Cloud or edge computing? Both approaches have strengths and weaknesses and represent a suitable choice for specific industries and business applications. However, the following scenarios can help you make a better-informed decision.
Cloud Computing
In the following scenarios, choosing the cloud is the better option, simply because of the application processing power required, and mostly the cost factor involved.
- Big data/Large data sets. If your enterprise needs to process and analyse a wide array of data sets and a large amount of information – think big data – the cloud is your best bet.
- Unlimited processing power. Some analysis tools that require substantial processing power are best deployed in a cloud environment that is capable of adapting and scaling fast.
- Affordability. While edge computing may be an ideal option for certain data processing and application deployment, the cost of running the edge network becomes higher than the cloud setup, which may be more affordable.
- Accessibility. If the application data needs to be widely distributed on multiple platforms, a cloud infrastructure ensures that this data is accessible irrespective of devices and locations.
Edge Computing
Edge computing is a preferred choice in industries where networks are not powerful or reliable enough to analyse data, and it is easier and safer to manipulate data on-premises rather than via remote centres.
- Slow network connection or bandwidth. Local data processing through edge computing is preferable to cloud in situations where the network is slower and not as reliable to push streams of data to the cloud constantly.
- Minimum delays. The advantage of edge computing is clear for IoT data processing on-site where applications need rapid data sampling or must calculate results with a minimum amount of delay.
- Unreliable communication. Opt for edge configuration whenever the communication network’s connection to the cloud is not robust or reliable enough to be
- Cloud security concerns. Edge computing retains and processes data locally, eliminating concerns regarding cybersecurity and privacy, which is often the case with public cloud
Does your IT infrastructure provide the scalability and performance your business requires?
VMware’s cloud technologies assist organisations to fully and securely leverage VMware hybrid clouds and native public clouds for increased agility, accelerated innovation, and optimised costs.
