Cloud Native means building an application in AWS, which uses AWS native services and is logically built to take advantage of the AWS platform. It defines building a ‘greenfield’ application for AWS as opposed to a rehost or a refactoring of the application. It can include new programming languages, Containers, micro-services, REST and gRPC, and a mix of IaaS and PaaS.
Cloud Native must be assessed against a business case, ROI, end user needs and organisational strategy. It can be expensive and time consuming.
Cloud Native usually describes new builds and is time consuming, especially when a team is decomposing an existing 3 tier, tightly coupled application, into micro-services to achieve scalability, or to enable greater monetisation.
For critical applications close to the core value stream or underpinning competitive differentiation, a cloud-native rewrite may be worth the investment.
Cloud-native is a continuum, and usually firms need to be familiar with AWS before rewriting applications to take advantage of the platform’s flexibility. The operating model is also a key concern given that operating costs are many more times expensive, than development.
Consider where the greatest commercial benefits can be realized, and where the likely challenges lie. From this vantage point, you can make focused and logical decisions. It may be more appropriate—and beneficial—to address underlying issues like overdue technical debt before undertaking extensive rewrites.
In the digital economy, businesses must continually improve their applications and client-facing interactions to satisfy customer demands more quickly. It is important that cloud adoption strategies are rooted in this understanding. The ability of IT to adapt and scale has a direct bearing on future business success.
Cloud Native Builds are usually linked to ‘Digital Transformation’ and improved CI-CD processes.
