Fog Computing vs.

Cloud
Computing for IoT Projects
By 2020, there will be 30 billion IoT devices worldwide, and in 2025, the
number will exceed 75 billion connected things, according to Statista. All these
devices will produce huge amounts of data that will have to be processed
quickly and in a sustainable way. To meet the growing demand for IoT
solutions, fog computing comes into action on par with cloud computing. Fog
is even better at some things.

Number of connected devices worldwide from 2015 to 2025 (in billions)

Source: Statista

The purpose of this article is to compare fog vs. cloud and tell you more about
fog vs cloud computing possibilities, as well as their pros and cons.

Cloud Computing
We’ve already got used to the technical term cloud, which is a network of
multiple devices, computers and servers connected to each other over the
Internet.

Such a computing system can be figuratively divided into two parts:

 The frontend — consists of client devices (computers, tablets, mobile

phones).
 The backend — consists of data storage and processing systems (servers)
that can be located far away from the client devices and make up the cloud
itself.
These two layers communicate with each other directly by means of wireless
connections.

Cloud computing technology provides various types of services that are

categorized into three groups:
 IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service) — a remote data center with resources
such as data storage capacity, processing power and networking.
 PaaS (Platform as a Service) — a development platform with tools and
components for creating, testing and launching applications.
 SaaS (Software as a Service) — ready-made software tailored to a variety
of business needs.
Read also: IaaS vs. PaaS vs. SaaS: What’s the Difference?

Connecting your company to the cloud, you get access to the above-
mentioned services from any location and via different devices. Hence,
availability is the greatest advantage. Moreover, there is no need to maintain
local servers and worry about downtimes — the vendor supports everything
for you, saving you money.

The integration of the Internet of Things with the cloud is a cost-effective way
to do business. Off-premise services provide the necessary scalability and
flexibility to manage and analyze data gathered by connected devices, while
specialized platforms (e.g. Azure IoT Suite, IBM Watson, AWS, Google Cloud
IoT) give developers the power to create IoT apps without big investments into
hardware and software.

Pros of Cloud for IoT

Since connected devices have limited storage capacity and processing power,
the integration with cloud computing comes to assistance:

 Improved performance (the communication between IoT sensors and data

processing systems is faster)
 Storage capacities (highly scalable and unlimited storage space are able
to integrate, aggregate and share the enormous amount of data)
 Processing capabilities (remote data centers provide unlimited virtual
processing capabilities on-demand)
 Reduced costs (license fees are lower than the cost of the on-premise
equipment and its continuous maintenance)
Cons of Cloud for IoT
Unfortunately, there is nothing immaculate, and cloud technology has some
downsides, especially for the Internet of Things services.
 High latency (more and more IoT apps require very low latency, but cloud
can’t guarantee it because of the distance between client devices and data
processing centers)
 Downtime (technical issues and interruptions in networks may occur for
any reason in any Internet-based system and make customers suffer from
an outage; many companies use multiple connection channels with
automated failover to avoid problems)
 Security and privacy (your private data is transferred through globally
connected channels alongside thousands of gigabytes of other users’
information; no surprise that the system is vulnerable to cyberattacks or
data loss; the problem can be partially solved with the help of hybrid or
private clouds)
Read also: Private vs. Public Cloud Computing

Fog Computing
The term fog computing (or fogging) was coined by Cisco in 2014, so it is new
for the general public. Fog and cloud computing are interconnected. In nature,
fog is closer to the earth than clouds; in the technological world, it is just the
same, fog is closer to end-users, bringing cloud capabilities down to the
ground.

The definition may sound like this: fog is the extension of cloud computing that
consists of multiple edge nodes directly connected to physical devices.
Such nodes are physically much closer to devices if compared to centralized
data centers, which is why they are able to provide instant connections. The
considerable processing power of edge nodes allows them to perform the
computation of a great amount of data on their own, without sending it to
distant servers.

Fog can also include cloudlets — small-scale and rather powerful data centers
located at the edge of the network. Their purpose is to support resource-
intensive IoT apps that require low latency.

The main difference between fog computing and cloud computing is that cloud
is a centralized system, while the fog is a distributed decentralized
infrastructure.

Fog computing is a mediator between hardware and remote servers. It

regulates which information should be sent to the server and which can be
processed locally. In this way, fog is an intelligent gateway that offloads
clouds enabling more efficient data storage, processing and analysis.

One should note that fog networking is not a separate architecture and it
doesn’t replace cloud computing but rather complements it, getting as close to
the source of information as possible.

The new technology is likely to have the greatest impact on the development
of IoT, embedded AI and 5G solutions, as they, like never before, demand
agility and seamless connections.

Pros of Fog Computing

The fogging approach has many benefits for the Internet of Things, Big Data
and real-time analytics. Here are the main advantages of fog computing over
cloud computing:

 Low latency (fog is geographically closer to users and is able to provide

instant responses)
 No problems with bandwidth (pieces of information are aggregated at
different points instead of sending them together to one center via one
channel)
 Loss of connection is impossible (due to multiple interconnected
channels)
 High security (because data is processed by a huge number of nodes
in a complex distributed system)
 Improved user experience (instant responses and no downtimes
satisfy users)
 Power-efficiency (edge nodes run power-efficient protocols such as
Bluetooth, Zigbee or Z-Wave)
Read also: IoT Protocols and Connectivity Options

Cons of Fog Computing

The technology doesn’t have any apparent disadvantages, but some
shortcomings can be named:

 A more complicated system (fog is an additional layer in the data

processing and storage system)
 Additional expenses (companies should buy edge devices: routers, hubs,
gateways)
 Limited scalability (fog is not as scalable as cloud)

Fog Computing vs. Cloud

Computing: Key Differences
Cloud vs. fog concepts are very similar to each other. But still, there is a
difference between cloud and fog computing on some parameters. Here is a
point-by-point comparison of fog computing and cloud computing:

1. Cloud architecture is centralized and consists of large data centers that can
be located around the globe, a thousand miles away from client devices.
Fog architecture is distributed and consists of millions of small nodes
located as close to client devices as possible.
2. Fog acts as a mediator between data centers and hardware, and hence it is
closer to end-users. If there is no fog layer, the cloud communicates with
devices directly, which is time-consuming.
3. In cloud computing, data processing takes place in remote data centers.
Fog processing and storage are done on the edge of the network close to
the source of information, which is crucial for real-time control.
4. Cloud is more powerful than fog regarding computing capabilities and
storage capacity.
5. The cloud consists of a few large server nodes. Fog includes millions of
small nodes.
6. Fog performs short-term edge analysis due to instant responsiveness, while
the cloud aims for long-term deep analysis due to slower responsiveness.
7. Fog provides low latency; cloud — high latency.
8. A cloud system collapses without an Internet connection. Fog computing
uses various protocols and standards, so the risk of failure is much lower.
9. Fog is a more secure system than the cloud due to its distributed
architecture.
The table below helps better understand the difference between fog and
cloud, summarizing their most important features.

Cloud and Fog Computing: a Comparison

Chart

Cloud Fog
 Architecture Centralized Distributed

Communication
From a distance Directly from the edge
with devices

Far from the source of Close to the source of

Data processing
information information

Computing
Higher Lower
capabilities

Number of nodes Few Very large

Analysis Long-term Short-term

Latency High Low

Various protocols and

Connectivity Internet
standards

Security Lower Higher

Final Thoughts
New requirements of the emerging technologies are the driving force behind
IT development. The Internet of Things is a constantly growing industry that
requires more efficient ways to manage data transmission and processing.

One of the approaches that can satisfy the demands of an ever-increasing

number of connected devices is fog computing. It utilizes the local rather than
remote computer resources, making performance more efficient and powerful
and reducing bandwidth issues.

Companies should compare cloud vs. fog computing to make the most of the
emerging opportunities and harness the true potential of the technologies.

SaM Solutions has 25 years of experience in IT consulting and custom

software engineering. We have a wide range of cloud and IoT use cases, as
well as vast expertise in using other technologies. Please get in touch to learn
more, or if you need to develop a solution.