How To Utilise The Cloud Development Model

IT moves quickly… it takes some time before the hype dies down and you begin to realise whether or not that once heralded next big thing is actually a thing, big or even worth talking about. The cloud development model is one of those things that’s creeping in, with good reason, to the corporate consciousness of IT.

Here, we’ll focus on the business reasons for adopting the cloud development model, what benefits of doing so are and how to move towards it if you like the sound of what’s on offer.

Why should I care?

The cloud development model is in the early stages of adoption by corporates, but it’s certainly being adopted. Cloud development–and the devops, Platform as a Service, containers and automation that come along with it–are often ushered alongside a mention of Netflix, Facebook and other unicorn startups, due to the fact these kind of Silicon Valley businesses adopted this then groundbreaking way of working.

Aside from the “if it’s good enough for Netflix” argument, because–let’s face it–not many businesses are building software at this scale, and many aren’t software focused at all. The good news is that the cloud development model can be applied to many IT departments, not just those pushing out apps.

However, this isn’t a call to go out and recruit new contractors while upskilling your people to meet the demands of some new dawn of IT… it’s more time to change how you think about building applications, there’s some benefits in it for you, honest. It doesn’t need to be a large scale project that costs loads of money and ends up being a total nightmare. We’re talking about building small, nimble applications that make work easier for staff and life easier for customers. After all, why would you repeat the same task over and over if it can be automated by taking note of the cloud development model?

Many businesses rely heavily on software and use developers (often on a freelance basis) to help the software play nice together, integrate and do everything the business needs it to. It works, but instead of using out of the box systems and making them do what you need them to, why not create an environment where building small, specific applications that help your business overcome and avoid challenges is a painless, proactive process. It avoids the kind of repetition that–over time–becomes a pretty big drain of time and resource. That’s what makes the cloud development model different to just another next big thing. It’s a change to how you look and think about problems.

What does good look like?

In its best form, the cloud development model initially works on freeing up your IT team from the mass of maintenance and management that–for many–their current infrastructure is demanding. IT teams are used to firefighting, keeping things alive and ensuring the business is moving forward, but what if this pressure was taken away? It would be the end of the IT department as you know it. The rest of your business will love you for it.

What we’ve seen from our clients, once they’ve embraced this kind of approach, is the IT department turning into a kind of workshop environment where business leaders, project managers and departmental figures can come in and talk around the upcoming projects they’ve got on. Techies work with people throughout the business to figure out how technology can assist in the success of projects, applying IT logic to business problems. It’s an exciting transition that brings out the creativity in the IT industry and champions the department within your business.

It sounds great, but we’re a long way off

There’s always a delay in the acceptance of something in IT and it becoming the new norm. It can take years to happen, but it’s worth being aware of what is on the horizon on a corporate level. It’s worth giving some thought to how you can one day see it shaping the future in your business.

The cloud provides the opportunity to create better experiences for customers, but the same applies to your staff and how your business thinks and works. That’s exactly what the cloud development model is all about, allowing IT to innovate more and push products, services and process into the future with logical steps forward that boost business efficiency.

To get there, a shift in mindset and culture must take place. In some cases, while staff enjoy the fruits of the cloud development model, the developers involved don’t enjoy the getting accustomed to the new way of working. The cloud development model isn’t something that is integrated overnight or easily bought or brought in.

Interested in dipping your toe into a world where your business is confined less by infrastructure and uses software to run smoother? Let’s chat. We understand that this isn’t an overnight process, and not something that’s easy to comprehend from a standing start, but our devops experts can help you understand how automation and software can help your business could flourish.