Chance of Cloud and Fog: The future of computation

One of the biggest technology trends of the recent years has been the emergence of cloud computing. Cloud computing makes use of other computers to have access to the necessary memory and computation power. Similar to Uber, instead of owning all the necessary memory and computation power, you have access to the resources as needed.

Companies, from startups to Netflix, make use of cloud computing.  Companies are able to make use of the data centers owned and operated by Amazon, Google, and Microsoft. Instead of operating their own data centers, the advancements in cloud computing have made it possible to rent out the needed infrastructure. This comes with numerous benefits including high availability stats and a quick means to scale as needed.  (3)

 

It is not simply infrastructure that has been changed by the cloud, but also the way in which users experience applications. Consider applications like Adobe Photoshop and the Office Suite. At one point in history, those applications would be bought through a CD/download. That application would then live on a personal computer. That is no longer the default experience as it is more likely that an application will live as a SaaS. One logs online/connects to the internet to use the application. This had a substantial effect on business practices as applications have shifted to often being subscriptions instead of purchases.  

 

While the development of cloud computing has had a tremendous impact, there is seemingly another wave around the corner.   

 

So what is next?

 

Given that one of the key characteristics of cloud computing is centralization, something in the opposite direction would be somewhere fruitful to look. Computing that comes by the names of “fog” and “edge” computing are interesting candidates. A basic definition for fog computing is an approach where a substantial amount of the storage and computation is done locally. Not necessarily new, but more so demonstrating some of the limitations that come with cloud resources. (1)

 

Let’s consider one of the most hype AI applications – self-driving. Self-driving applications need to make quick, important decisions. Here lies a latency issue. For use cases like self-driving vehicles, the cloud might not be fast enough. It is one thing for a one’s video to take a few extra milliseconds, but it is a whole different thing for a vehicle’s decision making to be slow. Safety for autonomous vehicles is paramount. The weakness of a centralized, cloud approach quickly becomes apparent. While the amount of information that can be pushed and stored in the cloud is of incredible value, the computation lag is something of paramount consideration for applications that need to make quick decisions. 

 

The future is looking to be a mix of cloud and fog computing, More traditional internet companies (internet companies) will likely continue to ride the cloud computing wave. It provides the companies with stability and an easier means for digital transformation. (2) But on the other hand, companies with physical assets will likely need to access how to best leverage the computing paradigms to meet their needs and strategy. 

Resources:

1. http://www.businessinsider.com/edge-computing-and-fog-computing-explained-2018-2
2. https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/digital-mckinsey/our-insights/cloud-adoption-to-accelerate-it-modernization
3. https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/strategy-and-corporate-finance/our-insights/ten-trends-redefining-enterprise-it-infrastructure
4. https://www.economist.com/business/2018/01/18/the-era-of-the-clouds-total-dominance-is-drawing-to-a-close