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What is Cloud Application Development? - A Detailed Guide in 2024

Team Kissflow

Updated on 23 Oct 2024 5 min read

Cloud computing is all the rage in the present business landscape. This is because performance and data storage capacity are important issues for over 70 percent of digital workspaces. Cloud app development solutions make data collection and storage convenient for businesses. The process also simplifies security and management.

94% of all companies worldwide use cloud computing in their operations. The app development methodology allows modern enterprises to create productivity-based applications that streamline workflows and enhance the customer experience. Cloud application development tools also allow businesses to invest in low-code app development, a quick and cost-effective process.

Over 50 percent of all corporate data is stored in the cloud. So if you want to make an app, you must know how to work with cloud storage. Cloud-native application development helps businesses enhance performance, reduce time-to-market, and develop agility and flexibility.

But organizations need an enhanced approach to cloud app development to tackle modern challenges and outperform the competition. They must review how they design, build, and manage software in the cloud. Application development must be about the symbiosis of technological capacities and business goals.

What is cloud application development?

Cloud application development is a process in which the app is developed in a cloud environment and not hosted on a local server or machine. What differentiates a cloud app from a native one is the extent to which it uses cloud services. The application may run in a web browser, but key elements like data storage are online.

Organizations are becoming more dependent on the cloud’s processing power and building innovative and creative solutions to different problems. They use technology to do things that were previously impossible. Cloud services have made it possible for enterprises to build many web-based cloud applications (web apps).

There are numerous cloud apps in use today which have taken over tasks like Email, word processing, file storage, data collection, and financial accounting.

What are the benefits of using cloud-based applications?

Benefits of cloud application development

Following are some of the main advantages and benefits you can get while creating applications from the cloud.

Cost savings

 

Cloud application development is often cheaper because you don’t need to invest in on-site infrastructure and servers. Cloud-based apps are 40 percent more cost-effective for small businesses. When you build and store apps on the cloud, you only pay for the services you use, which keeps costs low. You can choose how much to pay monthly and reduce your app development costs.

You must pay for on-site hardware and capital expenses with a conventional hardware server. You can end up spending a lot of money, especially if your business scales fast. But with cloud servers, you only pay for what you need and add servers as needed. Also, some cloud computing providers give discounts for long-term contracts or large companies.

Security

 

If you want to store your data securely, store it on the cloud. Data security has plagued companies for years, and it’s becoming more and more difficult to protect sensitive data. Cloud service provides security measures to help keep your data safe.

Some services encrypt files, while others have built-in encryption. Encrypted data is less accessible by hackers and other unauthorized persons. Your data stays safe even if someone gains unauthorized access to your computer or account. A cloud host carefully monitors security and is more efficient than a conventional in-house system. RapidScale, a cloud services provider, says that 94 percent of businesses reported improved security after switching to the cloud.

Gives businesses a competitive edge

 

A company with cloud-based applications is more competitive in today’s business environment because it has the tools to succeed. Since the cloud service provider manages everything, the IT team spends less time managing infrastructure and more time building solutions that help grow the business.

A company with cloud-based solutions stays ahead of the competition. It’s also further along the learning curve by the time they catch up. According to research, 77 percent of businesses say cloud technology makes them more competitive. Additionally, cloud service providers are constantly improving their services, so a company can access up-to-date technology without investing in new hardware or software.

Flexibility

 

If your IT team spends a lot of time focusing on computer and data-storage issues, they won’t be able to focus on creating business solutions. But if another organization takes care of IT hosting and infrastructure, your team can focus on business solutions that directly affect the company’s bottom line.

Cloud services offer more flexibility than local servers, and you can increase bandwidth on demand. This flexibility can greatly increase the overall efficiency of your organization. A cloud environment makes a business capable of quickly meeting market demands.

It’s easy to collect business insights

 

The world's most valuable resource is no longer oil but data. Hidden within customer transactions and business processes is invaluable, actionable data just waiting to be acted upon. But sifting through data can be difficult unless you have a good cloud-computing solution. Many cloud storage solutions offer cloud analytics, giving you a bird's eye view of your data.

You can quickly analyze information organization-wide and build customized reports. Use the insights you get to boost performance and build action plans to meet organizational goals. Sunny Delight, a beverage company, increased profits by about $2 million a year using cloud-based business insights.

Features every cloud app development should have

Features of cloud app development platform

1. Simplicity

 

Cloud platforms should make cloud app development faster and simpler. They should simplify the architectural decision-making process and allow users to easily solve cloud application development issues. Good cloud application development platform enables easier deployment of software across numerous IT environments.

2. Flexibility and scalability

 

If you need to modify or scale your cloud services, you should be able to do it easily on the cloud platform. Users should be able to add or remove computing, storage, networking, and other assets as needed. Cloud platforms provide automation software to handle dynamic scaling for users. Users can optimize cloud-hosted workloads and avoid bottlenecks.

Flexibility is also an important feature in cloud-based application development. When demand for apps goes up, properly configured cloud platforms automatically add resources to handle the load. And when demand goes down, services return to normal.

3. Security

 

Cloud application development platforms employ some of the best security experts worldwide and are more skilled at handling threats than most in-house IT teams. In fact, most global financial firms say the cloud is a security asset.

The development platforms follow common security protocols, so your data will not be accessible to hackers. Your organization will also be able to meet government regulations. 91 percent of companies that have migrated to the cloud have reported improved compliance after migration.

4. Automation

 

Managing applications means performing a lot of repetitive tasks. Cloud application development tools are designed to be programmatically managed. They deliver value by providing support for continuous integration, resource orchestration, and capacity management, decreasing operational burdens and enabling IT to support ever growing computing requirements.

5. Pay-per-use pricing

 

Most cloud application development platforms offer pay-per-use pricing. This model reduces IT costs on a large scale and helps boost efficiency. The user only pays for the service or the space they utilize. There are no hidden or extra charges, and oftentimes, some space is allotted for free. Resource utilization can be optimized by leveraging charge-per-use capabilities. Cloud resource usage gets monitored, measured, and reported by the cloud service provider.

Questions to ask before choosing a cloud app development platform

  1. What cloud computing services do you provide? If the cloud services provider doesn’t offer the services you need, they won’t be a good fit.

  2. How secure is our data? Ask the vendor about their security policies and practices. Security is vital, especially when it comes to safeguarding customer data.

  3. Do you perform regular backups? Backup is a critical cloud computing functionality. If your data gets deleted, corrupted, or hacked, you should be able to access a recent backup and perform a restore.

  4. How frequent are your service outages? During downtime, small businesses lose $7900 per minute. Outages happen to all service providers, so focus on the number of outages and how long they last.

  5. Can I easily manage my services? Managing your cloud services easily should determine your choice of provider.

  6. Can I scale services? You should be able to add capacity and services as needed and remove those you no longer need.

  7. What services are offered? Ask about the service-level agreements—for backups, restores, uptime, and more.

  8. Is there a free trial? A free trial gives you the opportunity to test the cloud service before making a purchase.

How to develop a cloud application with Kissflow?

Kissflow, a cloud-based work platform, has helped thousands of businesses enhance performance, reduce time-to-market, and develop agility and flexibility. Our platform can help you to automate processes, digitize operations, and modernize apps in a few minutes.

To tackle modern business challenges and outperform the competition, organizations need a better approach to cloud-based app development, which is what Kissflow offers. Start applying innovations to satisfy digitally-shaped customer demand.