The downsides of cloud-native solutions
The popularity and growth of cloud-native development are phenomenal, but complexity and vendor lock-in are the trade-offs for achieving agility and dependability.
According to a recent Gartner study, more than 95% of application workloads will be on cloud-native platforms by 2025, up from 30% in 2021. However, adoption is never a straight line. It may slow down or stop if we run out of applications that are easy to adapt to new development approaches.
Still unsure what “cloud native” means?
“Cloud-native development” refers to the process of designing, developing, and running applications in a cloud computing environment. It uses the cloud’s advantages, architectural patterns, and capabilities to maximize performance, scalability, and cost-effectiveness.
This approach provides faster time to market, increased agility and flexibility, improved scalability, and better reliability. It represents a fundamental shift in how software is developed, implemented, and managed, allowing businesses to fully capitalize on the cloud’s potential to spur innovation and growth. It is also compatible with well-known development tools such as containers and container orchestration.
Although there are numerous benefits to developing cloud-native applications, there are some drawbacks. As more workloads are deployed using cloud-native techniques, they are becoming more visible.
Single-vendor trap.
One of the most serious issues with cloud-native development and deployment is vendor lock-in. When developing and deploying an application in the cloud, you typically use the native features of a certain cloud provider. Switching providers can be costly and time-consuming. This may limit the organization’s flexibility in deciding where to run its applications. It contradicts portability, which many regard as a key feature of cloud-native development.
Most supporters of cloud-native development believe that lock-in is not an issue. However, you will have to use native features on specific cloud service providers and platform types (storage, security, etc.), which limits your ability to move them to other platforms cheaply.
Shortage of skilled experts.
Another disadvantage of cloud-native development is that it is more complex and requires a different set of tools and skills than traditional on-premises and public cloud development. Organizations unfamiliar with cloud-native practices may struggle, necessitating additional training and resources.
As a result, there are numerous poorly designed cloud-native deployments. If you don’t have prior experience developing and deploying these systems, you’re likely to end up with applications that are flawed in their design and overly complex.
Unpredictable costs.
Businesses may be surprised by the costs of developing cloud-native applications. Usage-based pricing may result in unexpected expenses if an application experiences a spike in traffic. Organizations must carefully monitor their usage and plan accordingly to avoid budget overruns. Unless you have a solid cloud finOps plan in place avoid deploying cloud-native applications.
The benefits of cloud-native application development are numerous, but to fully enjoy them, businesses must be aware of the potential drawbacks and plan accordingly. Unfortunately, many businesses are using cloud-native development and deployment without being aware of these disadvantages. As a result, they are unable to manage risks appropriately.
Make sure you enter the world of cloud-native development with an understanding of most potential issues. If you would like a consultation, reach out to us for more information to see if cloud-native development will meet your needs!
