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The Best Practices for Managing Cloud Applications

Written by Madhav Srinath | Nov 2, 2022 4:00:00 PM

Managing cloud-based applications can be difficult, especially if you're not familiar with the technology. It's easy to feel overwhelmed when you're trying to manage a growing number of cloud-based applications.

You may not be sure where to start or what the best application management practices are. The best way to manage your cloud-based applications is by following these simple tips.

We've compiled some of the most effective ways to get the most out of your cloud apps and keep them running smoothly.

Read on to find out more:

Keep Your Cloud Applications up to Date

As businesses increasingly move to the cloud, it's important to keep your applications up to date. Cloud providers release new versions of their applications regularly, and these updates are necessary.

They often include important security fixes and performance improvements. To stay on top of updates, set up a system for checking for and installing them automatically.

Many operations management cloud platforms offer tools that can help with this, or you can use a third-party tool like Puppet or Ansible.

However, if your business requires features that Access doesn't offer, such as scalability or security, then you will need to switch to a different database.

Either way, keeping your applications up to date is crucial for maintaining a smooth and efficient operation in the cloud.

Make Sure Your Application Is Highly Available

To ensure that your application is highly available, you need to design it in a way that can handle unexpected traffic spikes. This means ensuring that your application can scale quickly and efficiently to meet demand.

There are several ways to do this, such as using cloud-based autoscaling solutions or designing your application to be stateless.

Stateless applications can scale more easily because they don't rely on maintaining session information or other state data.

Whenever possible, you should design your application to be stateless so that it can more easily scale to meet demand. 

When it comes to applications, uptime is key. No one wants to use an app that frequently crashes or is unavailable, which is why it's important to make sure your application is highly available.

There are a few different ways to achieve this, but one of the most effective is to use multiple cloud providers. This way, if one provider has an issue, your application can still run on another.

Additionally, you can use load balancing and failover techniques to further increase availability. By taking these measures, you can ensure that your application is always up and running, no matter what.

Automate as Much as Possible

As any business owner knows, time is money. The less time you spend on manual tasks, the more time you can spend on developing your business. That's why it's important to automate as much as possible.

Cloud applications make it easy to automate a variety of tasks, from provisioning new servers to deploying code updates.

The more you can automate, the less time you'll need to spend on manual tasks, and the more time you'll have to focus on other aspects of your business.

In addition, automating tasks can help to improve your company's efficiency and bottom line. So if you're not already doing so, be sure to start automating as much as possible. It's an investment that will pay off in the long run.

Monitor Your Application Closely

As an experienced cloud developer knows, one of the key secrets to success is close monitoring of your application. By tracking key metrics like response times, error rates, and uptime, you can quickly identify and fix any issues.

Fortunately, there are many tools available to help with this task, including New Relic and DataDog. By investing the time to set up monitoring for your application, you’ll be well on your way to cloud success.

Be Prepared for Outages

Despite your best efforts, there will be times when your cloud application goes down. When this happens, it’s important to have a plan in place for how you’ll handle the situation.

This plan should include things like how you’ll communicate with users, how you’ll get your application back up and running, and what you’ll do to prevent outages in the future.

By following these best practices, you’ll be able to manage your cloud applications more effectively and keep them running smoothly.

Having a plan in place will help you to minimize the disruption caused by an outage and get your application back online as quickly as possible.

In addition, it’s important to learn from your outages and take steps to prevent them from happening in the future.

By being prepared for outages, you can ensure that your cloud applications are always available when your users need them.

Use the Right Application Management Tools

As anyone who has ever managed a cloud application knows, having the right tools is essential. There are several different options available, and finding the right one for your needs can be a challenge.

To make things easier, it’s important to consider things like your application’s size and complexity, user interface, your team’s skillset, and your budget.

Some of the most popular options include Puppet, Chef, Ansible, and CloudFormation. Puppet and Chef are both configuration management tools that can help you manage large and complex applications.

Ansible is a newer tool that is designed to be simpler to use than its predecessors. And CloudFormation is an Infrastructure as Code tool that allows you to provision and manage AWS resources.

Which of these tools is right for you will depend on your specific needs. But whichever one you choose, you can be sure that it will make managing your cloud application a whole lot easier. 

Consider Using a Managed Service

If you're not sure you have the time or resources to manage your cloud applications, a managed service might be a good option for you. With a managed service, you can focus on other parts of your business.

This will leave the tasks associated with running and maintaining your applications to someone else. This can be a great way to free up some of your time so that you can focus on other areas of your business.

Some popular managed services include AWS Elastic Beanstalk, Google App Engine, and Azure App Service. Each of these services has its own unique set of features, so be sure to do some research to find the one that's right for you.

Once you've found a managed service that meets your needs, you can sit back and relax knowing that your applications are in good hands.

Follow Security Best Practices

As more and more businesses move to the cloud, security concerns have become increasingly prevalent. To help keep your cloud-based application safe, it is important to follow some basic security best practices.

Using strong passwords is critical to your data security, as is enabling two-factor authentication. This will help to ensure that only authorized users can access your data.

Additionally, using a VPN can help to encrypt your data and protect it from being intercepted by unauthorized individuals.

By following these simple security measures, you can help to keep your cloud-based application safe from potential threats.

Keep Your Application up to Date

Applying updates and security patches to your cloud application is important to ensure it is always running smoothly. Most cloud providers offer tools to help with this, or you can use a third-party tool like Puppet or Ansible.

Updates usually address specific issues that have been identified and include fixes for vulnerabilities. Security patches are designed to protect against potential threats such as malware or intrusions.

By keeping your application up to date, you can help to prevent problems and keep your data safe.

Have a Plan for Disasters

No matter how well you manage your cloud computing, there’s always a chance that something will go wrong. That’s why it’s important to have a plan in place for how you’ll handle disasters.

This plan should include things like backing up your data, setting up alerts, and testing your recovery procedures. By being prepared for the worst, you’ll be able to keep your application running even if something does go wrong.

Following these best practices will help you manage your operating systems more effectively and keep them running smoothly.

Ready to Manage Your Cloud Applications?

Managing cloud-based applications can be a daunting task. But with the right application management tools and best practices in place, it doesn’t have to be. 

And if you need help implementing any of these best practices, don’t hesitate to reach out. Our team is happy to assist you in getting the most out of your cloud investment.