Application Building

Application Building: Traditional Versus Cloud-Based

One of the most notable trends in the business industry is the growth of cloud computing. Cloud computing offers several innovative solutions that help businesses manage their applications and data in more efficient, secure and strategic ways than was possible earlier. No surprise then that businesses are switching over to public cloud systems from the traditional proprietary cloud system. In fact, by 2020, the size of the cloud computing industry is likely to cross the $400 billion mark and almost double its revenue earnings compared to what they were in 2016.

The Growth In Cloud Computing

The growth illustrated above is impressive, but there were many signs of this emerging trend in the recent past. At the same time, cloud computing has not made equal inroads in all types of industries. For example, while the IT industry has embraced cloud computing for application building wholeheartedly, other industries like medical care and financial services have been slow to respond to this trend. These companies are more risk-averse when it comes to transferring their entire data and applications to a public cloud system. It is only a matter of time before their security concerns from the cloud are addressed, and they also migrate to the cloud infrastructure.

New Companies Migrating To The Cloud

Nonetheless, there is a growing interest among these companies about the potential of the cloud to improve banking and financial services. Different types of applications can be migrated to the cloud, including banking and investment applications, food and ride-hailing applications, and educational applications. Basic AWS Certification training can help you understand the potential of the cloud-based approach. If not, then much of the information about cloud services are available on white papers published online, which shows how the cloud-based applications are better at providing value than traditional applications.Additionally, there are multiple examples of cloud-based apps around us that illustrate their benefits.

Below is a simple comparative analysis of the procedures followed when an app is developed by an in-house team compared to when it is developed online:

1.     Differences In Requirement Specification

In the traditional approach to building applications, the team undertakes lengthy meetings with the commissioning company, as well as the team comprising of app developers, administrators, database managers and security experts to assess the development needs. In addition, the resource requirements are also estimated since the process of designing, deploying and maintaining the app requires a certain amount of software, hardware, server space, storage resources and bandwidth. The team needs to look into different aspects of the process such as performance issues, capacity expansion and server usage.

Once all members of the project team agree on the requirements, the procurement process begins, which would include the buying of hardware and software assets.

None of these lengthy discussions is required when the application is developed on the cloud. With simple AWS Certification training,the same project team can adjust the software and hardware needs in a matter of seconds and can add storage space as required. You might also need an AWS certified solutions architect to manage the process. The costs of error are also minimal since the environment is virtual, and the correct specifications can be entered once again into the cloud.

2.     Differences In Purchasing Strategies And Methods

In traditional project and application development teams, the purchasing process is a lengthy and prolonged one with negotiations with vendors and suppliers extending to weeks and months. Multiple parties are involved in these talks, including the project team members, suppliers, sales staff, compliance teams, finance teams, and so on. Approvals are required at every stage which can further complicate the process. Due to these processes, it can be a while before the company can get the assets that it needs to develop and launch the application in time for the market.

In a cloud-based environment, the purchasing process is much more simplified. The number of parties is kept to a minimum with little need for sales staff or any other middlemen in the process. All that needs to be done is to enter the necessary specifications and requirements on the system, and the required assets are at the disposal of the project team.

3.     Differences In Installation Systems

In a traditional environment, the company would have to maintain its own data center on its premises, which would consist of an elaborate racking system to house the hardware assets. In addition, a networking team would be required to set up the system, configure it and ensure that it is running at all times. Other members of the team, such as system administrators and storage specialists, would be required to monitor capacity usage. As with the previous step, this process can also take several weeks and months before tangible results are obtained.

In the cloud environment, the process of installing an application on the system can be accomplished within a few hours. In fact, the process can be repeated multiple times and can be made available to the public within a matter of minutes.

Conclusion

The comparison described above is a highly simplified one, but it drives home the point of the different ways in which a cloud environment adds critical value and efficiencies in the application development process, compared to a traditional environment. In addition to this, there are many other services and features offered by the cloud environment that can further enrich your application development activities and help you offer more competitive solutions to the market than your competitors. Moreover, all of these services are easily accessible provided that you have the required skills and training within the company, which can help you maximize the returns from this investment.

If you are involved in the application developing process at your company, then all of this information can help you decide which benefits of the cloud-based approach your company is ready for. Evaluating your current position and readiness is critical to consider before you take the plunge into cloud-based application development. Once you are ready, you will realize that the potential of this technology is much greater than what you are currently doing at your company.

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