‘Best Cloud Native Project / Solution’ Award

Who should enter the ‘Best Cloud Native Project / Solution’ category?

The ‘Best Cloud Native Project / Solution’ award recognizes a project or solution that embodies the principles of cloud-native computing, demonstrating exceptional use of cloud-native architectures, tools, and methodologies to deliver scalable, resilient, and efficient software solutions.

Cloud-native solutions are built to leverage the unique capabilities of cloud platforms, utilizing microservices, containerization, continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD), and orchestration tools like Kubernetes. The strong project will have effectively utilized these technologies to create a solution that is not only robust and scalable but also highly adaptable to changing business needs.

This award celebrates projects that exemplify the core tenets of cloud-native development, including modularity, automation, and resilience, ensuring that applications can be easily updated, scaled, and maintained in dynamic cloud environments.

The winning cloud-native project will have shown clear benefits in terms of improved performance, reduced time-to-market, cost efficiency, and enhanced user experiences. It will also have proven its ability to handle complex, high-demand workloads with ease, providing a level of reliability and scalability that is essential for modern enterprises. Projects should have successfully met or exceeded business objectives, delivering significant value to stakeholders and end-users.

Example Features

Containerization

Containers package the application code along with its dependencies, libraries, and configuration files, ensuring that it runs the same way regardless of the underlying infrastructure.
This portability is crucial, as applications may need to move across different cloud platforms or hybrid environments.
Containers also offer efficiency in resource utilization, as they share the host system’s kernel, leading to faster start-up times and lower overhead compared to traditional virtual machines.

Service Mesh

A service mesh is a dedicated infrastructure layer for managing service-to-service communication within a cloud-native architecture, providing a uniform way to secure, connect, and observe microservices.
It offloads these responsibilities from the application code, allowing developers to focus on business logic rather than infrastructure concerns.
Service meshes enhance the reliability, security, and observability of cloud-native projects, making them easier to manage and scale.

Scalability and Elasticity

Cloud-native applications are designed to scale horizontally, meaning that additional instances of a service can be created to handle increased load.
Elasticity refers to the ability of the system to scale in and out dynamically, ensuring that resources are used efficiently.
This capability is particularly important for handling fluctuating workloads and ensuring that applications can meet performance requirements without over-provisioning resources, leading to cost savings.

API-First Design

API-first design ensures that the application’s functionalities are accessible and reusable across different platforms, services, and applications.
By designing APIs before building the actual services, developers can ensure that the interfaces are consistent, well-documented, and user-friendly.
This promotes interoperability and allows different components of the application, and external systems, to communicate seamlessly.

Microservices Architecture

Microservices architecture breaks down an application into smaller, independent services. Each microservice focuses on a specific business capability and can be developed, deployed, and scaled independently.
Decoupling allows for greater flexibility, enabling work on different services simultaneously without affecting the entire system.
Microservices architecture supports continuous delivery and deployment, as updates to individual services can be made without causing downtime or requiring large-scale application redeployments.

Containerization

Containers package the application code along with its dependencies, libraries, and configuration files, ensuring that it runs the same way regardless of the underlying infrastructure.

This portability is crucial, as applications may need to move across different cloud platforms or hybrid environments.

Containers also offer efficiency in resource utilization, as they share the host system’s kernel, leading to faster start-up times and lower overhead compared to traditional virtual machines.

Microservices Architecture

Microservices architecture breaks down an application into smaller, independent services. Each microservice focuses on a specific business capability and can be developed, deployed, and scaled independently.

Decoupling allows for greater flexibility, enabling work on different services simultaneously without affecting the entire system.

Microservices architecture supports continuous delivery and deployment, as updates to individual services can be made without causing downtime or requiring large-scale application redeployments.

Scalability and Elasticity

Cloud-native applications are designed to scale horizontally, meaning that additional instances of a service can be created to handle increased load.

Elasticity refers to the ability of the system to scale in and out dynamically, ensuring that resources are used efficiently.

This capability is particularly important for handling fluctuating workloads and ensuring that applications can meet performance requirements without over-provisioning resources, leading to cost savings.

API-First Design

API-first design ensures that the application’s functionalities are accessible and reusable across different platforms, services, and applications.

By designing APIs before building the actual services, developers can ensure that the interfaces are consistent, well-documented, and user-friendly.

This promotes interoperability and allows different components of the application, and external systems, to communicate seamlessly.

Service Mesh

A service mesh is a dedicated infrastructure layer for managing service-to-service communication within a cloud-native architecture, providing a uniform way to secure, connect, and observe microservices.

It offloads these responsibilities from the application code, allowing developers to focus on business logic rather than infrastructure concerns.

Service meshes enhance the reliability, security, and observability of cloud-native projects, making them easier to manage and scale.

Hall of Fame: Previous Winners

Winner of the 2024/25 Cloud Award for 'Best Cloud Native Project / Solution'

Quote from Technical Director, Annabelle Whittall:

“Built exclusively for the cloud, Keepit’s platform provides unparalleled security, scalability, and usability, setting a new benchmark in data protection. Its vendor-independent architecture and air-gapped storage ensure maximum resilience and adaptability, allowing businesses to safeguard critical SaaS applications with confidence. By combining innovation, sustainability, and a customer-focused design, Keepit empowers organizations to future-proof their data strategies while contributing to a greener digital ecosystem.”

Winner of the 2023/24 Cloud Award for 'Best Cloud Native Project / Solution'

Quote from Lead Judge, Annabelle Whittall:

“The proof of Skuber’s effectiveness is in the quantifiable results. Originally established as a spin-off startup of Hyundai Motor Group to drive the Digital Transformation (DT) of automobile manufacturers, the company has evolved into a solution-focused enterprise specialising in cloud SaaS services. At the forefront of wondermove’s offerings is “Skuber (Super Kubernetes)”, a service that is expanding at an impressive rate, and one at we at The Cloud Awards believe is poised to become a global game changer in cloud management and infrastructure solutions.”

Winner of the 2022/23 Cloud Award for 'Best Cloud Native Project / Solution'

Lead Judge Richard Geary, said:

“Cloudastructure’s security monitoring system is a fantastic example of what a cloud-native project can achieve. The ability to live-monitor video feeds, alerting the perpetrator and achieving a 93% deterrence rate and 95% apprehension rate for that remaining 7%, using cloud-based AI, is a phenomenal result. Cloudastructure have really impressed the judges at The Cloud Awards this year. Congratulations on your win!”

Areas to highlight in your submission

A strong entry for the ‘Best Cloud Native Project / Solution’ category should include details on some, or all, of the following areas that the judges will be looking for:

Integration and Interoperability:

Summarize how well the project integrates with other systems, applications, and cloud services

Consider the ease with which the solution can be connected to existing workflows, its compatibility with different cloud platforms (e.g., AWS, Azure, Google Cloud), and its ability to support hybrid or multi-cloud environments.
Business Impact and Value:

Demonstrate how effectively the cloud-native project delivers tangible benefits to the organization or its customers. This includes whether the solution has achieved its intended goals, such as improving operational efficiency, reducing costs, increasing revenue, or enhancing customer satisfaction.

Evidence of measurable outcomes, such as ROI, productivity gains, or market share growth, will assist the judges here.
Innovation and Originality:

Discuss how the project introduces new ideas or technologies that push the boundaries of what’s possible in cloud-native computing.

Evaluate whether the solution leverages cloud-native principles in novel ways, such as using microservices, containers, or serverless architectures in a creative manner.

Scalability and Performance:

Summarize how well the solution scales horizontally to accommodate growing user demands or increased data loads without compromising performance.

Cover whether the project can efficiently manage resources, maintain high availability, and deliver consistent, rapid response times even under peak loads.
Security and Compliance:

Briefly cover how the project addresses security concerns, including data encryption, access control, and vulnerability management.

Projects that demonstrate a strong commitment to protecting user data and meeting compliance requirements, while still delivering innovation, will be of interest to the panel.
UX and Accessibility:

User experience (UX) and accessibility are vital for the adoption and success of cloud-native solutions. This focuses on the ease of use, intuitiveness, and accessibility of the project.

Demonstrate the design and functionality of the user interface, the clarity of documentation, and how well the solution supports users with varying levels of technical expertise.

Next Steps to Enter The Cloud Awards

To enter this Cloud Awards category, or any other category in The Cloud Awards, please follow these three simple steps:

Download the entry form. Open up the ‘Cloud Awards Simple Form’ document.
Complete your form. You only need to complete the form once, even if entering multiple Cloud Awards categories.
Submit your entry. Head to the ‘Submit Now’ section on our website, select ‘The Cloud Awards’ and the category/categories you are entering from the list, upload your form and any other materials you would like the judges to review, and process your fees.

Download Entry Form

Since 2011, The Cloud Awards been helping organizations across the globe gain the recognition they deserve for market-leading innovation in the cloud computing and software sectors.

For a detailed breakdown of all the benefits you receive as an awards entrant as either a shortlistee, finalist or ultimate winner, please see our “Why Enter?” page. The many benefits are replicated across all international awards programs. If you have any questions about this category, please contact us.