Why Aren’t Your Apps Cloud-Native?
Fifteen years ago, the industry was buzzing with predictions that all enterprise software would become cloud-native. The prevailing belief was simple: everything is moving to the web. If applications shifted fully into the browser, IT teams would no longer need to manage heavy client-side installs, troubleshoot application conflicts, support complex on-premises back-end infrastructure for applications or maintain sprawling application portfolios across fleets of devices. The web was expected to eliminate decades of client-side complexity.
Fast forward to today…we know that vision never truly materialized.
Yes, software vendors have embraced cloud technologies, modern development frameworks, and hyperscale architectures. Many back-end services have become fully cloud-native. Some applications do use web frameworks or even run inside embedded web frames. However, web apps consumed in the browser did not take over as universally as predicted. If anything, end users continue to show a strong preference for rich, fully functional client applications.
Cloud-Native Back Ends…Traditional Client Sides
Look at Microsoft Office. While there are web versions of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, the general consensus remains that the web equivalents are inferior to the full desktop applications. They may be convenient for light work or collaboration but professionals still rely on the native versions for full performance, features, and reliability.
This pattern is everywhere. “Modern” apps still install files, registry keys, drivers, and services locally. Even applications built with Electron or other modern frameworks behave like traditional desktop apps and store files locally. Some “cloud-native” experiences are, in reality, client apps wrapped inside web frames.
So, while cloud has transformed infrastructure and development practices, the Windows client application footprint remains surprisingly similar to what IT teams supported 15 to 30 years ago.
This means many of the same challenges remain:
- Packaging and deploying applications across diverse environments
- Maintaining version consistency across devices
- Updating applications without user disruption
- Managing dependencies, conflicts, and compatibility
- Supporting remote or hybrid users with low friction
In other words, application delivery is still a bottleneck. And today, with hybrid work driving more device diversity than ever, the stakes are higher.
If vendors haven’t made the client fully cloud-native, enterprises must do it themselves—not by rewriting their applications, but by modernizing the way they deploy and manage them.
Cloud-Native Client Application Management Begins With Cloudpaging
This is exactly where Cloudpaging application containers and Cloudpager transform what’s possible.
Cloudpaging containerizes virtually any Windows application – legacy, current-generation, or modern Arm64 without requiring repackaging into MSIX, code changes, or vendor updates. These Cloudpaging application containers can then be delivered dynamically from the cloud to any Windows desktop, anywhere in the world.
With Cloudpager, enterprises finally achieve the cloud-native operational model for Windows applications that the industry envisioned they could have achieved with web apps years ago but while keeping the current generation of fully rich client-side applications that end users prefer.
We are Bringing Client Applications into the Cloud-Native Era
The reality is that client-side applications are here to stay. End users want rich, responsive apps. Vendors continue to ship applications that behave with traditional installers that are fraught with problems and belong to a bygone era. And enterprises still need to support massive application portfolios that evolve slowly.
But with Cloudpaging and Cloudpager, you don’t need to wait for vendors to rewrite their applications.
You can make your applications cloud-native today which brings benefits such as seamless updates without provisioning virtual desktops with an updated image, rapidly rollback application updates in the event of lost features or functionality, deliver virtually any Windows application dynamically including current x86 and x64 applications, older legacy applications and your newest Arm64 applications with a consistent experience across all Windows desktops.
As Cloudpager is cloud-native, it is perfect for managing applications on remote desktops and supporting modern hybrid workstyles.
Cloudpaging application containers also feature isolation and DRM capabilities which can reduce the surface layer for cyber-attacks whilst eliminating application conflicts and enabling legacy applications to work on the latest Windows OS.
Cloudpager integrates with the Microsoft ecosystem, meaning you can manage and deploy Cloudpaging application containers from platforms like Intune or App Attach in Azure Virtual Desktop.
This is the cloud-native model enterprises expected in the early 2010s now finally achievable without rewriting apps or migrating to entirely new platforms.
Conclusion
The industry never fully transitioned to pure web applications, but enterprises no longer need to wait for software vendors to modernize. With Cloudpaging application containers and Cloudpager, you can transform your current-generation Windows applications with cloud-native management today.
This delivers the agility, security, and scale that modern hybrid work requires ensuring applications are always available, always up to date, and delivered consistently to any Windows device with an Internet connection.
Cloud-native infrastructure revolutionized back-end systems.
Cloudpager brings that revolution to the Windows desktop.
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