Cloud development: 9 gotchas to know before you jump in
Application development and testing in the cloud are gaining popularity, as more businesses launch public and private cloud computing initiatives. Cloud development typically includes integrated development environments, application lifecycle management components (such as test and quality management, source code and configuration management, continuous delivery tools), and application security testing components.
Although technology executives and developers with experience in cloud-based development say there are clear benefits to developing in these environments -- such as costs savings and increased speed to market -- they also caution that there are challenges and surprises to look out for.
Just how common development in the cloud is likely to become isn't clear. But industry analysis shows it's on the rise. In a February 2011 research note, Gartner said clients that attended the firm's symposia in 2010 expressed "sharply increased interest" in cloud computing to enhance the development and maintenance of existing custom Web applications.
