Despite how popular it is, not every business wants to be in the cloud. In fact, thousands of businesses are currently looking to transition away from the cloud to an alternative computing option instead. If this is something that you want your business to do, too, then you’re in luck. Below is a nice and simple rundown of the top 4 cloud computing alternatives for 2023. You can read through them to see which one appeals to you the most.
1. Edge Computing
Let’s kick this list off with the best option of them all: edge computing.
It’s entirely possible that you’ve never heard of edge computing before. If so, don’t worry, as it’s incredibly simple.
Essentially, instead of processing all of your data through the “cloud”, edge computing will handle and store your data locally through an edge device. The reason it’s called the “edge” is because it’s placed as close to where the data is coming from as possible (e.g., your factory floor).
Some key advantages of edge computing are:
- Better security (as your sensitive data is not going to a remote data center)
- Increased uptime (you’re less likely to experience problems that result in your internet going down)
- Decreased costs (compared to the cloud, edge computing uses less bandwidth, which means more money gets saved)
Not to mention, another cool benefit of edge computing is that edge devices can operate as standalone network nodes (a connection point in a communications network), meaning you don’t always need to be dependent on having an internet connection. Not bad, right?
If you’re interested in starting your edge computing journey, you’ll ideally need to use a company like things-embedded.com, an expert provider of IoT solutions. This is an excellent idea for all-size businesses, from start-ups to fast-growing organizations, that are looking to future-proof their operations and rely less on the cloud.
2. Fog Computing
Fog computing is when the computing is done in the middle of the data source and the cloud. Several different endpoints collect the data, the data is sent to a nearby fog node (e.g., a router), and the fog node then performs data processing before returning instructions to the endpoints in real time.
During fog computing, bandwidth usage is automatically reduced due to the fact that less data is sent to the cloud, and most of the data processing takes place closer to the data source itself.
3. On-Premise Hosting
As the name suggests, on-premise hosting is when a business has software installed onto its own hardware infrastructure, therefore enabling local hosting instead.
The downside to this is that flexibility and scalability are significantly reduced. The upsides are that everything – including the data, hardware, and software – is entirely yours. Nobody can interrupt or affect them, as everything is private and in-house. Whenever you want to make changes or upgrades, you can. Similarly, if you don’t want to change anything, you can keep it the same.
4. Mesh Network
Lastly, there’s the mesh network option.
A mesh network is a collection of connectivity devices (e.g., multiple WIFI routers) that are all connected together and function as a single network.
For example, if you did this at your business HQ, there would be multiple sources of connectivity. This is great, as it means that whenever one point of communication crashes, everything is rerouted to another point. Ultimately, you get stronger network coverage and flexibility to go with it, as connection points can be added at any spot in the building.
Conclusion
So, there you have it! In total, you have 4 cloud computing alternatives to consider switching to. Each one comes with its own strengths and weaknesses, so make your switch carefully.
