About a decade ago, businesses across diverse sectors started digitizing their operations by leveraging digital technologies. The digitalization drive proved to be very successful and brought a revolution in the corporate world. Besides, it significantly reduced downtime, streamlined operations, and helped enterprises achieve corporate excellence.
However, the focus has now been shifted towards cloud computing, which has become a new norm today. According to Garter, global public cloud spending is expected to increase from $490.3 billion in 2022 to $591.8 billion in 2023. Moreover, cloud software development has gained immense popularity in the post-pandemic era. Several SMBs have already transitioned to the cloud while others are at the deployment stage.
In this guide, we will explain the cloud-based app development process in detail to help businesses build robust cloud-based apps in 2023.
So, let’s dive in!
What is Cloud Software?
Cloud refers to online software that can only be accessed over the internet. Cloud-based applications run data storage and the computational processing logic for two separate structures. One is client-side which is visible to the users while the other is server side responsible for data processing.
The biggest advantage of cloud-based applications is that users can access their desired features and perform their required functions without installing the software on their devices. Besides, all the data uploaded by cloud users is stored in a highly secure cloud infrastructure. Hence, users can access cloud software anytime, anywhere from any device as long as it is connected to the internet.
Cloud Software Development Process
Given below are the key steps involved in cloud software development:
1. Market & Product Analysis
First of all, you have to perform market research and analyze product requirements to investigate the status quo. Pay attention to your business goals, clients’ needs, and the unique selling points of your competitors. Moreover, evaluate the market trends currently popular in your specific niche to determine what’s going on in the market.
Based on your research, create a buyer persona to identify your clients, their pain points, and their product needs. Finally, define your value proposition to determine the challenges your cloud software will resolve for your users. This step will help you create a robust and feature-rich solution that can deliver value and satisfy your client’s requirements.
2. Choose the Tech Stack
Once you have defined your target audience and determined your desired product features, the next step is to choose the tech stack. This is extremely important because only the right tech stack approach is crucial for successful cloud software development.
Some of the renowned cloud application development tools and platforms are given below:
| Development | Data and Application | DevOps | Utilities | Collaboration |
|
1. Microsoft Azure 2. Amazon Web Services (AWS) 3. Google Cloud Platform (GCP)
|
1. Akamai 2. ClearDB 3. Cloudant
|
1. Bitbucket 2. Datadog 3. Jenkins 4. New Relic 5. Cloud9 IDE 6. StillAlive 7. Sauce Labs |
1. Twilio 2. Cyfe 3. Google Analytics 4. Heap 5. Zuora 6. TransmogrifAI 7. Recurly |
1. Jira 2. Teams 3. DocuSign 4. InVision 5. G Suite 6. UXPin 7. Balsamiq |
Use the following criteria while defining your tech stack:
- Security
- Pricing
- Customization
- Scalability
- Data Processing Speed
3. Hire the Development Team
Only a highly qualified and professional development team can help you build next-generation apps to meet ever-growing market needs. Hence, be careful while hiring your development team which may comprise software engineers, business analysts, SQA engineers, DevOps engineers, cost estimation experts, and a project manager.
Finding the right IT professionals with your desired skills and expertise is not an easy task. Hence, consider the following options to select talented IT experts for cloud software development:
| Collaboration Type | Best Platforms |
| Freelance Software Developers | Fiverr, Upwork, PeoplePerHour, Guru, Freelancer |
| Outsourced Development Teams | Clutch, GoodFirms, ItFirms |
| In-house Development Team | Glassdoor, LinkedIn, Indeed |
4. UI/UX Design
At this stage, you have to work on the user interface of your cloud software to optimize your users’ experience. The UI/UX design plays a key role in the success of your application. Hence, make sure you have a team of qualified UI/UX designers that fully understand your product and knows how to shape innovative and fully interactive application interfaces.
Similarly, while designing the cloud application architecture, choose dynamic distributed systems and interconnected applications. This will help your design team collaborate on the project more effectively and focus on data to optimize the user experience.
Check out some of the famous visual development tools you can use in the UI/UX design process:
| UI/UX Tool | Exclusive Features |
| Figma |
1. Developer workflow and auto layout 2. SAML-based SSO integrations |
| Sketch |
1. Real-time team collaboration 2. Visual design for web-based products or service |
| Adobe XD |
1. Asset management library 2. Integrations with Adobe products |
| Framer |
1. Early-stage collaboration via JavaScript 2. Multiple UI design tools, plugins, and UI kits |
5. Software Development & Testing
Once your software design is ready, it’s time to bring the cloud software development team into action. The developers will first launch the initial version or Minimal Viable Product (MVP) and test its components in various environments to check its performance.
Besides, make sure to follow agile/scrum methodologies in the development stage for better results. Moreover, distribute the cloud software development process into sprints to discuss the progress at each phase. While testing the MVP, make sure it performs well and delivers an impeccable user experience.
6. Software Deployment
Lastly, your cloud software is ready to launch. Choose different marketplaces like Apple App Store and Google Play Store for mobile apps. Don’t forget to follow the guidelines of the respective marketplace and fill in the data carefully for fast approval. However, if your deployment request is rejected, fix the bugs identified by App Store or Play Store until it becomes perfect.
Similarly, collect users’ feedback after the launch of your cloud software and make necessary changes accordingly. When all stages are complete, follow a targeted digital marketing strategy to establish your brand identity and sell your cloud software to prospects.
Wrapping Up
Cloud-based applications are rapidly gaining popularity in today’s digital landscape. Businesses of all sizes and sectors are migrating towards the cloud to strengthen their long-term competitive edge. Moreover, cloud service providers are coming up with innovative solutions to meet the growing demands of their customers.
When it comes to cloud software development, make sure to choose a reliable vendor with proven expertise in this area. Hiring technology experts from a competent development company will help you solve your complex issues and build feature-rich cloud software for a rapidly-expanding consumer base.
Get in touch with Khired Networks to develop custom cloud-based applications and succeed in the highly competitive digital era.