Scalable cloud computing for online businesses
Scalable IT infrastructure is an important feature offered by cloud services for small and medium businesses. Using the cloud, your business can upscale or downscale your resources on demand, while controlling unnecessary costs.
Scalable data infrastructure is particularly beneficial for businesses dealing with seasonal or cyclical demand. Retail companies, for example, can easily manage server demand during the holidays.
Below, Dev.Pro’s experts weigh in on best practices for scalability in cloud computing and how these approaches benefit consumers.
What is Cloud Scalability and Elasticity?
A few housekeeping points to get all readers on the same page first: let’s see how these two terms differ.
What is Scalability in Cloud Computing?
Scalability is the inherent capacity of a system to cater to growing demand by adding more or bigger computing resources.
By focusing on the scalability of your IT infrastructure when you plan your software architecture, you can buy cloud services that can manage an increase in users. This allows you to gradually build on your computing powers by adding more machines or using bigger ones, according to the increase in demand.
This term “scalability” was coined to describe the ideal state of the architecture that is growth-friendly for successful startups. Initially, specifically in the pre-cloud, and pre-SaaS era, it was expensive to plan for scaling. As a result, teams would start building on rigid systems that were tough to scale.
Now that we’ve covered the meaning of scalability in cloud computing, let’s find out why it’s different from elasticity.
What is Elasticity in Cloud Computing?
Elasticity is the inherent capacity of a system to cater to a constantly changing demand level with significant unpredictable dips and peaks.
Elasticity refers to the ability of a system to drastically change computing capacity to match an ever fluctuating workload. Systems are configured so that only clients are only charged for consumed instances, regardless of sudden bursts in demand. In an elastic system, you pay for what you consume.
Types of Scalability in Cloud Computing
There are two main types of scaling in cloud computing: vertical and horizontal. There is also a hybrid version called diagonal scaling.
Vertical Scaling [Bigger Machines]
Vertical scaling is the process of accommodating growing capacity demand by upgrading existing resources [for example, increasing disk capacity or expanding Random Access Memory and Central Processing Units capacity].
Vertical scaling is mostly used by small and medium-sized businesses and microbusinesses, or at the initial stage of an application roll-out.
- This type is more consistent, as there are no load balancers, and it’s faster.
- It’s limited in scaling capacity and it presents a single point of failure, as all processing happens on one machine.
Horizontal Scaling [More Machines]
Horizontal scaling is the process of accommodating growing capacity demand by adding more machines without upgrading them first.
Horizontal scaling is used by enterprise level companies and complex applications.
- This type is resilient to failures and has unlimited scaling possibilities.
- It’s slower and less consistent, as computing and storage happens on different machines.
Diagonal Scaling [Bigger Machines + More of Them]
Diagonal type is a hybrid approach where you increase the compute capacity of every single machine to its maximum, but then buy more of them too. This offers the benefits of both approaches while minimizing the risks.
Cloud Environments in Cloud Computing
Scalability in cloud computing is still a highly variable concept and the price, application, and benefits depend on multiple factors. One of these aspects is the type of environment used for your software system or platform. There are four types of cloud environments: public, private, hybrid, and community clouds.
Public Cloud Environment
Public clouds are environments hosted by a cloud service provider that rents space to multiple shared users. The security features are not as strong as the private ones, but they are cheaper due to shared cost. When one business experiences peaks, another one is consuming a lower amount of bandwidth, so the same servers can cater for multiple businesses, making them more affordable.
These environments are usually used to perform computing and storage of non-critical functions, like email, CRM, HR, and web.
Private Cloud Environment
Private cloud services are used by one client at a time, so whether or not they use the full capacity, they’ll be paying for all of it. It’s more expensive, but securer than a public environment. Clients can also configure the cloud in a way that caters best to their specific business needs.
This environment is used for mission-critical applications that carry sensitive data, like business analytics, research and development, and supply chain management.
Hybrid Cloud Environment
Hybrid solutions offer users the best of both worlds and are increasingly common in Indiana tech companies. More sensitive functions are run in a private environment while public environments are used to cater to peak demand.
Benefits of Scalability in Cloud Computing
Scalability computing has multiple advantages for companies of all sizes and stages of development, but is particularly useful for scaleups and enterprises.
Cost-efficiency
Many businesses prefer to keep their CapEx low and use OpEx cost centers more readily. This is a natural part of transitioning from bare metal to cloud computing, and leads to lower costs overall. Public cloud environments are pay-as-you-go services, so you don’t pay for idle machines.
Strong Traction
Companies that ensure their systems are capable of scalability computing will enjoy strong traction right away if their product resonates to users, without losing demand due to system downtime.
Resilience
When scaling horizontally or diagonally, you can enjoy highly resilient environments, as one congested machine is immediately substituted for another functioning one.
Faster Time-to-market and Operational Agility
Vertical and diagonal scaling specifically enables a highly agile processing environment, wherein computing is performed quickly in near-real time mode. When transitioning from on-prem deployment to any of the cloud environments, companies also enjoy faster time to market.
Security
High security standards are usually baked into the cloud service infrastructure by providers, while encryption, monitoring and a multilayered approach to authorization and security also help. Needless to say, cloud vendors know the value of security breaches to their reputation and bottom-line, so they invest heavily in security features.
Global Access
With cloud computing, team members working remotely or in the fields can access data on the fly on their mobile devices, at the same time as their peers in the office.
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