Introduction
As more and more companies migrate to the cloud, the need for cloud governance has become a necessity. Cloud governance involves the policies, procedures, and tools used to manage cloud services and ensure compliance with regulations and security standards. One area that has gained significant attention is governance for cloud-native applications. In this post, we will compare the different governance models for cloud-native applications.
What are Cloud-Native Applications?
Cloud-native applications are designed to take full advantage of cloud computing resources. They are developed using an agile methodology and rely on containers, microservices, and DevOps practices. They are built on cloud infrastructure and utilize cloud services such as serverless computing, storage, and databases.
Governance Models for Cloud-Native Applications
There are two main governance models for cloud-native applications:
Centralized Governance
Centralized governance involves a centralized team that manages the entire cloud environment. The team is responsible for defining policies and procedures for cloud infrastructure, cloud services, and applications. They ensure compliance with regulations and security standards. The centralized team also handles the procurement of cloud resources and manages the cloud budget.
Pros
- Consistent Policies: Centralized governance ensures that policies are consistent across the entire cloud environment. This helps to ensure compliance with regulations and maintain security.
- Expertise: A centralized team can provide expertise and guidance on cloud computing best practices.
- Cost Savings: A centralized team can negotiate better pricing with cloud providers, resulting in cost savings.
Cons
- Slow to Implement Changes: Centralized governance can be slow to implement changes since all decisions must go through the centralized team.
- Lack of Flexibility: Centralized governance can limit the flexibility and agility of application development teams.
- Single Point of Failure: A centralized team can become a single point of failure for the entire cloud environment.
Decentralized Governance
Decentralized governance involves empowering application development teams to manage their own cloud resources. The teams are responsible for defining policies and procedures for their own applications. They ensure compliance with regulations and security standards. They also handle the procurement of cloud resources and manage the cloud budget for their applications.
Pros
- Faster Implementation: Decentralized governance allows application development teams to make decisions quickly and implement changes faster.
- Flexibility: Decentralized governance provides application development teams with the flexibility to choose the cloud resources that best meet their requirements.
- Increased Innovation: Decentralized governance encourages innovation by allowing application development teams to experiment with new technologies without having to go through a centralized team.
Cons
- Inconsistent Policies: Decentralized governance can lead to inconsistent policies across the cloud environment, making it difficult to ensure compliance with regulations and maintain security.
- Lack of Expertise: Application development teams may not have the expertise to make informed decisions about cloud computing best practices.
- Higher Costs: Decentralized governance can result in higher costs due to duplication of resources and a lack of economies of scale.
Conclusion
Both centralized and decentralized governance models have their pros and cons. The choice of a governance model depends on the specific needs of an organization. For organizations that require consistency in policies and procedures, centralized governance may be the way to go. For organizations that value flexibility and innovation, decentralized governance may be the better option.
In the end, it is important to establish a clear governance model for cloud-native applications to ensure compliance with regulations, maintain security, and keep costs under control.