A key part of any Cloud Service is the 'Backend'. This is the part that most people don't see but powers the whole system. You could think of it as the engine in a car or the boiler room on a cruise ship.
The 'Backend' can include Web APIs that provide access to the core business logic or the database that stores all of your data. It can also include micro-services (that share the load and provide scalability when needed) as well as Data Warehouses that provide access to fast analytics and reporting.
When working with Mobile applications the cloud services ‘Backend’ provides integration and communication with the remote device allowing users to access and manage their data from anywhere in the world.
Web APIs are external access points for cloud services that provide restricted access to the internal business logic and data structures.
Westwood Rock has experience in writing complete, secure and performant Web APIs using a range of different styles and technologies include REST, SOAP and gRPC.
Your cloud service can also interact with Web APIs from other providers such as Facebook, Twitter and PayPal to provide additional functionality to your system.
Another main component of a Cloud Service is the ‘Front End’. It most cases this is a web site or web application that provides users with a Graphical User Interface (GUI) that they can access from a web browser.
A lot of Cloud Services also provide mobile apps for phones and tablets and some also provide desktop applications for Windows, Mac and Linux.
There are many options for designing the web based front end and we have experience designing sites in the latest web frameworks such as React, Angular, Blazor or just plain HTML 5 and CSS.
The ‘Front End’ application can be designed to utilise your ‘backend’ web API’s to access your business logic, customer data and processes. The front end and backend can also be hosted together in the same application for simplicity.
There are many options for hosting your Cloud service depending on your needs and infrastructure. The services can be hosted on your own servers or on third-party servers with each approach providing its own benefits and costs. Deciding the best fit for you is something that we can help you determine.
Your Cloud services can be hosted on cloud computing platforms such as an Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure or Google Cloud. These provide scalable processing, storage and connectivity capabilities and exceptional up-time guarantees.
You could also host your cloud services with third-party website hosting companies such as GoDaddy, Fasthosts and many others. These primarily cover hosting of the website or web app only but are very good value for money.
Lastly, you can host the Cloud Services on your own servers which can utilise your existing infrastructure and expertise. This requires minimal additional cost and give you the most control over the hosting environments.
Internet of Things (IoT) refers to the growing network of ‘smart’ objects or devices that connect over a local network or the internet.
Your Cloud services can be used to provide access to your business logic, route command and instructions, record and capture data to and from the Smart IOT devices as well as providing management capabilities and firmware updates.
Web APIs can be tuned to support IOT devices using simplified data structures, anonymised data. These are areas in which Westwood Rock has experience and can design into any products.
Westwood Rock can also help with designing bespoke IOT devices, firmware and PCBs.
