The trail of the cloud native

Innovation in cloud computing continues to accelerate at a breathtaking pace, with new concepts, strategies, frameworks, and products announced every day.

As of January 2019, the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) includes more than 600 active projects in its principal open source community. A new project joins, on average, each week. While this can be exciting for some, many business and operations groups find keeping up to date on the latest offerings and capabilities to be a challenge. Financial models must adapt to an inexorable push towards op-ex accounting with its fluidity; support teams must become familiar with new terminology and shifting responsibilities; and ultimately, technology strategy must lead by example.

Enter stage right the dual specters of Digital Transformation and IT Modernization, linked drivers of change—but also sometimes of anxiety and uncertainty. Who champions the transition? What tools and automation do successful teams use? Why do some efforts fail while others flourish? When can progress against goals be objectively measured? How best to re-envision existing products, services, processes, teams? Taken en masse, simple assembly of answers to those questions can be daunting and even derailing. However, there exists an alternative trail to follow, that of the Cloud Native.