Introduction: The 7 Pillars Framework
Building a cloud-native architecture requires making decisions across 7 interdependent technology pillars. Each pillar addresses critical aspects of your infrastructure, and choices in one pillar impact all others.
This hub provides a comprehensive overview of each pillar and helps you understand the decision frameworks you'll need to evaluate technology options. Rather than overwhelming you with tool choices, we focus on the strategic questions you must answer in each pillar.
Navigation: Click on any pillar below to explore detailed decision guides, technology options, and implementation patterns.
The 7 Technology Pillars
1. Compute
Choose how to execute your applications: Kubernetes clusters, serverless functions, edge computing, or virtual machines.
Key Decisions:
- Kubernetes vs Serverless vs Edge?
- Managed vs self-hosted?
- Multi-cloud strategy?
- Cost vs control trade-offs?
2. Storage
Design data persistence: Block storage, file systems, object storage, databases, and backup strategies.
Key Decisions:
- Persistence model (local, network, cloud)?
- Database type (SQL, NoSQL, specialized)?
- Backup & DR strategy?
- Data residency & compliance?
3. Network
Manage communication: CNI plugins, ingress controllers, service mesh, load balancing, and security policies.
Key Decisions:
- Network topology & topology?
- Ingress & load balancing?
- Service mesh for observability?
- Zero-trust security?
4. Scalability
Handle variable demand: Horizontal scaling, vertical scaling, cluster autoscaling, and cost optimization.
Key Decisions:
- HPA vs VPA vs cluster scaling?
- Metric-based vs schedule-based?
- Cost vs performance tuning?
- Multi-region scaling?
5. Observability
Monitor & understand systems: Metrics, logging, tracing, dashboards, and alerting strategies.
Key Decisions:
- Metrics vs logs vs traces?
- Managed vs self-hosted stack?
- Data retention & cost?
- Alerting & incident response?
6. Security
Protect systems: RBAC, network policies, secret management, compliance, and threat detection.
Key Decisions:
- Authentication & authorization?
- Secrets management strategy?
- Compliance frameworks?
- Network & runtime security?
7. Reliability
Ensure availability: High availability, disaster recovery, SLO/SLI/SLA definition, and resilience patterns.
Key Decisions:
- RTO/RPO targets?
- HA architecture pattern?
- SLO/SLI/SLA definition?
- Failure scenarios & testing?
Technology Selection Workflow
5-Step Decision Framework
Understand workload characteristics: performance needs, compliance requirements, scale, and cost constraints.
Decide public/private/hybrid based on strategy. This impacts all 7 pillar choices (tools availability, compliance options, cost).
Choose specific technologies for each pillar. Start with compute (Kubernetes?), then storage, network, etc.
Ensure pillar choices work together. Network choice impacts scalability. Security impacts operations. Etc.
Sum costs across all pillars. Compare alternatives. Validate against budget. Consider 3-5 year TCO.
💡 Pro Tip: Don't treat pillars in isolation. Changes to compute choice (Kubernetes vs Serverless) impact storage, network, scalability, and security choices. Use an iterative approach: choose compute, then evaluate impacts on other pillars.
Pillar Interdependencies
Understanding how pillars depend on each other is critical for making coherent technology choices:
Key Interdependencies
Compute → Storage: If choosing Kubernetes, you need StatefulSets with persistent storage. Serverless doesn't need persistent storage (state is ephemeral).
Compute → Network: Kubernetes needs CNI plugin + ingress controller. Serverless needs API gateway + load balancing. Choices are tightly coupled.
Scalability → Cost: Horizontal scaling (HPA) may increase costs but reduces per-request latency. Need to balance performance vs. cost.
Security → Observability: More security policies (network policies, RBAC) require more observability to understand what's being blocked/allowed.
Reliability → Observability: High availability architectures require sophisticated monitoring to detect & respond to failures quickly.
Network → Security: Service mesh (network layer) can enforce security policies. Network policies are foundational for zero-trust architecture.
Pillar Deep-Dive Guides
Each pillar has a dedicated deep-dive guide that covers:
- Strategic decision questions
- Technology options & comparison
- Public vs private cloud considerations
- Cost analysis per option
- Real-world implementation patterns
- Common pitfalls & best practices
Access Pillar Guides:
- 1. Compute Options - Kubernetes, Serverless, Edge, VMs
- 2. Storage Solutions - Block, File, Object, Database, Backup
- 3. Network Architecture - CNI, Ingress, Service Mesh, Security
- 4. Scalability Patterns - HPA, VPA, Cost Optimization
- 5. Observability Stack - Metrics, Logs, Traces, Dashboards
- 6. Security Architecture - RBAC, Policies, Compliance
- 7. Reliability Patterns - HA, DR, SLO/SLI/SLA
ROI Calculator Framework
Each pillar guide includes a framework for evaluating return on investment:
- Cost Implications: Total cost of ownership per option
- Performance Benefits: Latency, throughput, scalability gains
- Operational Overhead: Team size, complexity, training needs
- Risk Assessment: Technical debt, vendor lock-in, compliance gaps
- Time to Value: Implementation timeline, quick wins
Assessment Checklist: Are You Ready?
Before Starting Technology Selection
- Cloud Model Decided: Have you chosen public/private/hybrid?
- Budget Defined: Do you have total budget across all 7 pillars?
- Team Expertise: What skills does your team have?
- Compliance Known: What regulations apply to your data?
- Performance Targets: What are your SLO/SLI targets?
- Growth Projections: What's your 3-year scaling plan?
During Technology Selection
- Document Assumptions: Why did you choose specific technologies?
- Track Trade-offs: What did you give up for each choice?
- Plan Migrations: How will you migrate/upgrade over time?
- Build for Change: Avoid lock-in, use standards where possible
Related Resources
- Cloud Strategy Hub - Decide on public/private/hybrid before pillar selection
- CNCF Tools Scope - Explore open-source options per pillar
- Cost Optimization - Reduce costs across all pillars
- Enterprise Scenarios - See real technology choices from actual enterprises