How Is Cloud Computing Changing the App Development Landscape?
2022-06-06 09:46:061961 – that's the date many agree was the moment that the idea of cloud computing was born. Very different from what it is today, but it was already in the technologists' mind.
Over 60 years on, we can now tap into the power of servers and build logical infrastructure for applications while sitting at home with a fixed internet connection.
And as we do it, we rarely think about who produced different elements in the server room we use. Ha! Often we don't even have an idea where exactly they are and instead just know their number and the country's name.
So it was in 1961 that Professor John McCarthy envisioned shifting the attention away from the then popular central computer to accessing the services it offered. During MIT's celebration, he said: “Computing may someday be organised as a public utility just as the telephone system is a public utility… The computer utility could become the basis of a new and important industry.”
Little had he known how much his words would ring true in 2022.
Cloud computing to the forefront
The development of IT services has never been as fast as today.
Each year, we keep forgetting more and more all the issues we once experienced when building applications and managing server rooms. Instead, we now focus on solving ongoing logical challenges and automation.
Of course, there’s nothing wrong with that. Over the last few years, we have witnessed a major change in cloud computing. Fears around its use have been dissipating and giving space for it to become a cornerstone for a growing number of technical and business issues.
Enterprise budgets clearly reflect this trend. According to Gartner, 51% of IT spending will have shifted from traditional solutions to the public cloud by 2025.
The cloud enables using intelligent solutions that are flexible, scalable, and often help reduce costs significantly. Cloud computing, thanks to fast VPN connections and high-speed Internet, is no longer seen as some form of an add-on to data centres.
The cloud has brought an overarching change in all software areas, so let’s now consider the case of application development.
How has the cloud changed app development?
I recall how many years ago, even restarting the server required contacting a help desk in another country and having to spell out your entire surname and identification code.
Right now, the cloud offers the availability of 99% and more, while with the right configuration a server restart can go completely unnoticed by the end-user. What a revolution this has been!
Let’s look at all of this from a software development perspective. Anyone working in this field long enough can see how programming methodologies have adapted to the advances in cloud computing.
Also, the direction of application development and the way apps work has changed – and that course is now the cloud. It contains all the resources you need to run your apps smoothly, and these are up for grabs at any time.
And when it comes to the application’s end-users, they no longer have to go through the often complex installation processes. Instead, they can access the app on a web browser or mobile, and automation has replaced many manual processes.
If it sounds great, it is because it is so. There’s a caveat, though.
A proviso about cloud app development
If you want to take full advantage of cloud computing’s enormous potential for application development, you have to follow multiple cloud-oriented programming practices.
All software must have the right architecture to take advantage of its scalability. One of its requirements is not being tightly coupled to specific data sources, file systems or implementations. Interaction between different components takes place in a completely different way.
So you might be tempted to conclude that cloud-native application development paradigms adapt to the technological evolution we’re now experiencing. Application developers pass this adaptation test when they focus on the future without forgetting the past.
Apart from software engineers, there is a wider range of specialists whose cooperation enables cloud-native application development – such as architects, DevOps, and administrators. Their commitment, experience, and skills have helped many enterprises successfully migrate to the cloud.
Conclusion
Just as Professor McCarthy guessed, cloud computing has given rise to a completely new industry of IT services, where anything seems possible. It has enabled us to put the statement that the “sky’s the limit” to the test and see that our imagination may be what restricts us most.
The possibilities and the level of logic that we can introduce seem unbounded at this point.
Cloud computing has greatly changed the way we look at applications and infrastructures. It has opened our eyes to new solutions and business models that wouldn’t have even been thinkable before.
While the scale of changes may seem overwhelming, each year sees the cloud becoming more and more of a household name. Working with a reliable technology partner, you can make it work for your business in a bespoke way – drop us a line to discuss it further.
Sources:
MIT – The cloud Imperative
https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2022-02-09-gartner-says-more-than-half-of-enterprise-it-spending#:~:text=By%202025%2C%2051%25%20of%20IT,up%20from%2057.7%25%20in%202022.
About the author: Mateusz Grządzielski, almost 10 years of experience in IT. He’s worked at all tech support positions – from a specialist to a team leader now.
At Tenesys, he is in charge of the DevOps Engineers team, focusing on clients’ projects and the whole team’s good vibe. Besides from the IT side, Mateusz is studying at Poznan Economic University and leading his own business.