How do you check if your applications will work in the cloud?

1 Assess your application architecture

The first step is to assess your application architecture and identify its components, dependencies, and requirements. You need to understand how your application interacts with data, network, storage, and other services, and how it handles concurrency, availability, and fault tolerance. You also need to consider the licensing, compliance, and governance issues that may affect your cloud migration. By analyzing your application architecture, you can determine which cloud service model (IaaS, PaaS, or SaaS) and deployment model (public, private, or hybrid) best suit your needs.

2 Choose a cloud provider and platform

The next step is to choose a cloud provider and platform that match your application requirements and goals. You need to compare the features, pricing, and support of different cloud providers and platforms, and evaluate their compatibility with your application architecture and technology stack. You also need to check the availability, reliability, and scalability of the cloud services and resources that you plan to use. Some cloud providers and platforms offer tools and guides to help you assess and migrate your applications to the cloud, such as AWS Cloud Adoption Framework, Azure Migration Program, or Google Cloud Migrate.

3 Test your application functionality and performance

The third step is to test your application functionality and performance in the cloud environment. You need to ensure that your application works as expected in the cloud, and that it meets the functional and non-functional requirements of your users and stakeholders. You also need to measure and optimize the performance of your application in terms of response time, throughput, latency, and resource utilization. You can use various tools and methods to test your application functionality and performance in the cloud, such as load testing, stress testing, smoke testing, or synthetic monitoring.

4 Secure your application data and access

The fourth step is to secure your application data and access in the cloud. You need to protect your application data from unauthorized access, modification, or loss, and comply with the relevant data protection laws and regulations. You also need to control and monitor the access to your application and cloud resources, and enforce the appropriate authentication, authorization, and encryption mechanisms. You can use various tools and techniques to secure your application data and access in the cloud, such as firewalls, VPNs, IAM, SSL/TLS, or encryption keys.

5 Monitor and troubleshoot your application issues

The fifth step is to monitor and troubleshoot your application issues in the cloud. You need to collect and analyze the metrics and logs of your application and cloud resources, and identify and resolve any errors, failures, or anomalies that may affect your application performance or availability. You also need to set up alerts and notifications for any critical or abnormal events that may require your attention or action. You can use various tools and platforms to monitor and troubleshoot your application issues in the cloud, such as CloudWatch, Azure Monitor, or Stackdriver.

6 Optimize your application costs and efficiency

The final step is to optimize your application costs and efficiency in the cloud. You need to review and optimize your cloud resource allocation and consumption, and reduce any unnecessary or wasteful spending. You also need to leverage the cloud features and services that can help you improve your application efficiency and quality, such as auto-scaling, load balancing, caching, or serverless computing. You can use various tools and strategies to optimize your application costs and efficiency in the cloud, such as cost management, budgeting, or right-sizing.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?