What is cloud load balancing?

Load balancing for the cloud is defined as distributing workloads and compute properties in a cloud computing environment to allocate network traffic requests equally across the systems requesting and accessing those resources. Cloud load balancing aims to achieve greater efficiency and reliability for cloud-based apps and across cloud operations. Cloud load balancing lets organizations host the distribution of resources between multiple computers, servers, or networks to better support and manage user requests. This helps optimize an organization’s available resources to minimize the response time for applications and their users.

How does cloud load balancing work?

As network traffic expands and data sprawls rapidly, the workload on cloud servers can also be seen growing exponentially. Cloud load balancing offers two main approaches to help operations teams overcome the burdens placed on their servers. The first option is enabled through a single-server solution where an available server is upgraded to a higher performance model. The trouble with this option is that it can delay the user demand and create an ongoing cycle of timely and costly upgrades. The alternative is a multiple-server solution, building a scalable service system on a cluster of servers.

How is cloud load balancing important?

Cloud load balancing benefits nearly any server-based service, including HTTP, SMTP, DNS, FTP, and POP/IMAP. Cloud load balancing increases server reliability while providing more precise scalability and availability for the organization’s cloud-based servers.

Benefits of cloud load balancing

With cloud load balancing benefits rooted in the scalable core of cloud environments, the ease and speed of scaling in the cloud lets organizations handle data and traffic spikes without impairing performance. A cloud load balancer can help auto-scale based on demand levels and increase network reliability with the ability to host an application across global cloud hubs.

The cost benefits associated with cloud load balancing also make it a resource more readily available to startup firms and small- and medium-sized businesses.

Common use cases for cloud load balancing

With cloud load balancing, organizations can quickly scale their services to ensure higher server traffic doesn’t lower application performance or the end-user experience, even during periods of high demand. Cloud load balancers can also help trim staffing costs as the organization won’t have to employ multiple IT admins to manage traffic surges. Greater balance leads to greater performance which also helps servers achieve optimal outcomes in the shortest possible response time.

Cloud load balancing can also be used to manage heavy loads of application traffic, intelligently routing it to separate servers and network nodes, thereby increasing flexibility and performance.

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