Every day more companies are migrating all or part of their business technology to the cloud. One of the major benefits choosing the cloud over onsite architecture brings to your business is the ability to quickly and easily scale services up (or down) to meet the changing needs of your business.
But what exactly does scalability mean when we’re talking about cloud computing?
If your business is growing it’s important to understand all of your options when it comes to technology so you can make informed decisions on how to best proceed. In this post, we’re going to look at cloud elasticity, the scalability in cloud computing, and the benefits that transitioning your technology to the cloud brings to your business!
So, What Exactly is Cloud Scalability?
A primary reason that so many businesses are turning to cloud computing is the ability to scale services up or down as needed. With the cloud, organizations can increase or decrease IT resources like data storage capacity, processing power, or even networking ability with no disruption to their day-to-day operations.
With the cloud, companies don’t need to spend weeks or even months overhauling infrastructure like they would with an on-premise solution. With a third-party cloud provider, the infrastructure is in place. Organizations can easily add servers or nodes as needed to meet their goals. When the demand for additional services is gone, companies can easily revert back to their original configuration.
A similar concept to scalability is “cloud elasticity.” While these concepts sound the same, the key between the two is time. Elasticity is required for short-term bursts, for example, a spike in traffic as a result of a sales promotion, while cloud scalability is an approach best used for long-term growth and is typically a strategic consideration.
Types of Scaling
There are three different types of scalability. To understand how it works, it’s important to understand these types of cloud architecture.
- Vertical Scaling – Vertical scaling involves adding resources like RAM or processing power to your existing server when you are facing an increased workload. With this type of scaling, you are only adding additional expansion units. Your performance may be affected due to the fact that the server’s size and capacity limits growth.
- Horizontal Scaling – Typically referred to as scaling in or out, when an organization needs higher capacity, performance, storage, or memory, they can add additional servers to their original cloud infrastructure to work as a single system. This type of scaling is more complex than vertical scaling, as additional servers are involved.
- Diagonal Scaling – Like it sounds, diagonal scaling is a combination of vertical and horizontal scaling. A company grows vertically until they hit the limits of their server, they then clone and add an additional server to add resources as needed.
There is no single best choice when it comes to scaling in cloud computing. It really comes down to your business’s current and future needs. It’s important to develop a long-term strategy for scaling that keeps future increases and decreases in demand top of mind.
Are you ready to learn more? Give your ACT representative a call today and let us show you the benefits that cloud scalability can bring to your business!
