery of apps, as well as responding to any issues. When measuring the success of these areas, metrics such as ‘lead time for changes,’ ‘mean time to resolution’ (MTTR) and ‘frequency of code releases’ can prove to be very valuable.
Conclusion
Cloud-native DevOps is an approach that has been adopted by household names such as Google and Netflix. This approach allows DevOps teams to develop and deliver applications quickly, benefit from new insights, integrate new technologies and establish a creative culture within the organization.
From a business perspective, cloud-native technology reduces reliance on physical infrastructure, while improved product delivery can increase profits and give your business a competitive advantage.
