What is a cloud native application, and the benefits

When building new or moving an existing application to the cloud, it is worth considering adopting a cloud native approach to business application development. 

Cloud native refers to the building and running applications for a cloud computing architecture. It has a container-based deployment infrastructure; this modular approach to software development can provide business value to all organisations. Here are some of the benefits of cloud native application development:-

Agility and Scalability

Due to its inherent container-based structure, cloud native applications are agile, scalable and easier to deploy. New apps built with this technology will be smaller in size compared to traditional applications, making them quicker to run. For ongoing maintenance and enhancements, a cloud native approach will allow developers to concentrate on specific areas, update and debug with ease - all without disrupting the business operations or the application end-users.

Intuitive Resource Management

Since cloud native apps are not necessarily built into the infrastructure and use the latest scalable technology - they can run efficiently and cater for the most demanding business environments. These types of applications created based on business requirements will dynamically allocate and reallocate resources based on the ongoing needs and demand. A well-designed app with a cloud native DNA will give resilience, provide high availability and reduce the possibility of downtime in the event of an infrastructure outage.

Improved customer satisfaction

An agile cloud native application underpinning your digital products, services or internal processes can only add to your customer experience. The inherent resilience of the technology means your customers can access the information within the app when they want. For example, a customer-facing application linked to the performance of your product that is responsive and user-friendly and can provide end-users with real-time data will provide significant value-add for your customers.

Furthermore, a cloud native agile application can provide companies with an abundance of business data on their customer trends and behaviour - so you can make informed decisions and proactively react to changes to their requirements and needs.

Lower maintenance costs

Standardisation of the allocation and management of resources and tools means, unlike traditional applications and infrastructure, a cloud native application platform will ultimately reduce costs. Traditional application platforms are often created based on the worst-case scenarios or the maximum capacity required and involve upfront investment. Whereas cloud native platforms will automatically scale resources to match the application's need, reducing costs and turning it into an operational cost so businesses would only pay for the resources consumed. The standardisation of cloud infrastructures will also lower the risk of vendor tie-in, resulting in transferability and flexibility.

Better automation and ease of management

Cloud native applications also provide a range of automation tools to help you automate some of the repetitive but necessary tasks when managing an application. Developers can use the automation capabilities to improve and update the software application without affecting the end-user experience.

A cloud native approach to application development provides businesses many benefits - as it is an agile platform that forms a solid foundation for continuous development and provides the flexibility to be scaled as your business grows and adapts to market changes. If you would like to discuss in more detail how cloud native application development can help your company, contact Zoosh Product Studio for more information.

For more information on cloud native, watch our on-demand webinar 'Cloud Native: Practices, Platforms Services & Architecture'