Cloud Native Applications and Containerization

What are Cloud Native Applications and Containerization?

Cloud Native Applications are applications that are designed and built to run in a cloud environment. They are built using services that fully exploit the advantages of the cloud computing model. These applications are typically designed using microservices architecture, where the application is broken down into smaller, independently deployable services.

Containerization is a key technology in cloud-native development. It involves encapsulating an application and its dependencies into a container that can run across different computing environments consistently. The most popular containerization technology is Docker, which provides a platform for developers to develop, ship, and run applications.

Benefits/Pros of Cloud Native Applications and Containerization

There are numerous benefits that come with adopting cloud native principles and containerization when developing your applications. These include:

1. Scalability: Containers allow you to easily scale your applications up or down based on demand, without the need for complex infrastructure changes.
2. Cost savings: By using containerization, you can reduce the amount of resources needed to run your applications, resulting in cost savings for your business.
3. Faster deployments: Containers enable faster deployment of new features and updates, reducing downtime and increasing customer satisfaction.
4. Portability: With containers, your application can be easily moved between environments without any compatibility issues, making it easier to deploy across different cloud providers.
5. Improved reliability: Containerization reduces the risk of application failures by isolating different components within the container. This ensures that if one component fails, it does not affect the entire application.
6. Flexibility: Containers allow for a more flexible development process as they can be easily spun up or down depending on development needs.
7. Resource optimization: Containers use a minimal amount of resources compared to virtual machines, allowing for more efficient use of server resources and cost savings.
8. Scalability: With containers, you can easily scale your application up or down depending on demand without having to worry about infrastructure limitations.
9. Security: Containers are designed with built-in security features such as isolation and restricted access, making them less vulnerable to attacks.
10. Cost-effective: By using containers, you can save money on hardware costs as well as reduce the time and resources needed for application maintenance and updates.

Checklist to Select Cloud Native Applications

Here is a handy 10-point checklist to select cloud native applications for your business:

1. Scalability: Look for applications that can easily scale up or down depending on demand, without causing any disruptions in service.
2. Flexibility: Choose applications that offer flexibility in terms of deployment options, allowing you to run them on different cloud platforms or on-premises.
3. Resource efficiency: Consider applications that are resource-efficient and do not require a large amount of resources to function effectively.
4. Security: Make sure the application has built-in security features such as authentication, encryption, and access control to protect your data and systems from potential threats. Ensure the application has robust security measures in place to protect sensitive information from unauthorized access or breaches.
5. Monitoring and management capabilities: Look for applications that provide robust monitoring and management capabilities, allowing you to track usage, performance, and identify any issues quickly.
6. Integration: Ensure that the application is compatible with your existing infrastructure and can seamlessly integrate with other applications.Choose applications that can easily integrate with other tools and systems in your environment, enhancing productivity and streamlining processes.
7. User-friendly interface and Support: Consider applications with an intuitive and user-friendly interface, making it easier for employees to adopt and use them effectively. Ensure the application offers training resources, tutorials, or customer support services to help your team learn how to use the platform effectively.
8. Customer support: Look for applications that offer excellent customer support services, including timely assistance and troubleshooting when needed.
9. Customization options: Look for applications that offer customization options to tailor the user experience according to your specific business needs.
10. Cost-effective solutions: While cost may not be the primary factor in choosing an application, it’s essential to weigh the value against its price. Look for options that offer competitive pricing plans and a good return on investment.

Additionally, do your research and read reviews and ratings from other users to get a better understanding of the application’s performance, reliability, and customer support.

Examples of Cloud Native Applications and Containerization

Some examples of Cloud Native Applications and Containerization  include:

1. E-Commerce Platforms: An e-commerce platform such as Amazon can use microservices for different functions like order processing, payment processing, and inventory management, each running in its own container.
2. Streaming Services: A video streaming service such as Spotify uses microservices for user authentication, video streaming, and content recommendation, ensuring scalability and reliability.
3. Financial Services: Banks and fintech companies can use microservices for different financial services like transaction processing, fraud detection, and customer service.
4. Healthcare Applications: Patient management systems in hospitals can be developed as cloud-native applications, allowing for better scalability and data management.
5. Cloud Backup: Cloud backup is a secure and scalable method of storing and backing up data in offsite cloud servers. It offers greater accessibility and protection in case of system failure, replacing traditional local storage methods.

Secure All your SaaS Data with Cloud Native Backup

Cloud native backup is the most secure, scalable and cost-effective way to protect your SaaS data from incidents of data loss. This is because  it involves backing up your data to offsite cloud servers, providing an extra layer of protection in case of system failure or cyber attacks. With the growing trend of businesses relying on software as a service (SaaS) applications for their daily operations, it has become imperative to implement proper backup solutions. This is especially crucial for industries like finance and healthcare that deal with sensitive information and have strict compliance regulations.

1. Cloud native backup allows for automatic backups of all your SaaS data, freeing up valuable time for IT teams. This eliminates the risk of human error, ensuring that all important data is backed up and easily recoverable when needed. Moreover, cloud native backup provides better scalability compared to traditional backup methods.
2. As your business grows, so does your data storage needs. With cloud backup, you can easily scale up or down depending on your changing needs without the hassle and cost of investing in additional hardware.
3. Security is also a major concern for businesses when it comes to data backups. Cloud native backup solutions offer advanced security measures such as encryption and multi-factor authentication to ensure that your data remains safe at all times. This provides peace of mind knowing that your sensitive information is protected from potential cyber threats.
4. One of the major advantages of cloud native backup is its ability to provide continuous backups. Traditional backup methods often have scheduled backups which may result in loss of important data if a disaster occurs between backup intervals. With cloud backup, your data is continuously backed up, minimizing any risk of data loss.
5. In addition, cloud native backup offers better accessibility to  your data. With traditional backups, you may need to physically retrieve a backup device in order to access your data. However, with cloud backups, your data is easily accessible from anywhere with an internet connection.

CloudAlly’s top-rated suite of SaaS solutions for Microsoft 365, Salesforce, Dropbox, Box, and  Google Workspace are comprehensive, secure, and audit compliant. Over 20,000+ customers backup their data on our cloud native solution for cloud to cloud backup. We’re highly secure with AES-256 encryption at rest and SSL encryption in transit, supporting MFA, and offering data centers in NA, Canada, Germany, UK, and Australia. Your data is stored on Amazon AWS servers in a virtual private cloud (VPC) which is a secure, isolated private cloud hosted within a public cloud. Don’t take our word for it, book a demo now and see for yourself!