Scale Computing CEO Explains Why the Cloud is Not For Everyone and Wins Four XCellence Awards at MES Spring 2024 Event
At the end of April, Scale Computing went to Orlando for the Midsize Enterprise Summit (MES) event, returning home with four XCellence Awards, including the XCellence in Solutions award, the XCellence in Solutions Pavilion Strategy, the Most Midmarket Friendly award, the XCellence in Boardroom Presentation award, and the Best in Show award. The XCellence in Boardroom Presentation award was presented to Scale Computing’s CEO, Jeff Ready, for his boardroom session on edge computing.
Jeff’s session wasn't your typical product pitch; it was a direct challenge to the status quo and the blind faith too many IT leaders have placed in an all-cloud approach. "All cloud is bad,” he cautioned, going on to acknowledge that “the cloud is a powerful tool, but relying solely on it can leave you vulnerable and locked into expensive vendor contracts." While the cloud offers scalability and flexibility, it can also lead to significant cost overruns and long-term financial commitments that are difficult to escape. Moreover, he explained that running resource intensive AI applications in the cloud can be exorbitantly expensive compared to on-premises solutions.
To illustrate this point, Jeff uses the example of running compute-intensive AI applications in the cloud, noting that such tasks, which require substantial GPU resources, can quickly become prohibitively expensive when operated in a public cloud environment. By contrasting the cost of running a GPU-intensive game on a PlayStation versus on AWS, he showed how running similar workloads on AWS would cost up to $3,000 per month, compared to a one-time $400 cost for a PlayStation. “This is literally the difference in cost for running AI applications in the cloud versus on-prem.”
To mitigate these risks, Jeff argues in favor of a hybrid approach, one that leverages the strengths of both cloud and on-premises solutions, as both a more strategically and economically sound long-term strategy. He also explains how edge computing, which brings processing power closer to the data source, can significantly reduce costs and improve performance. By deploying AI and other resource-intensive applications at the edge, organizations can not only achieve greater efficiency and control over their infrastructure but can do so in a more cost-predictive fashion.
Jeff also touched on the theme of vendor lock-in as it relates to VMware, detailing Scale Computing’s new Seamless Switch campaign. He explained that for organizations currently tied to VMware contracts, Scale Computing offers a seamless migration path that allows them to switch without immediate financial penalties. The campaign includes free Scale Computing services for the duration of any remaining VMware contract and a generous hardware trade-in program, making it an attractive option for businesses looking to modernize their IT infrastructure while avoiding the pitfalls of vendor lock-in and escalating costs associated with VMware.
These insights set the stage for a live demo of two of Scale Computing’s edge computing solutions: SC//FleetManager and SC//HyperCore. In the first demo, Jeff shows how SC//Fleet Manager acts as a virtual control center, allowing users to manage on-premises environments as a private cloud, eliminating many of the headaches that come with managing disparate systems.
He also showed how using SC//FleetManager’s integrated Secure Link feature simplifies remote access by offering a secure, user-friendly alternative to traditional VPNs, which not only serves to enhance an organization’s overall security posture but also streamlines the remote work experience for a distributed workforce.
In his SC//HyperCore demo, Jeff explains how its core SCRIBE technology ensures that data management is fast, efficient, and reliable, allowing customers to focus on their applications without having to worry about the underlying infrastructure. Jeff then goes on to show how SCRIBE provides multiple active copies of data, enabling rapid data access and seamless failover in case of hardware failures, which serves to not only accelerate data processing but also enhances the overall resilience of the system.
At the end of the demo, Jeff goes on to make a final key point about edge computing – that it’s not just about the physical location of the infrastructure, but rather offers a fundamentally different paradigm for deploying, managing, and integrating applications. "It's a whole new way of thinking about IT – one that requires a more distributed and intelligent approach."
To learn more about SC//FleetManager and SC//Hypercore, take a self-guided tour through our product videos or schedule a one-on-one demo.