Are Cloud Managed Services Are Right for Your Business?

Is distributed computing a fit for your project? As a rule, businesses choose to pursue distributed computing when one or more of the following are true — the scenario includes data 1) Large in volume, 2) High in velocity and/or 3) High in variability.

Depending on a team’s goals, one type of cloud implementation might be a better fit compared to the others. For some businesses minimizing rework and maintaining legacy code is a top priority. For others, scaling the system automatically is more important. What variables can help businesses choose?

How Do Successful Teams Design the Right Architecture?

Selecting one cloud implementation may offer both positive or negative ramifications for the business. Implementing a cloud architecture is a balancing act. Working with an AWS-certified development partner can help minimize challenges and optimize benefits during and after the transition.

Before choosing a cloud architecture and moving into the cloud, successful teams create a transition plan identifying the business problem, benefits offered by the implementation, barriers presented by it, current roles and how responsibilities much shift post-implementation.

What questions do businesses ask to help them determine an appropriate cloud architecture?

Is Your Team Building from Scratch?

The decision tree to start leveraging cloud services begins with that one question. If not, how much of your existing code would you like to use? Depending on the answer, certain cloud implementations may be ruled out (Serverless/Distributed) and other rise in the list of considerations (Infrastructure-Based, Containerized Applications).

How Often Do Workloads Run, at What Cost?

It makes sense that the economics behind a cloud implementation would have a meaningful impact on its architecture. In fact, cost is often a primary driver for businesses to move to the cloud, especially in cases where code is only executed during a small, high-traffic window.

Businesses that choose serverless computing only pay-per-use, rather than paying by the hour (containerized applications) or 24/7 on-prem. If a business processed millions of transactions in a two-hour window every day, why would they opt to pay for time when code wasn’t being executed?

Is Your Application Event-driven?

A containerized implementation is also beneficial to control costs by flexing the infrastructure up and down depending on known high traffic times. Consider an e-commerce website. How likely is it that a heavy traffic load will hit the site during the middle of the night? Not very. Businesses with a containerized implementation can scale up during high-traffic times and down when low traffic is anticipated.

How Much Control Would You Like Updating the Application?

Containers can also be assigned different purposes so some can run while others are dormant. A containerized architecture with microservices allows businesses the opportunity to segregate code by function. For an app with ten different functions separated into containers, one function can be updated without impacting the other nine.

Types of Cloud Implementation

A business’ success with cloud managed services often hinges on the care and consideration given to the selection from among cloud implementation types. As with any development project, clearly defining the business problems the team hopes to solve will enable them to look beyond the benefits offered by each implementation type and select the option that addresses targeted needs.

What are the key features differentiating each type?

Cloud Compute Infrastructure-Based Applications

• Traditional model
• Businesses pay for virtual servers that run on a schedule or continuously
• Users pay for the amount of time instances are run
• Legacy code can be used
• Instances can be automatically or manually scaled

Containerized Applications

• Applications run on Docker or Kubernetes
• Users pay for the amount of time instances are run
• Some legacy code can be reused
• Instances can be automatically or manually scaled
• Embrace microservices architecture

Serverless and Distributed Applications

• Requires a different approach to build
• Users pay for the amount of time during which the code is executed
• The infrastructure scales automatically
• No legacy code can be reused
• The system cannot be used across different cloud providers

Application Migrated to the Cloud

• Application modernization
• Rewrite existing application run on top of the cloud infrastructure
• Leverage services to best ability
• Pay for usage by-the-hour, measured by the minute

Why Are Some Industries Approaching the Cloud with Caution?

Accept the evolution of the cloud. All organizations are right to take a measured and thoughtful approach to cloud implementations. Traditional servers and data centers have existed for many years. Their ability and value are proven. Cloud managed services are new, by comparison. Developing in and migrating to the cloud are moving targets. The abilities of the technology available today may change or expand tomorrow.

Other risks exist. Because the technologies are so new, limitations aren’t as well documented or understood. Teams that opt for a cloud implementation should be ready to problem solve throughout the project as limitations (like a memory cap) are discovered and must be overcome. Working with an established development team who already has a relationship with a cloud vendor will allow your team to more easily voice and address the issue if such a limitation is found.

Before diving headlong into cloud managed services, take the time to identify who, from your team or an external vendor, has the expertise to complete a risk-assessment and mitigation plan. Validate that the selected implementation will meet your needs.