First, edge computing and cloud computing are not the same thing. They each deliver important benefits, and you may decide that one or both are technologies you would like to prioritize in the coming months or years. In order to reach an informed decision, take a look at the basic description of each and their different advantages:

Edge Computing: This technology equips your business with real-time data by moving analytics closer to where data is accessed and generated. The purpose is to reduce latency and improve connectivity, reducing the workload on servers and providing faster user access. Edge computing allows for the real-time identification of patterns and insights in your data more quickly than could occur with a traditional cloud service. It also optimizes bandwidth usage and lowers bandwidth transmission costs.

There are a few drawbacks, including the potential for higher infrastructure costs due to its need for dedicated resources. You also run the risk of lost data not only due to human error but also natural disasters. You also have a little risk from storing data at the edge rather than having multiple backup copies at a variety of locations. There’s also a lack of control over certain capacity-impacting processes, such as archiving, offloading and compressing.

Cloud Computing: A remote hosting service that allows your team to access applications over any internet connection, it eliminates in-house servers and scales easily for seasonality or as your business grows. There are many benefits to cloud computing, including getting the advantages of the provider’s innovation and hardware, as well as centralizing data. Employees can work from anywhere with an internet connection. There’s also essentially unlimited storage capacity as well as flexible pricing – structured in the form of a subscription invoicing model that is easily adjustable.

There are also some cons to cloud computing. The size of your business may cause cloud computing to be cost-prohibitive since cloud computing tends to make more sense for larger companies with massive data storage needs. When you use cloud computing, your data is stored and even managed off-site, limiting the amount of control you have over your data. While cloud computing providers invest heavily in security, your company may not decide that it is addressing your concerns about risk.

Is One Better Than the Other? Whether you should choose edge over cloud computing depends on your business priorities. Edge computing has a few limitations, being less flexible, less scalable, and less secure when compared with cloud computing. But there are also advantages. You might see a really high level of latency with a remote cloud system, and for companies with a high level of communication between data centers, edge computing tends to be better for sending messages.

There are pros and cons around both edge computing and cloud computing, but the best solution depends on your needs and priorities. You may want to consider how you can leverage each of these options to improve productivity and reduce costs.

The two technologies complement one another, each solving different challenges and providing coverage for the limitations of the other. You may want to ask not which computing method is a better IT strategy, but how you can use and maybe even combine the two in a way that delivers ultimate flexibility and efficiency.

To talk more about the best ways to combine edge computing and cloud computing for your business, contact us at Cloud Source. From business priorities to specific challenges you would like to solve, we can walk through various scenarios of how edge and cloud computing can be leveraged to meet your needs.