Hardware Lab · Local versus cloud

Place the workload where its boundary holds.

Local compute is a capability and privacy option, not a religion. Cloud capacity is a tool, not a default authority expansion.

Placement test

Ask six questions before choosing a runtime.

A hybrid answer is valid when routing rules, privacy classes, and fallback behavior remain explicit.

  1. 01

    Capability

    Can the intended model, context, tools, and concurrency run within the chosen environment?

  2. 02

    Privacy

    What data class is involved, and which processing or retention boundary is acceptable?

  3. 03

    Latency and availability

    Does the workflow need fast local response, elastic capacity, or operation during an upstream outage?

  4. 04

    Economics

    Compare acquisition, electricity, hosting, paid inference, idle capacity, retries, and operator time per accepted outcome.

  5. 05

    Operations

    Who owns updates, security, backups, monitoring, physical access, and recovery?

  6. 06

    Fallback

    Is any move to a more expensive or less private route explicit, bounded, and visible?