What is cloud native?

Conventional methods of software development entailed using siloed, rigid processes to build monolithic applications supported by on-premises infrastructure. This approach required developers to test and deliver multiple software functionalities simultaneously. If used today, traditional development methods slow innovation and make it difficult to update or scale apps, affecting an organization’s ability to compete in fast-moving markets.

Designed for on-premises environments, apps built using traditional methods can be enabled to run on cloud infrastructure. However, because they weren’t built from the ground up for cloud environments, apps moved to the cloud can perform poorly and be challenging to manage.

Cloud-native development marks a fundamental shift toward greater scalability and agility in software development. Developer and operations teams can use cloud tools and technologies to quickly create and update cloud-native apps composed of multiple small, single-function services called “microservices.”

This approach supports digital transformation by allowing teams to continuously roll out and scale independent services without affecting overall app performance. Cloud-native apps are also easier to manage than traditional software.

Maximize the scalability, resiliency, and agility of your cloud-native apps by following these three core principles:

1.Create a flexible cloud-native architecture using microservices.
Microservices are loosely coupled software components that communicate through well-defined APIs. Together, they make up a complete application. Given its modular nature, a microservice architecture lets teams update and scale individual parts of an app without affecting the whole.

2.Build cloud-native apps that can run anywhere by deploying microservices in containers.
Containers are standalone packages of software that bundle together application code with the operating system libraries and dependencies required to run them. Lightweight and portable, containerized microservices can run reliably on virtually any type of infrastructure, including hybrid and multicloud platforms.

Container-optimized tools and services designed to help your organization effectively manage, secure, and scale cloud-native apps include:

• Container orchestration platforms, such as Kubernetes, automatically manage container lifecycles with auto-scaling, auto-updating, and self-healing capabilities.
• A service mesh provides a programmable, secure communication layer that performs multiple functions across microservices—without changing app code. For example, it manages traffic, adds mutual Transport Layer Security (TLS) authentication, and enforces uniform policies.
• Serverless computing automatically provisions, scales, and manages servers and infrastructure as a cloud service, allowing teams to build and run containerized apps faster. It’s ideal for event-driven applications that must handle spikes in traffic.

3.Accelerate cloud-native development by adopting a DevOps approach.
DevOps increase operational efficiency and agility by using cloud, AI, and other technologies to integrate processes, tools, and practices across the software delivery lifecycle. Continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) pipelines are foundational to DevOps because they automate builds, testing, and deployment.

Here are some key ways that your organization can benefit by adopting a cloud-native approach:

• Faster time-to-market: Microservices and automated CI/CD pipelines reduce bottlenecks and shorten DevOps cycles. This allows teams to release new, reliable features more quickly and make frequent, incremental updates.
• Improved scalability and resilience: Applications scale horizontally to handle traffic spikes and then scale down to control costs. Also, failures are localized, so if one microservice fails, the others continue running, minimizing downtime.
• Portability and flexibility: Teams can move container-based workloads between different cloud computing platforms—public, private, and hybrid—without heavy rework. This allows them to avoid vendor lock-in and pursue multicloud strategies.
• Increased efficiencies: Organizations can simplify app deployment—and pay only for the resources that they use—by using serverless computing and different types of cloud computing, including infrastructure as a service (IaaS), platform as a service (PaaS), and software as a service (SaaS). These services also free teams to focus on delivering new apps and features to customers rather than setting up and managing infrastructure and other resources.
• Support for AI adoption: Teams can experiment with and speed delivery of AI-powered apps and agents by taking advantage of AI as a service (AIaaS) and models as a service (MaaS).
• Enhanced collaboration: Developers, operations, and business teams can work together more effectively using DevOps processes, tools, and practices.
• Built-in security and compliance: Cloud-native development embeds security and governance policies in code, providing automated, continuous protection across the entire software lifecycle. Use of small, independently secured microservices further enhances overall data security.

Here are real-world examples of how organizations of all types and sizes achieve competitive advantage with a cloud-native approach:

Retail
Retailers increasingly rely on managed container services to host microservices that run online storefronts, shopping carts, recommendation engines, and payment gateways. Because each service is containerized, retailers can independently scale individual services, such as payment services during seasonal traffic spikes.

Banking and finance
Cloud-native technologies give financial institutions greater agility to innovate while maintaining robust security and compliance. For example, banks can use serverless computing to securely process high volumes of transactions on demand. They can also use real-time analytics to detect and block suspicious activity before it escalates.

Healthcare
Healthcare providers are realizing breakthroughs in patient care by integrating cloud-native apps with edge computing, which analyzes data locally at its source. Data from Internet of Things (IoT) devices, such as wearables, infusion pumps, and heart monitors, can be securely streamed to containerized microservices that analyze vital signs, detect anomalies, and alert clinicians instantly.

Manufacturing
Cloud-native technologies are central to manufacturing’s shift to Industry 4.0. For example, manufacturers can use cloud-native apps to gain end-to-end supply chain visibility. If a shipment is delayed, a microservice can automatically trigger alternate sourcing or adjust production schedules. Also, factories can process data from smart sensors and robots at the edge, reducing latency.

Cloud-native development takes full advantage of cloud computing, empowering teams to efficiently design, build, and operate workloads across public, private, and hybrid environments. As cloud-native architectures and technologies continue to evolve, here are some trends you can follow to help your organization remain innovative, adaptable, and resilient:
Integration of AI apps and agents: Cloud-native platforms will increasingly embed intelligent apps and agents into DevOps processes, compounding efficiency and resilience through automation. For example, teams use AI-powered services to automatically scale resources and detect and respond to potential threats. They also use machine-learning models to deliver real-time insights that support data-driven decisions.
Proliferation of cloud-edge architectures: Expect growing numbers of cloud-native apps to distribute tasks between edge devices and centralized cloud infrastructure. This will allow organizations to process data where it’s generated while helping ensure scalability, high availability, and security. Examples include apps needed to run autonomous vehicles and remote diagnostic devices.
Emphasis on platform engineering: More organizations will scale their cloud-native initiatives, creating teams to build internal developer platforms that provide self-service access to standardized tools, environments, and workflows. These platforms reduce complexity, accelerate delivery, and support security and compliance across projects.