Switching to the cloud is getting more and more popular among digital companies nowadays. Industries that have
avaThe share of cloud-based apps in the world market is rapidly rising and is projected to reach $166.83 billion by 2024.
list of industries that will apply cloud-based solutions the most comprises insurance and telecommunications, retail, and banking. And there’s no surprise, as such domains imply a vast amount of protected data processing.
This article will guide through the very concept of the cloud-based apps, peculiarities of their development as well as the benefits it can bring. Let’s dive in!
Cloud market size’ growth
What Is a Cloud-Based App?
A cloud based application is a software hosted on the remote server, normally provided by the third party owner, instead of the local one. Alongside, such cloud apps require Internet access as they are normally reached via browser. The third parties that provide cloud infrastructure, aka cloud environment, are called cloud providers.
The way cloud providers organize the cloud environment varies depending on the extent of its publicity.
Currently, 3 main types of cloud infrastructure exist out there.
- Public: Public clouds have a significant amount of computer power at their disposal and provide multiple customers from all kinds of fields with a budget way of storing and processing data. Amazon Web Services and Oracle exemplify this type of cloud environment organization.
- Private: Private clouds are normally created to suit a single company’s need in secure and resource-efficient digital data management. Such private networks do not allow public access both when built on-site or supplied by a remote host.
- Hybrid: In hybrid clouds, public and private approaches are intertwined by the means of API technology (application programming interface). Specifically, API enables sharing and transmitting data between private and public servers.
Types of cloud-based models
The concept of cloud has multiple practical implementations going for which drastically accelerates effectiveness of app development. Wide variety of such solutions narrows down to three main categories. According to the vector of the offered service, cloud solutions are divided into IaaS (infrastructure as a service), PaaS (platform as a service), and Saas (software as a service).
IaaS: Providing infrastructure is the simplest version of cloud-based digital support out there. Iaas cloud providers grant users a constant supply of storage and networking infrastructure as well as an operating system. In their turn, users are responsible for the establishment and optimization of virtual solutions necessary to run their apps. IaaS supports both public and private clouds.
PaaS: Platform as a service functioning cloud models equip their customers with the same tech stack that Iaas-based ones, but expand it further. Particularly, PaaS offers various tools for apps’ creation and the middleware for their smooth connectivity with an OS.
SaaS: In this mode, the cloud environment hosts apps directly. On the developer’s side, SaaS is a convenient and secure way of hosting the app. As for the user’s perspective,
cloud apps do not require uploading to be used while being located on the cloud and accessed via browser.
Cloud-based models
Benefits and Challenges of Cloud-Based Apps
Thus, as we have discussed the theory of cloud-based modules classification, it’s only reasonable to pass to the next question. Particularly, what’s the buzz and what benefits do cloud apps have in their practical implementation. Here’s a list of advantages of cloud-based apps:
- Cost efficiency. The launch of such an app in the cloud requires fewer outgoings. In addition, with cloud services, you are charged only for space and features set applied.
- Data consistency. Cloud services also solve the inconsistency and poor data quality problem by saving all the data in a similar place and format. Thus, each update will be available for everyone of the specific cloud spaces, avoiding human mistakes and supporting the coherence of the info.
- Wide tech stack. Cloud service offers high bandwidth and advanced tech flexibility, which is an indispensable part of every qualitative solution.
- Scalability Support. The growing number of users increases the workload for an app. Providing high scalability, cloud applications easily cope with an expanding amount of work.
Cloud-based apps benefits
Cloud Apps Creation: Steps to Follow
Cloud-based apps share many similarities with in-house ones in terms of their development algorithm, while some steps are explicitly different.
1. Market research and requirements
Conducting market analysis helps determine the relevance of the software you would like to build and the market competition. In addition, you should define your target audience’s pains and needs to offer them a solution that will come in handy for lots of users.
2. Choosing a hiring option
Next, you should choose the hiring option among the three existing ones:
- Freelancers. This option is widely applied yet not the most beneficial for cloud app creation as such software requires long-term cooperation, which is extremely difficult with freelancers.
- In-house team. Gathering such a team provides you with enhanced management, but at the highest cost and great responsibility. Expenditures comprise office rent, hardware, software, taxes, salaries, sick pays, which should be foreseen by your budget. Furthermore, you manage the entire team and the development flow.
- Outsourcing companies. Outsourcing software development company is an excellent option due to the top-class performance combined with financial attractiveness. This is a perfect way to decrease the expenses while saving an excellent product quality.
Cloud apps’ developers hiring options
3. Coming up with a functionality set
To take maximum advantage of software, you should make it helpful for achieving your business goals. For this, you should discuss the following points with your chosen partners:
- Architecture. To avoid making your app monolithic, the architecture of your solution should be based on micro-services making it more advanced and complex.
- Service model. You should choose the one among the types discussed above (SaaS, PaaS, IaaS) depending on your target audience’s requirements and business goals. A competent software vendor may consult you in choosing the right one.
- Cloud migration. If you own an established company, you may optimize its business processes by moving the company data to a cloud server and further operation there.
4. UI/UX design creation
The following stage implies developing an interactive mockup comprising the layout of your app’s elements and functions. The client reviews and approves the wireframe. After that, designers hand it to developers.
5. Building and testing
During this stage, tech-savvy specialists implement all the features and required functionality into the app. Then, it is essential to conduct quality assurance testing to make sure that the software is bug-free, doesn’t contain any other operation issues, and runs smoothly.
6. App launching and support
The process of app release depends on the platform you’ve decided to choose and the quality of the dedicated development team service. Both the App Store and Google Play have their own rules and guidelines to be followed to place the product there. And it isn’t a final point, as each app should be regularly updated and enhanced to attract more users and this way expands the whole business. The importance of choosing a reliable vendor is quite self-explanatory here.
Cloud apps ‘development steps
Cloud-based solutions are a perfect option for businesses that seek powerful technological support to run their apps, a secure and flexible way to store their data, and an ability to spend the minimum resources of their own.
