Parking technology providers have been using cloud computing for years to store data for parking owners and operators and to power apps that manage payments, reservations, and other management functions. The introduction of the cloud improved the efficiency of data management while cutting its cost, because owners and operators no longer had to invest in storage hardware that they would then have to operate, maintain, and repair. The cloud provided turnkey offsite storage requiring virtually no investment or effort on the part of the owner or operator.
But most parking providers don’t use the cloud to its fullest potential, and most owners and operators don’t expect enough from their technology providers when it comes to cloud-based technology. Most technology providers merely host their solutions in the cloud. Can you imagine owning a Bugatti and refusing to get out of second gear? But that’s exactly what technology companies that take an old-school approach are doing.
Cloud Native applications allow technology providers to fully experience the power of the cloud, taking full advantage of the distributed solutions they offer. To complete the analogy, cloud native solutions allow you to stretch that Chiron through all seven speed gears.
What is Cloud Native technology?
Cloud native applications are both built and deployed in the cloud. As with cloud-based storage, these apps don’t require physical computing infrastructure from the companies utilizing them. They are also optimized to leverage cloud resources and take advantage of the processing power of distributed computing.
What are the benefits of cloud native? They are designed to maximize the capabilities of the cloud computing benefits that are already being offered by AWS, Google Cloud, and other cloud platforms. Cloud native apps offer peak portability, faster deployment times, and improved scalability.
Cloud Native Technology and Parking
So, what does the emergence of cloud native technology mean for parking? The answer is simple: the future of parking technology is cloud native. There is a direct correlation between how advanced a technology provider is in its cloud native journey and its ability to grow as a business in terms of product development, operations, and finance.
The implications are just as significant for owners, operators, and organizations with parking assets. The advent of cloud nativity makes the most advanced parking applications available without having to invest in any new physical infrastructure. And the scalability and adaptability of cloud native technology allows owners to access the latest advances to the apps they use, as well as newly introduced apps.
Cloud nativity offers a host of benefits, including:
Scalability—Technology companies can easily scale up or down, depending on how strong demand is for their products or services. As organizations that rely on cloud native technology grow, or their needs change, the technology can be quickly adapted to meet the user’s requirements.
Better Performance—Cloud native technology works better because it can be easily adapted to meet any technological requirement.
Stronger Security—In an environment in which critical data and other information is stored in the cloud, security is more important than ever. Cloud native technology complies with vital security standards like PCI, DSS, and ISO.
Cost Optimization—The flexibility offered by cloud nativity makes the development, evolution, and implementation of new technologies much more cost-effective.
Business Intelligence and Data Insights—As with traditional cloud technology, cloud native technology provides instant and easily accessible availability of data.
Monitoring—Cloud native technology permits convenient integration with an owner’s, operator’s, or organization’s daily productivity tools, including Slack, Jira, and elastic watch alerts.
CI/CD Pipelines—The continuous integration and continuous deployment pipelines offered by cloud native technologies allows new versions of parking management apps to be delivered more quickly. Cloud native apps can be constantly updated to assure that users have access to the latest and best versions of the apps on which they rely.
Serverless Architecture—Like traditional cloud technology, there’s no physical infrastructure for owners, operators, and organizations to buy, maintain, and repair. Not only does this offer a large cost savings, but it dramatically simplifies operations.
Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence Setup is Achievable with the Click of a Button—Machine learning and AI are already becoming important elements of parking technology operations and development, and their importance will continue to grow. Cloud native technology allow ML and AI to be integrated quickly and easily.
Cloud Native Technology in Practice
Monash University provides an example of cloud native technology in action, and the benefits it provides. Monash is a large university with nearly 90,000 students in multiple campuses, and nearly 50,000 at the university’s main campus.
The university is difficult to reach via public transportation, so most students, faculty, and staff drive to campus. Parking spaces are in high demand, and in the past students were often late for class or had to leave class early to avoid traffic congestion on campus. In response, the university set out to reduce the number of single occupancy vehicles on campus, which in addition to reducing congestion, would promote sustainability.
The university’s parking management systems needed a complete overhaul. The existing antiquated system was inefficient and wasted staff time and permit registrations were managed through an inhouse database that hadn’t been updated in years.
The solution was implemented through a suite of cloud native technologies comprised of a vPermit, a virtual permitting app that’s integrated into the university’s parking management system and automatically processes permits using LPR technology; PAYU, a parking payment platform that provides real-time contactless payment for parkers without permits via an app or website; and Liftango, a popular carpooling app that connects riders with drivers.
The key to the Monash University parking technology suite was the vPermit system utilizing LPR. Implementing the state-of-the-art system allowed the university to do away with windshield permit stickers and the vPermits can be obtained and paid for through a university-branded online portal and app. The system uses LPR to recognize and admit vehicles with valid permits into gated parking areas, eliminating the need for entry cards or transponders. In addition to providing a more convenient experience to parkers, it also saves the university money by eliminating the need to produce cards.
The system allows students to pay for their permits online, and it also integrates with the university’s HR system to permit faculty and staff to pay for parking permits automatically. It also manages the waitlist, automatically offering a permit to the next in line.
Parkers who don’t have a valid permit can park at meters throughout campus. The university’s antiquated pay-and-display system was replaced with a system that permits drivers to manage and pay for their parking session with an app. There are a variety of parking zones throughout campus with different rates and the platform allows the university to adjust rates as needed in real-time.
Finally, reducing the number of single-occupancy vehicles was achieved by partnering with Liftango to encourage carpooling. By integrating the Liftango app with the PAYU system, the university can reward carpool drivers with discounted parking fees.
A Seamless and Cost-Effective Solution
Because each element of the parking management suite is cloud native, installation was seamless, incredibly quick, and cost-effective. The technology suite is also future proof because of the system’s scalability and adaptability. The Monash University parking technology suite clearly demonstrates the benefits of cloud native technology to both parking owners and parkers.
Shmulik Kachlon is Chief Technology Officer and Co-Founder of Smarter City Solutions. He can be reached at shmulik@smartercity.com.au.
