Public or private, the cloud is app developers' friend

Outside your walls or in your own servers, cloud deployments can help app development.

Cloud computing has more benefits than some business leaders may realize. Many of the criticisms launched at cloud platforms come from a very limited view of what the technology is and how it works. In the broadest terms, you can choose to operate your cloud platform in your own servers or on hardware hosted off-site and overseen by third parties. There are many potential benefits in either choice, some of which may fit your business. The divide between public and private deployments is just one of many distinctions when it comes to using the cloud, and it could be the key to moving forward with a cloud-based application development platform, even if you thought such a move might not be possible.

Two kinds of development There are a huge number of features available in the cloud. For our purposes, however, the focus will be on rapid application development. This is an ideal process to move into a hosted environment, due to the numerous benefits in agility and visibility that come with freeing information from limited departmental silos.

Development teams can dive into the public cloud using Progress® Rollbase® Hosted Cloud. This aPaaS is based on Amazon Web Services servers, giving its users access to resources from a leader in the public cloud field. All developers need to access this software is a Web browser. None of the software or hardware is present in their office space or data centers, a far cry from the age of installing and upgrading on each endpoint. Furthermore, the software is updated automatically, without disrupting the functionality of the apps created on the platform.

If users would rather take on the duty of hosting the platform themselves, they can work with Progress Rollbase Private Cloud. With this option, the development environment is under the complete control of the users to install and upgrade where they want. For industries with more restrictions in place, this may be a huge difference-maker. What's more, the private model comes with the same exciting lineup of development capabilities. For instance, applications developed in Progress Rollbase can be distributed through an app store branded with your company's name and logo. The marketplace becomes an extension of your organization's brand.

What's right for you? If you want to develop applications for either your own employees or outside clients, there is a deployment option for Progress Rollbase that will suit you. If you've looked at the public cloud before and decided that it isn't for you, look again. A private deployment in a location of your choosing may work.