Fog computing refers to a decentralized computing structure. The resources, including the data and applications, get placed in logical locations between the data source and the cloud. One of the advantages of fog computing is to keep many users connected to the internet at the same time. In essence, it offers the same network and services that cloud-based solutions provide, but with the added security of a decentralized network.

Difference Between Cloud Computing and Fog Computing

Cloud Computing

Cloud computing refers to the provision of computing and storage resources geographically distributed. Computing can occur over a variety of platforms, including public cloud and private cloud.

The cloud-computing platforms offer the opportunity to share and mix the workloads among the users over a scalable system. Cloud computing is essentially the ability to store and regain data from an off-site location.

Cloud computing is one of the main reasons conventional phones got “smart.” Phones don’t have sufficient, built-in space to store the data necessary to access apps and services. All the data is transmitted from and to the cloud to provide the services we need. Still, cloud computing technology has a challenge – the bandwidth constraint.

Fog Computing

Fog computing will be dominating the industry in the near future. The domination of Fog will be driven by a need to gather data closer to the source of the data (the user device). Devices are not able to perform the necessary processing in the cloud and the devices are physically constrained (low power and small size).

The ability to process the data locally is more important than in the past because fog computing increases the data’s security. With the evolution of the Internet of Things, more and more devices are being added to the network. Each device is wirelessly connected for data transmission and reception.

Fog computing is about how efficiently data is stored and accessed. Fog computing refers to the networking of the edge computing nodes dispersed in a network so that they can be geographically distributed but still provide an organized communication between those nodes.

The use of fog computing involves a complex process of interconnected edge devices. The edge devices include sensors, storage systems, and networking infrastructure that work together to capture and distribute data.

However, the flexibility of fog computing and its ability to gather and process data from both the centralized cloud and the edge devices of a network make it one of the most useful ways of dealing with the information overload we face today.

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Are Fog Computing and Edge Computing the Same Thing?

Fog computing is also referred to as “edge computing.” Edge computing is designed to solve issues by storing data closer to the “ground.” In other words, edge stores data in storage devices and local computers, rather than running all the data through a centralized DC in the cloud.

In essence, fog computing is responsible for allowing fast response time, reducing network latency and traffic, and supporting backbone bandwidth savings in order to achieve better service quality (QoS). It is also intended to transmit relevant data to the cloud.

IDC estimates that about 45 percent of the world’s data will be moved closer to the network edge by the end of 2025. Fog computing is claimed to be the only technology that will be able to withstand artificial intelligence, 5G, and IoT in the coming years.

Another IDC study predicts that edge devices will generate 10 percent of the world’s data even in 2020. Edge devices will fuel the need for more effective solutions for fog computing, resulting in reduced latency.

Edge Computing

Edge computing is, basically, a subset of fog computing. It refers to the data being processed close to where it emerged. Fog computing allows for more effective data processing, thereby reducing the possibility of d...