If you've kept up with the developments taking place at a rapid pace in the digital landscape, chances are you're already familiar with cloud computing. Although most enterprises have made the rocky transition to cloud computing by now, which shines a light on both the benefits and disadvantages of cloud-based storage systems, there remains much hesitation from organizations to amalgamate cloud computing within their mobile application development process.
With a monumental spike in the availability of cloud-based services for both businesses and personal use, it is right to say that the way users now interact with data is not the same as it was a decade ago. Accounting for the change that has led most companies to switch to a cloud computing server, companies need to come with the massive potential cloud computing offers in mobile development. Furthermore, it is also worth mentioning that today, most smart devices (smartphones, tablets) have access to high-speed internet, which allows them the chance to benefit from cloud-centric technologies, as any other traditional computer would equally.
As cloud computing grows increasingly widespread, it is high time for enterprises and organizations to realize the potential and focus on ways to transition to the cloud for the development of their mobile applications. As the landscape of the mobile app continues to evolve, developers can leverage the cloud, particularly the continuous processing power and on-demand services that they offer, to formulate and design better, and more versatile mobile applications.
With that being said, to aid our readers' understanding of the amalgamation of cloud computing technology with the mobile app development process, we've compiled an article that details some advantages of cloud computing in mobile application development. We want to start by bringing our readers up to speed by defining what mobile cloud is before we can get into those details.
What Exactly is a Mobile Cloud?
Simply put, a mobile cloud is fundamentally an offshoot of cloud-based computing and focuses on giving an additional layer of usefulness to mobile phones and tablets, and the role that they can play in an organization. Despite a growing number of organizations allowing their employees to use mobile phones to answer relevant emails, there are still many companies that enable employees to utilize their smartphones and tablets to access crucial applications or confidential organizational information. However, some of the critical aspects of mobile computing can be summed up in the following points:
- In most present-day work environments, mobile computing helps facilitate the fast improvement of the shared assets involved in mobile applications' development.
- Mobile computing also enables organizations to support an assortment of advanced approaches to their mobile application development process.
- The implementation of mobile computing within workplaces, the development, and even the mobile applications themselves, require fewer resources and gadgets since they are upheld by the cloud.
How can Cloud Computing Benefit Mobile App Development?
Before we can get into the specifics of how cloud computing technology benefits mobile app development, we'd like to help our readers understand how (and why) cloud mobile development is gaining attraction these days.
The global number of smartphone users has
exceeded 3 billion; understandably, we see that most modern mobile devices are running on an arsenal of operating systems. To create a mobile application that runs on all of these different devices, mobile program developers need cross-platform compatibility.
With cloud mobile application development, mobile developers have met the demand for an application that works on the multiple types of mobile devices, by shifting their program data (which is typically saved on the mobile's servers) to a cloud-based server. By leveraging the cloud's computing prowess and data storage capabilities- organizations and developers can utilize the cloud computing infrastructure without having to invest in additional tools and software for mobile app development.
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Illustration: Upklyak/Freepik
In addition to allowing enterprises to cater to multiple devices, cloud computing-based mobile app development, mobile cloud computing also enables an organization's employees remote and private access to their files, documents, and images through their mobile phones. Other benefits of cloud computing include the following:
#1- Cloud-Based Mobile Applications are Compatible Across Multiple Platforms:
As we've already mentioned above, one of the most significant benefits of amalgamating cloud computing technology within mobile app development is that it leads to the creation of applications that are compatible across multiple platforms.
By leveraging cloud computing technology, mobile app developers have the luxury of simultaneously launching their applications on various platforms, like iOS and Android, since the application will work equally well on both the platforms. Furthermore, developers will now be working with a minimized workload, which makes implementation easier and more widespread.
Additionally, developers no longer have to deal with the hassle of fixing minor compatibility issues, since the app already caters to such a broad audience. Furthermore, access to the software is possible since the software is stored on the cloud, and not on any platform.
#2- Mobile Application Development Time is Reduced:
Taking into account the condition of the digital business landscape- one thing is for sure: time is everything. When it comes to traditional mobile app development, the development of native apps is excruciatingly time-consuming. Furthermore, if the app requires specific features, the time needed for construction further increases.
With a cloud-based development platform, however, the time taken for mobile app development reduces significantly. Within the present-day business landscape, faster application development lies in tandem with a quicker time in the market. Since a cloud-centric development platform is already equipped with the fundamental requirements such as integration, security, and a back-end connection, along with pre-packaged functions and APIs having been set up already, mobile app developers can focus on creating better apps, in a shorter period.
#3- No Installation is Needed:
If you're someone who finds installing applications a time-consuming hassle, cloud computing-based mobile apps eliminate the installation process, since they run directly from the darkness. With mobile cloud-centric solutions, users can view the program's interface and use it directly from a browser instead of installing it.
Unlike native applications, which require that the user installs the app onto their device and updates it regularly to ensure that the program remains operational, cloud-based mobile applications run directly from the cloud and require little to no interference from the user. A typical cloud-based application runs like a web-based application, interacting directly with the cloud for fetching any crucial information.
#4- Greater Scalability and Reliability:
Compared to traditional mobile app development, and native applications, cloud-based applications and programs offer easy scalability and higher reliability.
What this implies is simple. Through cloud computing technology, developers can easily keep tweaking and updating an application to perfectly cater to their users' needs and preferences, even after the application has been dispatched. Not only is the ability to tweak and alter the app separate cloud-based apps from their native counterparts, but it also ensures that users are provided with the best possible experience, which is sure to guarantee success.
#5- Data Recovery is Easy:
To most businesses functioning in today's climate, one of the gravest consequences that they could face is having their data compromised- either through a data breach or through a storage mishap. Fortunately, shifting to a cloud-based computing system ensures that the otherwise tedious process of recovering lost data becomes accessible. It’s the same as that of a VPN who
hides your browsing history whenever you browse the internet or any specific website.
With a cloud-based server, crucial data is stored across multiple servers, regularly backed up in a highly efficient manner, which ensures that accidents such as breaches or fires do not lead to invaluable data being lost forever. Furthermore, even if the information does end up being compromised- the extensive network of servers on which the data was being backed up ensures that data can always be recovered.
Conclusion
At the end of the article, we can only hope that we've clarified any doubts that our readers might have been harboring about the implementation of cloud computing technology within the mobile application development process. Cloud computing speeds up the cellular app development process, but it is also far more cost-effective than traditional mobile app development.
