Although there are many ways to improve app performance in the cloud, companies generally try to identify network performance issues and bottlenecks, looking at metrics like end user response time. Solving poor app performance can involve changing the ways that cloud models work, or adding robust channels of communication to a cloud model.
One thing that companies may do to boost app performance over a large network area is the creation of a content delivery network or CDN. The CDN is a spread-out array of proxy servers that allows the cloud model to serve a wider geographic area or a more diverse end user base more rapidly. Because there are these distributed “way servers,” the cloud model more capably connects to users in a poor performance pocket.
Another similar strategy is to use a software-defined WAN or wide area network. An SD-WAN with features like zero-touch provisioning and dynamic path control can enhance app performance. Diverse app delivery models over SaaS channels can also help.
Other types of problem-solving involve specific cloud delivery vendor options. For example, as a top corporate vendor product, Amazon Web Services has its own tips and tricks in terms of app performance. Defining the right EC2 instance, for example, or leveraging Elastic Block Store, can have a positive effect.
In the end, good app performance enhancements observe the entire infrastructure, from the vendor model to the data packet flow into client systems and beyond. Looking at networks from an engineering and designing perspective is part of it, but there’s also the need to understand the different cloud model options and how each of them applies to a company’s goals.