Public Cloud is a Trap!

This article explains why Public Cloud is not always the solution to IT operational problems and what you should do if you want to use Public Cloud effectively and efficiently.

Most companies that operate on the Public Cloud nowadays are having a big problem, they just pay so much money for resources that they don't need or they don't fully utilize. The problem is annoying because if you want to operate on Public Cloud you have to be cautious about your application needs and whether it's cloud-friendly or not.

What makes an application cloud-friendly?

First, the ability for your application to consume less computational resources is crucial, the best option is to rewrite the application so that it runs on skinny hardware, if possible, or use an alternative. I know, this also costs money at the end, but it's a better investment for your survival in the market, as well as it improves your business continuity, otherwise, you will end up paying more and more to your Public Cloud provider.

Second, to operate on Public Cloud, the default behavior of every application is to scale out (horizontally) by running multiple instances of the same app simultaneously, no compromises with this one, kill app if it cannot scale-out...trust me it's cursed. This is going to be a pain in the butt if you don't, and it will consume more time to maintain and support.

Third, your overall utilization of the allocated resources should be 60-70%, if it's not the case, you are throwing your money in the garbage.

Forth, the application has to be lightweight, easy to deploy, easy to maintain, use best practices of automation and DevOps stuff.

The point I want to make here is that if your application is not cloud-friendly and you have no plans to change that, you should find options other than Public Cloud.

Are there any alternatives to Public Cloud?

Yeah, there are alternatives, run your stuff on a private cloud. It's doesn't require much, look for a couple of folks with decent experience and they will do it for you.

I believe that we should give the private cloud a try, it might not bring every fancy feature in AWS or GCE, but it works just fine, sometimes it has even nicer features like OpenStack.

What it takes is a couple of physical servers in any data-center close to your location and install your cloud on it.

Finally, analyze your situation before dipping your shin into the deep water.