How Cloud Native Technology Makes Businesses More Efficient

It has been around 14 years since former Google CEO Eric Schmidt coined the term ‘cloud computing’. It is safe to say that it has become a regular part of the modern business vernacular, particularly in the IT space. 

The benefits of cloud computing are undeniable- agility, scalability, and the ability for remote teams to collaborate effectively are just some benefits that are repeatedly cited by IT managers around the world. However, there is one benefit that quite possibly is the most cited, as it is the most important one when it comes to convincing the C-suite to invest in an infrastructure to support cloud-native technology – and that is efficiency.

Efficiency can mean several things in a business context. It could mean that a business has a lesser need to invest in upfront IT resources, be they servers, server management technology or even IT staff. Or it could mean that a business can solicit feedback from its customers much quicker and without additional market research expense. And the list goes on. 

However, before we unpack the efficiency benefits offered by cloud computing and more specifically cloud-native technology, it is worth clarifying what cloud-native means. 

Simply put, cloud-native application development refers to the development of applications that are meant to function specifically on a cloud computing platform. This may seem obvious, however, the fact is that many IT organisations that transition from traditional server models to a cloud environment miss out on the full benefits of the cloud because their applications aren’t optimised for that environment. 

Traditional applications within enterprises weren’t designed to fully utilise the flexibility, scalability and indeed the efficiency of a cloud computing environment. And when these applications are migrated to a cloud environment, they are often transplanted into that environment with little to no consideration for the unique benefits offered by the cloud.

This leads to enterprises having applications that are not particularly agile (one of the key benefits of cloud computing), and unable to scale up (or down for that matter) quickly depending on customer demand and the commercial requirements of the business.

With that caveat, let us now focus on how cloud-native technology, when utilised properly, can help improve the efficiency in enterprise IT processes.

Cloud-native applications are modular. You don’t need to break the whole application to fix a part

Cloud computing utilises what is known as a microservices approach to application development, as opposed to a more traditional monolithic approach (such as waterfall). Because cloud-native applications are modular, if a dev team needs to improve a particular component of an application, they can do so in isolation from the rest of the application. This means that there is a lot less disruption in service to customers, thereby reducing the amount of customer relationship management required to cover for the dev team. It also means that there are far less IT, management, and dev resources required upfront to implement changes.

When there are fewer resources required to make dev changes within an application, it is easier for the IT department to get sign off from management. This means there is a lot less red tape and paperwork which is the bane of every IT manager. All these elements lead to a much more efficient process of development and maintenance of applications within the cloud, ultimately benefiting the bottom line of the business.

Cloud-native technology helps foster a culture of innovation within an organisation

Most business and IT managers would probably agree that customer feedback is a key component when it comes to innovation. You can whiteboard solutions and build them in isolation all you want- what ultimately matters is whether the end-user is getting value from using it, and this can only be done by soliciting regular and specific customer feedback. The challenge with this, of course, is that traditionally it has taken a lot of time, effort and IT resources to source customer feedback, and even more so, act upon it.

In a traditional development model such as waterfall, you would have to wait for an entirely new version of the application to be developed before you could solicit customer feedback as a dev team. This is quite a slow and painstaking process, and often the feedback that you do receive may become obsolete by the time you release a new version based on it. 

However, when developing applications in a cloud-native environment, dev teams can work on (and elicit customer feedback on) individual modules in a much more agile fashion. Tighter feedback loops mean faster innovation and better customer experience. And better customer experience can only have a positive impact on the bottom line.

In Summary

There are many benefits to cloud computing such as efficiency, agility and scalability. However, businesses would be well advised to invest in cloud-native architecture to maximise the benefits that it offers.