Analysis Between Cloud Computing Grid Computing Edge Computing

Mainly, both Cloud Computing and Grid Computing are used to process tasks. However, grid computing is used in cloud computing but it is not a cloud or part of it. They both involve massive computer infrastructures and managing them. Both Cloud Computing and Grid Computing concepts have been developed for the purpose of distributed computing, that is, computing an element over a large area, literally on computers that are separated by some or the other means.

Head To Head Comparison

Cloud Computing vs Grid Computing technologies are used for processing data but have some significant differences which are given below:

* Cloud computing is delivering computing services like servers, storage, databases, networking, software, analytics and moreover the internet. Companies providing this service are cloud providers and charge you according to your usage. Grid computing, on the other hand, is distributed computing. There are different computers on the same network that share the same resources. Every resource is shared on a computer making it a supercomputer. Processing power, memory, and data storage needs to be done by authorized users and cloud computing leverages for specific tasks.

* Cloud computing has different types of services like IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS. These are Infrastructure, Platform, and Software. By these services, the cloud provides servers and virtual machines (VMs), on-demand environments for development, testing, delivering and managing software applications and providing software applications over the Internet, on-demand, and typically on a subscription basis. It also has different deployments like public, private, and hybrid. These help in deploying resources publicly, privately or both. Grid computing, on the other hand, has distributed computing and distributed pervasive systems. A distributed computing architecture consists of a number of client machines with very lightweight software agents installed with one or more dedicated distributed computing management servers. Pervasive computing uses embedded microprocessors in a day to day objects and allows them to communicate information. It helps to choose any device like kitchen appliances or any chip which could be embedded.

* When cloud computing comes into picture only single ownership is used. Whereas a grid has many systems in a network and hence multiple people can have ownership. Virtualization helps in providing cloud better security.

* Grid computing is more economical. It splits the work and distributes it over the network on computers increasing the efficiency as well. Cloud computing is costlier and requires initial setup. But it is faster and has quicker data restoration.

What is Cloud Computing ?
A simple definition of cloud computing is the utilization of different users via the internet. These resources include application development frameworks, storage systems, servers and other software as well.

Three major points of that any cloud service provider will deliver.

  • Flexible services
  • The cost of various services involving memory, preparation, and bandwidth is to be borne by the user
  • The entire back end of the software is managed and administered by the cloud service providers

Advantages of Cloud Computing

Flexibility Service Feature:
The model is flexible because it allows organizations to start at a small scale and then grows faster. The best part is that scaling up and scaling down is very easy making the whole model easy to operate.

Consistent Delivery:
Cloud service providers are responsible for and delivering system security and the process of recovering data.

Mobile Access:
Cloud service ensures that users are connected seamlessly through mobile applications.

Maintenance Feature:
In the cloud computing model, the cloud service providers ensure the maintenance of all the applications and services that they provide.

What is edge computing ?
By using a unified computing infrastructure along with a transmission channel, various computing resources and communication technologies can be easily deployed. This is possible only because of edge computing. By leveraging the use of edge computing, enterprises can easily accomplish the requirements around computing. Through edge computing, whenever there is a necessity to gather information or for a particular user to execute a specific activity, the same can be done on a real-time basis. If we want to know the major advantages of edge computing, then enhanced efficiency and reduction in operational costs are the two primary ones that are associated with edge computing. Let us look at some benefits of edge computing.

Advantages of Edge Computing

Security:
While there has been the emergence of various IoT technology-based edge computing devices, and an increase in potential network attack vectors, there are many security benefits that edge computing can demonstrate. If we look at the conventional cloud computing model, then it is primarily centralized. This makes the whole setup vulnerable to exploitation. Through a variety of devices and cloud services, edge computing expends out computing and storage solutions and various apps. This makes it very difficult to take down an isolated instance.

Speed:
One of the significant benefits of edge computing is its ability to enhance the productivity of networks by reducing any type of latency. The data that is accumulated does not have to travel a long distance, unlike the traditional cloud environment. This is because IoT edge computing devices can manage private data by accessing nearby edge data centers.

Performance Enhancement:
Edge computing is not just about the collection of data. It also analyzes and takes necessary actions on the collected local data, over and above the data that is required to be transferred to the cloud. Even though these tasks are executed in a fraction of a second, still it is critical as it has a direct impact on the performance of the systems.

Reduction of Operational Costs
When we consider elements such as performance features, throughput, data management, and communication, cloud computing turns out to be a very costly option. However, edge computing has a very low bandwidth requirement and a very less bandwidth consumption, making it an extremely cost-effective option.

Scalability:
It is not easy for enterprises to forecast IT infrastructure requirements and the investment of having a dedicated private cloud instance will be exorbitant. Hence, edge computing provides a flexible option to scale up.

Reliability:
Having IoT edge computing devices along with cloud network infrastructure, which is located close to and available for end-users, reduces any risk of network failure or network issues in a faraway location.

Cloud-computing-vs-grid-computing-vs-edge-computing