In the article, “To Cloud or Not To Cloud: The Uncertain Future of the Traditional Enterprise App,” Kevin Parker, a principal architect for Rackspace, explores which kinds of traditional apps will thrive in the cloud and how companies that rely on older software can begin the journey toward cloud competence. While traditional apps aren’t cloud-aware, they are far from “legacy” or “obsolete.” On the contrary, analysts who frame the cloud as a one-size-fits-all solution for every flavor of traditional applications are ignoring the complexity that enterprises face with adoption.
In spite of this complexity, however, there are clear benefits to moving these traditional apps to the cloud:
- You can adopt the cloud gradually: Think of cloud as a journey, not a sprint. Take a monolithic application—one that is tightly coupled—and break it apart. This makes it easier to determine which pieces run better and are easier to manage in the cloud.
- With cloud, you get more for less: Because it is inexpensive to get started in the cloud, companies can try it out for different pieces of their app to see what fits.
- Infrastructure expertise at your beck and call: Free up your IT staff to focus on innovative new projects that deliver real value to the business rather than maintaining on-premise hardware.
- The cloud is redefining the nature of IT: Cloud competence enables businesses to implement new agile development practices that will keep them from falling behind the competition.
Read more about running traditional apps in the cloud in the article, “To Cloud or Not To Cloud: The Uncertain Future of the Traditional Enterprise App.”