As a society we’ve come to depend so much on cloud computing that we think of it as a “set and forget” resource (if we think of it at all). We are reassured by its ubiquity and the ease with which we can easily spin up new cloud instances to meet our immediate capacity or performance needs. The cloud has essentially created a false sense of security, as many businesses have learned during the Covid crisis. As they went to expand their capacity in the face of unseen demand, they found that the cloud is also finite. When things settled down after the initial rush as Covid lockdowns took effect, cloud providers returned to normal. But the new extremes of use showed how taking the cloud for granted isn’t difficult. If you’re not the one taking care of hardware or infrastructure yourself, it’s invisible. 

Varnish Software is working at the epicenter of a digital revolution, supporting businesses in solving some of the most complex and constantly evolving challenges they face. In this case, specifically, 5G. 

Not long ago,The Register offered this tongue-in-cheek prediction: “What sector of tech is forecast to grow fatter than the Slovakian economy or Elon Musk’s ego in 2018? The cloud. Global spending on the fluffy white stuff is predicted by mystics at Gartner to reach $175.8bn this year.” This doesn’t appear to have been an exaggeration. Acloud industry insights report from Right Scale indicated that 96% of companies across industries have embraced cloud services, for any number of reasons, including faster, more innovative delivery and cost reductions, among others. And more than half of the companies surveyed were deploying multiple clouds for different reasons as well as any number of hybrid on-premise and cloud mashups that together make up a custom solution to suit each individual company.

We’ve reached that time of year when most e-commerce sites are finishing up their efforts to strengthen and secure their website performance before big holiday shopping kicks off in earnest. The frenzy is unpredictable - and no retailer, big or small, is immune. As more shoppers move online for Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals, and the shopping season extends to become a season unto itself, there are more unpredictable factors over a longer period of time, meaning that preparation, risk assessment and stress testing are essential. Many different stumbling blocks can get in the way of site performance and, ultimately, of capitalizing on major marketing campaigns you’ve invested in. The bottom line is that you may even alienate customers with your online traffic jam (they went online to avoid the crowds!), keeping them away not only during the holidays but later, too.