Tailor-made yet expansively Automatically scalable applications for more efficient clouds
New intelligent applications tailored to the automatic scaling of infrastructures enable the use of new technologies and the expansion of existing business models. Continuous innovation is needed to continuously drive economic growth.
Companies on the topic
Decentralized and intelligently developed applications that can automatically scale in real time adapt their scope to user behavior and keep infrastructure costs low.
(Image: © sdecoret – stock.adobe.com)
A further development of the underlying cloud technology is of course also part of this. These include, for example, the concepts of multi-cloud and hybrid cloud-that is, the combination of public and private cloud solutions or cloud and on – premises solutions. They make it possible to make business processes more efficient and flexible depending on the special requirements for areas such as data security.
The path to multi – and hybrid cloud scenarios requires a rethink in the development of applications that enable the relevant products and services. New intelligent applications that can scale automatically or even expand their own infrastructure automatically enable new business and technology models.
Focus on the customer and its applications
The development of applications is no longer just a task for developers and infrastructure managers. With the customer at the center, functionality and user-friendliness depend more on their needs and less on the choice of infrastructure.
An example: a company with a private infrastructure, private networks and an on-premises cloud wants to have full control over budget, security and technology at all times. This inevitably leads to a limitation of the creativity and agility of the application developers. Adding features or deploying the application to new regions requires infrastructure and networks to be adapted.
Access to data and synchronization with other systems are a prerequisite for external collaboration and partnerships with other companies. Security-related issues are becoming more complex in heterogeneous environments. Of course, compliance with previously defined budgets and the effective interaction of a company with its partner network remain additional basic requirements.
But what happens if you reverse this process and think about applications and services first? The teams will then first focus on the front-end specifications. On the one hand, what the customer will see later, and on the other, how to make a new offer in web, mobile and embedded applications more attractive and readable. Only then will the company provide the necessary means to create new innovations. New solutions and applications are tested first, while the company otherwise focuses on its core business and profitability.
Auto-scaling: the latest cry
Today, the infrastructure market is able to enable applications and adapt backend services as requirements change. An example of this are the seasonal peaks in e-commerce, but also the adaptation of products and services. Of course, this also includes changing usage habits, as can currently be observed through the global pandemic.
However, this paradigm shift is only made possible by the development of decentralized and intelligent applications that can automatically scale in real time to adapt their scope to user behavior and optimize infrastructure costs in the pay-as-you-go model. Thanks to public infrastructure or a multi-cloud approach, applications can also be moved from one environment to another. This is also very important in terms of data location and data sovereignty criteria.
Portability and reversibility are made possible by container and microservice approaches, as the application provides all the elements necessary for its operation, such as programming languages, frameworks or libraries. Finally, automation mechanisms used by Kubernetes container orchestration users free the technical teams from (almost) all tasks associated with creating and updating an IT infrastructure.
This is an important point, because in terms of physical protection of devices and compliance with security standards, this should help decision makers who want to industrialize digital infrastructures manage their data and applications. Ultimately, this enables customers to fully focus on their growth and innovation capabilities.
More connectivity, and less latency
In principle, this new generation of autoscale applications cannot exist without direct network connections between the various players in the infrastructure. Interconnection platforms enable companies around the world to connect their applications directly to thousands of cloud service and API providers while maintaining all relevant security standards. Thanks to this global network and direct fiber connection, you can now develop powerful, latency-free cloud applications for gaming, the Internet of Things and connected healthcare.
Stefan Schäfer, OVHcloud. (Picture: bcc8)
The technology for networking and hybridization that makes such applications possible in the first place is already available, but requires human support in order to actually implement it. However, the biggest challenge remains: bringing all stakeholders in the company together to consider new, faster ways for future processes.
* The authors: Stefan Schäfer is Head of Global Product Marketing at OVHcloud, Nicolas Roger works as Cloud Global Solutions Architect at Equinix.
(ID:47366373)
