Why every business should adopt serverless

Automating and streamlining processes is at the forefront of every CIO’s digital agenda, and yet serverless computing – a pay-as-you-go, scale to zero software architecture – only has a 5 percent deployment rate across global enterprises today ( Gartner).

James Valentine, CTO of Fronde, says that serverless is a game-changer for the way we architect, design and operate systems, but isn’t being given the consideration it deserves.

With over 15 years of experience at Fronde, James has watched the technology industry unfold and evolve – he played a critical role in pioneering cloud and agile in New Zealand and has architected and project managed solutions for big names across ANZ, including Vodafone NZ, Carsales, Eroad and Mercury.

Now, he sees serverless as the way forward for businesses. With serverless technology, you only pay for what you use, enabling organisations to rapidly build modern applications while reducing the need for operations resources. As a result, CIOs can reallocate resources and human capacity to support business objectives.

James notes, however, that CIOs and senior architects are being drawn into container orchestration platforms, overlooking the simplicity that serverless offers. “Serverless is the connective tissue for your technology stack – yet it is so often overlooked by technology decision makers. Serverless architecture increases agility, decreases risk and enables micro-innovation to happen within the broader transformation framework of a business,” says James.

By 2020, Gartner predicts that almost 20 percent of global enterprises will have deployed serverless computing technologies. James shares three decision-making tips for CIOs considering serverless, as we approach the new year:

Go beyond your comfort zone: Do things differently and don’t wait for them to become mainstream. In a world of varying platforms, you must be willing to experiment – but always through the lens of vigilance. Security concerns are ever present, and customers need to do everything they can to have privacy in place. The lower threat surface of serverless is an appealing choice in this regard.

Simplicity is key: CIOs get bombarded by vendors trying to sell them products, and simplicity should be the number one goal when making a choice. Take a step back and look at your architectural work to make an informed decision – ask yourself “what are we buying and why are we buying it?”

Adopt change holistically: Technological change needs to be measured. It goes beyond the adoption of new and shiny technologies like AI and ML – it requires modernising existing technology and keeping what still works.