November 9, 2022
Last week’s blog outlined the three top strategic trends in IT for 2023 (optimize, scale and pioneer). This week we focus on the second strategic IT trend scale. It involves examining everything in your environment, from cloud computing to improving your developer’s experience through platform engineering to network demand.
Your organization has probably already moved to the cloud to take advantage of the benefits offered. However, it is critical to make sure you are scaling correctly, or the cloud could cost you more money or not operate as efficiently as promised. Below are the definitions of the different types of scalabilities.
The easiest way to scale is by adding resources to your existing operations to manage an increasing workload. It is a matter of resizing the current capabilities by moving to larger VMs or adding expansion units with your current infrastructure. Vertical scaling allows you to resize your server with no change in your code. The downside is that while it increases storage capacity, it may reduce performance since the compute capacity remains the same.
You require horizontal scaling if you need to maintain current performance (and reduce latency) while increasing your storage capacity. The total workload is aggregated over the total number of nodes, effectively decreasing latency. This scaling is ideal for optimizing workloads.
Diagonal scaling allows you to add more resources according to your needs in specific instances. It helps you scale up and scale down. For example, when the traffic increases, the requirements are met; when traffic decreases, the configuration returns to normal. This scaling introduces enhanced budgeting and cost-effectiveness for environments and businesses dealing with variable workload volumes.
Having new or modified applications ready when you need them is vital for faster product delivery. Thus, platform engineering provides standardized tools, components, and automated processes to improve your developer’s experience and productivity. The platform provides libraries of standard reusable components, combines the tools a developer needs, and integrates a self-service portal allowing developers to consume solutions on demand, automating the deployment and management of the underlying infrastructure.
As your organization scales up, wireless network devices also increase. There is no one size fits all solution. Instead, you will need to plan your connectivity needs ranging from traditional end-user computing to mobile devices to low-power networks. Gartner predicts “by 2025, 60% of enterprises will be using five or more wireless technologies simultaneously.” Understanding your needs today will help you plan for tomorrow.
Do you need help analyzing your current environment for scaling opportunities? How about developing an IT roadmap for 2023 and beyond? Our professionals can help you take advantage of innovative solutions, so contact us to start the discussion.