What is AWS Cloud Native Architecture? Top Strategies & Benefits

Businesses can grow and change with even greater flexibility and speed with the help of cloud computing. Amazon Web Services (AWS) is one of the largest cloud providers businesses could choose for cloud native development.

Embracing cloud native technologies in AWS means taking a software approach that develops scalable applications in the public cloud, with building for the cloud as the main focus. This article will explore common tools and best practices for going cloud native with AWS.

The Importance of Cloud Native Applications in Modern IT

When organizations focus their efforts on cloud native applications, they can enjoy greater scalability, resiliency, and agility. Cloud native application development allows resources to be scaled to fit various workloads. Applications can also be built with fault-tolerance mechanisms and distributed architectures for better resilience.

IT teams can rapidly test and deploy in cloud environments, and the pay-as-you-go models common in cloud computing can optimize spending while keeping resource usage costs lower compared to on-premises data centers. Cloud native tools integrate security into the application lifecycle, from development to deployment, which help organizations maintain strong security postures.

Understanding AWS Cloud Offerings

AWS offers a vast array of cloud services, ranging from foundational offerings like compute, storage, and databases to specialized solutions for customer engagement, AI, and even robotics applications. Many businesses may choose to use AWS cloud offerings that allow them to run applications seamlessly without managing underlying server infrastructure, store data in a way that meets performance needs, and manage a database that’s compatible with business workloads. AWS even has security, identity, and compliance tools that can monitor applications, protect from common vulnerabilities, and protect against bots.

Benefits of AWS Cloud Native Architecture

Businesses that take advantage of AWS cloud native architecture can enjoy greater scalability and flexibility, improved cost efficiency, better performance, and stronger security.

Scalability and Flexibility

Resources can be more easily scaled in the cloud, even automatically adjusted based on demand. This can optimize performance during peak usage periods and save on resources in slower periods. Cloud native architectures, such as microservices and serverless computing, allow for dynamic scaling without re-engineering the entire system.

Cost Efficiency

Pay-as-you-go pricing is common in the cloud, which means businesses only pay for the resources they consume. This can significantly reduce upfront costs related to IT infrastructure. AWS also offers cost optimization tools that can find and eliminate unnecessary costs in the cloud.

Improved Performance and Reliability

Public cloud environments such as AWS offer high availability with redundant infrastructure and automated failover that can promise continuous availability for critical workloads. AWS can also greatly decrease response times with low latency and provide global reach for users accessing applications.

Enhanced Security

While clients are responsible for certain measures in their cloud environment, providers like AWS also boast comprehensive security measures. AWS has tools for identity and access management, detection and response, and data protection, as well as tools that can help businesses assess their compliance status at a glance.

Key Components of AWS Cloud Native Environments

AWS cloud native environments are made up of a few key components, including microservices architecture, containers, orchestration, serverless computing, and continuous delivery made possible by DevOps teams.

Microservices Architecture

Microservices architecture breaks applications into small, independent services that focus on specific functions for the application. Compartmentalizing applications in this way makes it easier for teams to develop, test, and deploy quickly. Scaling is also simpler when services are independent from one another.

Containers and Orchestration

AWS cloud native environments can also come with containers, which package applications and dependencies together. Containers are portable and create more consistent runtime environments, enabling applications to run in different environments. Managing and automating the processes associated with containers is called orchestration, which can include deployment, networking, and scaling.

Serverless Computing

Serverless computing abstracts infrastructure management entirely, allowing businesses to build and run applications without the added responsibility of managing servers. Developers can focus on writing code in serverless platforms instead of first configuring the underlying infrastructure. Some examples of serverless services on AWS include AWS Lambda, Amazon DynamoDB, and Amazon API Gateway.

DevOps and Continuous Delivery

A DevOps approach combines software development and IT operations teams to improve automation and frequent iteration around the software delivery process. This leads to more reliable software deployments. Some practices DevOps teams may employ include continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/D), and infrastructure as code (IaC). Some DevOps tools in AWS are CodePipeline, CodeBuild, and CodeDeploy.

Implementing AWS Cloud Native Solutions

When it’s time to implement AWS cloud native solutions into your new environment, keep the following strategies in mind.

Adopting a Cloud-First Mindset

Adopting a cloud-first mindset is a strategic shift that prioritizes the cloud as the foundation for designing, building, and deploying IT solutions. It goes beyond simply moving workloads to the cloud; it involves embracing cloud-native principles such as scalability, agility, and resilience from the outset.

A cloud-first approach encourages organizations to rethink traditional IT strategies and adopt modern practices like DevOps, automation, and continuous delivery, enabling faster innovation and more efficient operations. It also requires fostering a culture of collaboration between development and operations teams, empowering them to leverage cloud services effectively. By prioritizing cloud-native architectures, businesses can stay competitive, respond quickly to market demands, and unlock the full potential of the cloud for growth and transformation.

Leveraging AWS Tools for Cloud Native Development

The number of AWS products available for businesses to use is currently in the hundreds. It’s important to understand your organizational goals before choosing the tools that will work well for your cloud native development use case. For example, AWS Cloud Development Kit (CDK) can be used to define cloud infrastructure in code in popular programming languages. AWS Serverless Application Model (SAM) can streamline the serverless application process. AWS CodeBuild can allow DevOps teams to build, test, and build code for applications. The AWS Command Line Interface (CLI) enables businesses to manage their AWS services in a unified tool. 

Migration Strategies for Moving to Cloud Native

You may choose to take one of the following approaches to migrate your workloads to a cloud native environment:

• 1. Rearchitect (Major Pathway to Cloud Native): Redesign the application architecture to take full advantage of cloud native capabilities, such as microservices, serverless, and containerization.
• 2. Replatform (A Transitional Step Toward Cloud Native): Modify the application to optimize it for the cloud without a full architectural overhaul.
• 3. Rebuild (Another Major Pathway to Cloud Native): Recreate the application from scratch using cloud native technologies.
• 4. Refactor (Partial Rearchitecting): Make significant changes to the codebase or application components to optimize them for cloud native services.
• 5. Replace with SaaS: Replace parts of the application stack with Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solutions.

Elements You Need for Getting the Most out of AWS Public Cloud

Choosing AWS Public Cloud allows for a customizable approach to your organization’s cloud strategy. Leverage the power of public cloud with AWS management services, data and analytics tools, DevOps practices, and more.

AWS Management Services

Ongoing infrastructure management, provisioning, security, monitoring, and backups can all be managed by AWS services. This can free up teams to work on more strategic tasks and cloud innovations. These managed services can help with service requests, patching, backup management, access management, and more. Businesses may also choose to work with third-party managed service providers to help them make the most out of their AWS environment.

Data and Analytics

Organizations can’t know where they’re going without strong data to point them in the right direction. AWS services in data and analytics can help businesses with data warehousing, big data processing, and real-time analytics. Some tools include Clickstream Analytics on AWS, OpenSearch centralized logging, and Amazon CloudWatch.

DevOps

AWS tools can be leveraged alongside DevOps practices for faster releases at a higher quality. AWS CodePipeline, AWS CodeDeploy, AWS CodeBuild, and AWS CloudFormation can all be part of a successful DevOps operation.

Migration Services

Whether you’re planning to rehost, replatform, rearchitect, or rebuild, AWS tools and services can help you migrate to the cloud. AWS Application Migration Service, AWS Database Migration Service, and AWS Migration Hub are all options businesses can use as part of the migration process. Cloud migration experts can assist with any additional idiosyncrasies of your particular IT environment.

Application Modernization

Modernization efforts and AWS work as companions with containerization, serverless architecture, and increased opportunities for integration. Some of the tools you may use as part of your application modernization process include API Gateway, AWS Lambda, and AWS Elastic Container Services.

Integrate AWS Cloud Native Tools into Your IT Modernization Strategy

What does your modernization strategy hold? If you know that you want to modernize your IT environment with a migration to or addition of AWS, but want to make sure you’re leveraging all the public cloud has to offer, TierPoint’s managed AWS services can help. Connect with one of our AWS experts to start building a strategy that aligns with your business goals.