Where to run large workloads.
WHAT DEDICATED FACILITIES PROVIDE
Specialised interconnects Predictable performance No per-hour cost after acquisition Suitability for tightly coupled work
WHAT THEY COST
Capital expenditure Operational responsibility Queuing, and fixed capacity
WHAT CLOUD PROVIDES
Immediate access Elastic capacity No capital outlay A wide range of hardware, including accelerators
WHAT IT COSTS
Per-hour charges accumulating quickly Data transfer charges Variable network performance between instances Foreign-currency billing
WHY THAT LAST POINT MATTERS HERE
Costs move with the exchange rate, independently of usage.
WHAT CLOUD SUITS
Bursty workloads Embarrassingly parallel work Experimentation before committing to hardware
WHAT IT SUITS LESS
Sustained heavy use, where owned hardware is cheaper Tightly coupled work requiring specialised interconnect
WHAT TO ESTABLISH BEFORE CHOOSING
Expected utilisation, honestly.
WHY
Cloud is cheaper at low utilisation and more expensive at high.
WHAT TO SET
Budget limits and alerts, from the start.
