Cloud-native applications: Unlocking the potential of scalability and agility – ETCIO

Karunakarn Palaniswamy, Senior Director - Delivery & Technology, MSys Technologies Businesses today need to remain agile, nimble, and competitive, and to that end, cloud-native applications can prove to be of immense help. Contrary to the monolithic networks underpinned by tightly coupled entities, cloud-native applications are based on loosely coupled microservices architecture boasting high scalability and resilience. Further, these applications run on cloud platforms that complement business processes through their distributed architecture, decentralized access, and flexible storage options. No wonder the demand for cloud computing is rising exponentially across sectors, with research reports predicting the segment to reach $1240.9 bn by 2027 from a market cap of $545.8 bn in 2022, thereby growing at a CAGR of 17.9%. Benefits of cloud-native applications Scalability: The seamless addition of the instances to the individual microservices makes cloud-native applications the best for the scalability process. The best part is that this addition can be done without impacting the overall performance, which is in stark contrast to monolithic applications where any such addition impacts the entire system's performance. Hence, cloud-native applications allow organizations to scale operations swiftly without mandating comprehensive changes in their entire system architecture.

Agility: Thanks to the modular architecture of microservices, the apps can be developed and deployed independently. This makes it easier for firms to introduce new features and integrate updates without causing any significant disruption in their current ecosystems. This swift development, independent deployment, and uninterrupted integration offer businesses a competitive edge by helping them stay ahead of the innovation curve and swiftly bringing new products and features to market.

Portability: Cloud-native applications' platform-agnostic nature is another significant aspect. These applications can run on any supporting platform, and their ability to move seamlessly offers service providers the freedom to choose the platform that best fits their needs. Further, access to a wide variety of options in the development space fuels healthy competition, stimulates innovation, and helps the industry stay competitive on both the demand and supply side.

Microservice architecture: Cloud-native applications are based on microservices made up of smaller, loosely coupled components that allow for scalability at the granular level. Based on the firm's specific requirements, each microservice can be scaled independently of others, thereby offering the freedom to scale specific components without altering the architecture of the entire application. This feature also helps organizations to allocate resources judiciously, develop rapidly, deploy efficiently, and scale optimally within the broader constraints of resources.

iLeveraging containerization: To unlock the immense potential of cloud-native applications, containerization technology is becoming increasingly crucial. Container technologies such as Docker and Kubernetes allow the development and running of microservices in an isolated environment. These platforms also allow for the quick scaling of individual components per the changing needs and demands of the business environment. In addition, modern container platforms offer customers a complete automation facility, thereby enhancing both the scalability and resilience of organizations.

Dynamic workload management: Among their differentiating competencies, cloud-native applications adjust resource allocations dynamically based on varying requirements on the workload front. This auto-scaling allows organizations to predefine thresholds and trigger responses (such as allocating more storage capacity or computing power) as and when situations mandate. This helps achieve performance optimization during peak times while minimizing operating costs during low-activity periods.

Amplifying agility

Agility helps businesses create superior value by quickly tapping into emerging opportunities and responding to changing customer needs. The facet is equally essential from the development standpoint as it allows firms to remain innovative, competitive, and responsive. Here are the crucial factors that cloud-native applications enable to equip organizations with desired levels of agility and performance:

Faster time-to-market: Compared to the conventional methods, the microservices used by cloud-native applications speed up the development process and time-to-market response. The modular approach allows different development teams to work independently on individual services and components, allowing businesses to introduce new features, update existing networks, and replace laggard services with novel, efficient processes. Continuous development and delivery: Thanks to the modular approach and loosely bound architecture, firms using cloudy-native applications can continuously run their development and delivery operations. These applications also enable the automation of the building, testing, and deployment processes, thereby minimizing manual interventions and human errors. This continuous development also makes the companies' product pipelines dynamic and vibrant, further augmenting their appeal among current and prospective consumers.

High elasticity: Cloud-native applications dynamically add or withdraw resources in response to the changing demands on the various work fronts. This elastic behavior allows more computational power or storage capacity during high demand while withdrawing them from usage in lean hours. This, in turn, helps firms achieve a higher degree of operational efficiency and resource optimization while minimizing the cost and wastage associated with the use of resources.

Real-world examples

Netflix: The leading streaming company, Netflix, uses the cloud-native application to offer its streaming services to its customers worldwide. The microservice architecture allows Netflix to scale its operations effortlessly, handle traffic optimally, and quickly improve and roll out new services per changing customer preferences.

Spotify: Spotify, a well-known music streaming platform, uses the microservice architecture to offer personalized music recommendations to its millions of users worldwide. It uses cloud-native technologies that, coupled with the loosely coupled architecture, help the company handle massive volumes of data and continuously improve its algorithm for superior search and recommendation results.

Airbnb: Airbnb handles millions of its bookings worldwide effortlessly thanks to cloud-native principles in its functional procedures and operational mechanisms. The company uses various containerization and orchestration tools that help it create better value and deliver superior customer experiences.

Cloud-native applications are changing how organizations develop, deploy, and integrate their services to deliver superior value to their end consumers. The potential of these applications is immense. By embracing these loosely coupled, decentralized, and cloud-oriented microservices, organizations explore new opportunities while maximizing customer reach and business profitability.

The author is Senior Director - Delivery & Technology, MSys Technologies Disclaimer: The views expressed are solely of the author and ETCIO does not necessarily subscribe to it. ETCIO shall not be responsible for any damage caused to any person/organization directly or indirectly.

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Cloud-native applications: Unlocking the potential of scalability and agility - ETCIO