How To Scale Your Business Solution Using Cloud Technologies

In a cloud-based environment, you typically have to scale your data requirements up or down depending on your company’s demands. This flexible approach is one of the best ways to manage changes in workload on your website.

Statistics show that 75% of tech leaders are building new features in the cloud. Moreover, 50% of IT organizations worldwide are cloud-native or cloud-enabled. Besides, about 71% of companies have a central cloud team or a cloud center of excellence (CCOE). The impact of scalability in cloud computing is apparently vast. 

In this post, you’ll discover what is scalability in cloud computing. Besides, you’ll explore types of cloud scaling, the advantages of scaling to business, and what providers of cloud computing and scalability on the market are. Finally, you’ll discover a step-by-step process of how to approach cloud computing scalability. 

What Is Cloud Scaling?

Scaling in cloud computing is the process of dynamically adding or taking away compute, storage, and network services to match the needs of a workload for resources. 

Cloud scaling is performed to keep cloud technology for business running error-free as usage, and therefore, the number of requests to the system grows.

You can explore cloud and DevOps services from DashDevs at our respective service page. 

What Scaling Models Are Available On The Cloud?

There are three main models of scalability in cloud computing:

#1 Vertical scaling (scale-up). 

Vertical scaling, or scale-up, involves increasing the capacity of existing resources, such as adding more CPU, RAM, or storage to a single server. Basically, it makes a single resource more capable. 

A few core ideas about vertical scaling:

• Increased capacity of a single resource
• Simpler to implement compared to horizontal scaling
• Limited by hardware capabilities
• No change in application architecture required

Vertical scaling is most suitable for applications that require more powerful resources but do not need to distribute the load across multiple servers. Examples of such solutions are database management systems like Oracle or SQL, and enterprise resource planning systems such as Microsoft Dynamics. 

#2 Horizontal scaling (scale-out). 

Horizontal scaling, or scale-out, involves adding more instances of resources, such as additional servers, to distribute the load. Having additional nodes benefits storage, performance, and administration.

A few core ideas about horizontal scaling:

• Increased number of resource instances
• Improved fault tolerance by distributing load
• Scalability limited by software architecture
• Requires load balancing to manage traffic

Horizontal scaling is intended for applications that run on multiple servers and require high availability and fault tolerance. Examples are web apps like Facebook or Twitter and cloud services such as Amazon Web Services. 

#3 Diagonal cloud scaling (combined). 

Diagonal scaling combines vertical and horizontal scaling, optimizing resources by scaling up to a point and then scaling out.

A few core ideas about diagonal scaling:

• Flexible resource management combining scale-up and scale-out
• Maximizes resource utilization
• Balances between hardware and software limits
• Requires careful planning for both vertical and horizontal aspects

Diagonal scaling is an ideal choice for applications that need a balance between increasing resource capacity and distributing load across multiple instances, often in variable-demand environments. Examples include e-commerce platforms such as Shopify or Magento as well as big data applications like Apache Spark.

The Advantages Of Cloud Scaling

If you have a scalable system, your software or digital firm can run smoothly during peak hours. It brings the following business-oriented advantages:

• Convenience: IT administrators can quickly add new virtual machines tailored to their company’s needs, saving IT staff time and allowing team members to focus on other tasks instead of installing hardware.
• Resilience and speed: As demands increase, cloud scalability allows swift adaptation. Small businesses can now afford powerful resources previously out of reach, eliminating outdated technology barriers to upgrading systems and expanding resources.
• Low costs: Small businesses benefit from cloud technology by leveraging scalability to avoid purchasing expensive equipment that will soon be obsolete. Firms using cloud services only pay for what they use.
• Disaster recovery: Scalable cloud computing reduces disaster recovery costs by eliminating the need for backup data centers.
• Flexibility: Scalable systems allow businesses to quickly adjust resources based on changing needs and workloads, ensuring optimal performance and efficiency without long-term commitments to specific hardware or cloud infrastructure.

With a customer-oriented approach in mind, here’s how the cloud scalability benefits your end consumers:

• Improved service reliability
• Faster response times
• Enhanced user experience
• Greater data security
• Consistent performance during peak usage

You may be interested to discover more about DevOps as a service from another blog post by DashDevs. 

How Many Businesses Use Cloud Technology?

Cloud adoption statistics confirm the increasing appeal of cloud services in the business sector. According to forecasts, the worldwide market for public cloud services is expected to reach $773.3 billion by 2024. Cloud computing has been widely adopted by organizations, with 94 percent presently using it.

Cloud computing is currently responsible for 30% of all IT expenditures. 66% of businesses have formed a cloud team or a cloud center of excellence. Businesses often employ four or five unique cloud services.

By 2025, a hundred zettabytes, or 100 billion gigabytes, of data will be kept in the cloud. The cloud’s importance will only grow in the coming years.

How Cloud Scaling Helps To Boost Your Business’s Success?

Scale up your business with cloud technology, and you’ll be able to develop swiftly and adapt to changing markets. IT industry is no different. Businesses benefit from achieving cloud scalability in terms of agility and competitiveness.

Scalability is a significant reason for moving to the cloud. Scalable cloud solutions let businesses increase storage and performance quickly and at a low cost as traffic or workloads grow.

The use of cloud technology in business is a major motivator. Scalability isn’t everything in terms of performance. It is linked to elasticity and fault tolerance.

Shorter Response Time

Response time is an important metric for assessing the performance of a system. Aside from the benefits of cloud scalability, automatic scaling may result in reduced response time. It’ due to automatic adjustment of resources based on demand, ensuring optimal performance during peak times. 

Besides, response time is significantly affected by the type of cloud architecture chosen. Types of cloud architecture models are revealed in the following blog post sections. 

Scalability and Databases

Each application should identify bottlenecks and services that are the first to fail. Bottlenecks in databases are widespread. A database holds an app’s information. You might alternatively use a MySQL or NoSQL database, such as MongoDB. Databases are used to store and retrieve information, but when an application is busy, the database is the first thing to break.

To increase the capacity of your database, you may consider sharding it. 

Sharding is the process of distributing data into smaller chunks, called “shards,” this way enabling to process the entire volume of data with multiple servers at a time.

Sharding may improve your performance in the following ways:

• Instead of a single database server, several servers exchange data requests.
• Fewer data per shard reduces index size, which speeds up data search.
• Less data on each shard means fewer rows of data, which speeds up calculation.

You may also apply partitioning.

Partitioning is a database optimization technique that divides a large database table into smaller, more manageable segments called “partitions.”

Here are a few methods of partitioning:

• Horizontal (row-wise).
• Vertical (column-wise).
• Alphabetically or numerically.

Beneficial Changes in Business Environment Imposed by Cloud Technology

Cloud computing has completely transformed businesses. Here are some of the consequences it brought:

• There are no pre-existing facilities required. The computer infrastructure of many companies is a crucial distinction. Companies that invested in their own computer clusters had a unique commercial edge, making it difficult for those that did not.
• Lower expenditures. Because cloud computing removes the need for on-premises servers, companies may save significantly on hardware maintenance. As a consequence, prices have been cut, which is a significant advantage to businesses.
• Workplace adaptability. The cloud has enabled programmers to be mobile in their work. To maintain physical access to servers, programmers do not need to be physically present at the workplace. Thanks to the Internet, employees may accomplish their work from the comfort of their own homes while being as productive as they would be at the office.
• Confidentiality of all data collected. Data may be saved permanently by utilizing the cloud computing infrastructure as an added benefit. Businesses may now keep their data forever. They may store as many petabytes of data as they want in the cloud, as long as they can afford it.
• The present upgrading timetable is no longer necessary. The update cycle could be taken care of by the cloud provider, which has been seen as a big plus in the past.
• Businesses’ perspectives on change evolved. You can simply add additional services and capabilities since the cloud is scalable. This is due to the ability to add additional resources on demand. Furthermore, the cloud’s capacity to scale to any size implies that exceptional possibilities will never be lost due to a failure. The cloud has enabled businesses to manage abrupt increases in website traffic with no downtime.
• Accessibility of best digital security practices. One advantage of being able to expand is that it is simple to add extra protection. This ensures that adding additional users will never make the system less secure. Second, the majority of firms that employ cloud technology do so through contracting with a third party that specializes in delivering this service.

Discover about top 5 cloud computing trends in another blog post by DashDevs. 

How Do You Determine Optimal Cloud Scalability?

Adjusting your scalable cloud solution is essential to meet changing business needs and increasing demand. Deciding how much storage, memory, and computing power you require is crucial to determining whether to scale up or down.

Regular performance testing is vital for accurate solution sizing. IT administrators must monitor response speed, request volume, CPU load, and memory use. Scalability testing assesses the software’s ability to handle growth or reduction in demand, ensuring it performs well under varying user loads.

It’s possible to achieve cloud scalability at an entirely new level due to automation. Implementing auto-scaling mechanisms ensures performance remains unaffected by sudden spikes in usage, automatically adjusting resources based on demand. Third-party services or applications can also help manage scaling requirements, streamlining the process of setting and executing scaling goals.

Providers Of Cloud Scalability Solutions and Services

Let’s explore some of the worldwide-famous providers of cloud solutions on the market:

Amazon Web Service (AWS) 

Amazon Web Service is one of the cloud technology providers for businesses. It’s a dependable, fast, low-cost, and customized cloud computing platform for developers and businesses. Many Amazon solutions may assist firms in moving quickly and affordably. AWS was founded by Amazon in 2006, years before any other cloud service provider.

A few of AWS’s key characteristics are as follows:

• It is built on three cloud computing and scalability pillars.
• It offers 170+ services in 22 countries over 69 availability zones.
• AWS provides access to a variety of Amazon services.
• Each service comes with comprehensive documentation, training, and certification.

Google Cloud Platform (GCP)

Google Cloud Platform is one of the most rapidly expanding cloud computing scalability platforms. GCP provides sophisticated technology and solutions that simplify and accelerate corporate operations. Because it provides so many cloud services, GCP is AWS’s main competitor.

A few of GPC’s key characteristics are as follows:

• It is safe and decreases risks.
• Many clouds are supported.
• Self-managed, serverless, and user-friendly services.
• Simple-to-use ML/AI services.
• Compatibility with the majority of popular open-source applications.

Microsoft Azure

Microsoft Azure assists developers and businesses in addressing business difficulties. Using frameworks and tools, Microsoft Azure assists in the creation, management, and deployment of applications over a worldwide network. Microsoft Azure is an open-source platform in the cloud that lets you build, store, manage, and host solutions.

A few of Azure’s key characteristics are as follows:

• Azure is distinguished by its proactive compliance, privacy, and security policies.
• On AWS, Azure SQL Server and Windows Server are five times cheaper.
• AWS and Azure prices are otherwise comparable.
• On Azure, open-source software is not limited.
• It’s adaptable, scalable, and reasonably priced.

Important note: The listed providers offer computing resources and cloud services. However, they don’t handle the cloud development and DevOps aspects for your business. For this, you need in-house expertise or assistance from an external software vendor. 

The Challenges of Cloud Scaling

Scalability in cloud computing is not a one-size-fits-all answer. Planning, testing, and more testing are all required processes in the development of a scalable system and cloud infrastructure. For a long-running program to be split into two different systems, the code may need to be changed, the software may need to be updated, and there may need to be more monitoring.

When making a new app or expanding an old one, it’s important to plan for these things:

• Expenses: The systems needed to run large-scale software can exceed your budget, including both hardware and operational costs.
• Time costs: Determining the required resources and estimating costs can be time-consuming, involving extensive research and planning.
• Hardware and expertise shortages: Scaling may require additional servers and specialized knowledge in data center management, which might not be readily available.
• Security concerns: As you scale, ensuring the security of data and applications becomes more complex and critical.
• Performance bottlenecks: Identifying and resolving performance issues that arise with increased load can be challenging and requires constant monitoring.
• Downtime risks: Scaling activities can introduce downtime, impacting user experience and business operations.

There is a shortage of either hardware or experience. Installing more servers and learning the ins and outs of data center management are also things that could get in the way.

What We Typically Do For Cloud Scalability

After years in fintech software development, the DashDevs team has developed a smooth flow of scaling technologies. Based on your scalability requirements, we choose the appropriate monitoring tools, cloud infrastructure, design patterns, database, and framework.

#1 Check for scalability requirements and manage expectations

Scaling software can be expensive, and adding new features or improving existing ones may overburden the current system. We start by assessing whether the budgeted costs are justified by the anticipated growth. This involves analyzing the potential return on investment and ensuring that scalability aligns with your business objectives. We don’t just follow trends; we make data-driven decisions to ensure scalability efforts are worthwhile.

#2 Use metrics to describe your scalability issues

Once the decision to scale the application is made, we identify the specific scalability challenges by tracking key performance metrics. This includes monitoring CPU usage, memory consumption, network traffic, and disk I/O. These metrics help us pinpoint the areas that need improvement and allow us to understand the current limitations of the system.

#3 Choose metric-evaluation tools and keep an eye on scalability

Selecting the right app-monitoring tools is crucial for collecting accurate statistics and identifying problem areas. We implement these tools to continuously monitor the aforementioned metrics. By doing so, we can detect issues early and test the performance of various system components under different loads. If certain components perform well, we add more test cases to further validate their scalability and reliability.

#4 Choose the right infrastructure options for scalability

Using a PaaS eliminates many of the issues that come during the development and maintenance of a web project. These aspects include the infrastructure and storage, servers, networking, databases, middleware, and runtime environment. PaaS can make scaling easier since it offers auto-scaling along with the reliability and availability of SLAs. If you don’t yet use a PaaS, consider AWS, Heroku, IBM Cloud, or Microsoft Azure.

Need high tech consulting from a licensed software agency? Drop DashDevs a line, and let’s discuss.

#5 Select infrastructure settings that are scalable

The majority of web app development and maintenance is handled by PaaS (Platform-as-a-Service) and involves a lot of aspects: infrastructure, servers, databases, runtime environment, etc. They must be addressed while developing software or hardware. SLAs and auto-scalability in PaaS make scaling easy.

#7 Choose an architectural pattern that allows for scalability

Choosing the right architectural pattern is critical since certain aspects of your software are scalable while others are only necessary for specific clients or periods of time and may be packaged as plugins. The top four most used architectural patterns are:

#8 Choose a suitable architectural pattern

There’s a range of scalability cloud architectures you may consider using for your system and their respective characteristics: 

1. Layered architecture: Each layer has a specific role, with data passing sequentially from top to bottom, ultimately reaching the database. Commonly used for structured and organized system development.
2. Microkernel architecture: Core system functions are minimal, and additional capabilities are added via plug-in modules. Example: WordPress. Allows for easy extensibility and specialized processing.
3. Microservices architecture: Divides applications into small, independent services that communicate using lightweight protocols. Enhances flexibility and scalability by isolating services like image storage and caching.
4. Monolithic architecture: All components, such as databases, web servers, and file systems, reside on a single server or computer. Simplifies development but can limit scalability and flexibility.

DashDevs team recommends sticking with monolithic for simpler applications, microservices for scalable and flexible systems, layered for structured development, and microkernel for extensible, specialized processing.

#9 Choose a scalable database

Choosing the right database is critical for scalability. The type of data you handle will dictate whether a relational (SQL) or non-relational (NoSQL) database is more suitable. We ensure that your application can seamlessly connect to and interact with the chosen database. Scalability features such as sharding, replication, and load balancing are considered to ensure the database can handle increased load and data volume.

#10 Choose a scalable framework

The choice of application framework significantly impacts scalability. We select frameworks that support graphical user interfaces and web applications, facilitating code sharing across modules and minimizing development issues. The framework must be robust and flexible enough to handle future growth and changes in the application’s requirements. This includes considering frameworks that support microservices architecture for better modularity and scalability.

For your scaling efforts to work, it’s important to choose the right infrastructure and design patterns for a large-scale online service.

Final Take

Cloud scalability is crucial for businesses to adapt to changing demands and maintain optimal performance. By carefully evaluating scalability requirements, monitoring key metrics, and choosing the right infrastructure, database, and framework, you can ensure a smooth scaling process. Embrace cloud technologies to enhance agility, reduce costs, and improve service reliability. 

To leverage the power of cloud and DevOps, consider partnering with DashDevs, an expert software development service provider. We have been present on the market since 2010. With over 500 projects under our belt, we can address your cloud computing and infrastructure needs with flying colors. 

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