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HiTech
5 minutes read

How the Cloud is Transforming Software Development

By Jonathan Tarud
By Jonathan Tarud
HiTech
5 minutes read

In this day and age, a mobile app development partner needs to be as technologically advanced as possible in order to compete in the marketplace. If you’re considering mobile app development, you should be making sure that any development agency you look at is technically advanced and has a progressive philosophy. Indicators include agile development, a DevOps team in place, or full stack developers. And if you see experience in cloud-based development, you can expect top-notch development that likely comes in under budget in record time. Here’s a few reasons why working with the cloud makes development and post-launch operation so much better. 

Agile Development in the Cloud

Agile development is a fairly complex system. To put it simply, it’s a flexible and iterative process that integrates cross-functioning teams to collaborate and continuously code, test, and improve software throughout. Even simpler? It shortens the timeline of quality software development significantly, and that’s a good thing for you.

If this agile process is in place, it means that available servers become essential. If any self-organizing team is in a code-writing sprint and needs access to a server, they shouldn’t have to rely on the IT team to scramble and free up a physical server. With cloud technology, access to a server is almost infinite. And when teams are simultaneously pushing code into a common repository for testing, they need all the power they can get. That power and flexibility is found in the cloud. 

Open Source is Global

Many projects are advised and guided from the virtual library and repository that lives in the cloud. Whether your in-house developers are researching and discussing different strategies or your team is geographically scattered, real-time updated information and collaboration is made possible with a cloud-based network.

On-site server downtime is a serious impediment to this sort of development. Exploring different ideas and researching various code libraries is crucial to real-time development strategy, and local and remote teams need constant access to this. Building, testing, and releasing in this manner gives your teams far more latitude for other important tasks, as this formerly laborious process can be executed through cloud servers quickly and thoroughly. 

External Factors

As with any work-intensive project, external software is often needed to assist teams in various ways. Core cloud services like Software as a Service (SaaS), Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), and Platform as a Service (PaaS). This gives developers much more latitude and power to build scalable and efficient software.

Several project management apps live in the cloud, which are essential for any agile development team. Automated testing is also a common SaaS need. PaaS  that specifically address software development include multi-language environments and massive databases. And the IaaS uses automated testing and virtualization on both private and public clouds. 

Continuous Delivery and Integration

If you’re looking for true agile development, you absolutely need to use a continuous delivery and integration system. Having a common repository where code is entered, tested, and rebuilt is a cornerstone of this type of rapid development, and utilizing a powerful cloud-based solution to manage these tasks greatly affects the resulting timeline.

The cyclical method of testing and rebuilding faulty code traditionally took a tremendous amount of time. Having a cloud-based server system allows teams the bandwidth to tackle this process in a truly parallel manner, keeping the iterative motion fluid. Teams that may be geographically spread out are able to use a unified language and platform to continue their builds, automated testing, and fixes with almost no down time.

Additionally, software that services larger dynamic businesses will naturally have updates and unique releases that need to be released in a regular manner, in timeframes that range from daily to annually. Having this large virtual network to power these releases lets the developers worry about the code builds, and not the potentially clunky releases. 

Innovation and Experimentation

This is the space that many project managers don’t really consider when planning timelines and budgets. It’s clear that time and energy formerly spent on executing laborious processes during the building and testing process can now be applied to learning, researching, and experimenting with new ideas.

Your agile development teams are full of talent and innovation, but not when they are facing frantic deadlines and strained budgets. These are the innovations that could help push your software to new levels, making it more efficient and productive for future applications. Yes, time saved is important, but so is budget. Streamlined operations means capital freed up for investments in new ventures, team members and technology, while using cloud-based services saves money on formerly expensive software. You want your brand to be the benchmark for invention and progressive innovation. Working within the cloud throughout can help you get there. 

Other Services

When cloud-based systems debuted, they were primarily utilized for data storage and rudimentary Web services. While those functions still exist today, there are many more applications of this technology that can help your team exponentially.

  • Mobile: Used for push notifications, user authentication, and data storage.
  • Analytics: Used for visualization, predictive analytics, and data crunching on a large scale.
  • Deployment and Delivery: Used for continuous automated deployment.
  • Content: Used for targeted and automated content delivery at all levels of the Web.
  •  Artificial Intelligence: Used for various machine learning features, including analytics and management. 

Summation

In summary, a developer’s ability to use all these features imbedded in the cloud gives teams the time, money, and energy they need to flawlessly execute the development and operation of software, while continuing to innovate and advance new ideas for the future. Don’t you want your next software development partner to have all that?

Want to learn how your website or app could benefit from the cloud? Contact us today for a free consultation!

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