How Crosser’s FlowCode Sync functionality powers a Game Changing Simplicity for Hybrid Cloud and Edge data processing

This article explores how Crosser has leveraged the best of the On-Premises Era and the Cloud Era to deliver a game changing hybrid experience for advanced real-time data processing and data integration. All powered by the unique FlowCode Sync functionality.

The On-Premises Era

On-premises and self-hosted software was for long the only option. But, traditional on-premises software comes with many disadvantages such as:

1. Time-consuming updates: Require ongoing maintenance, upgrades, and support from IT staff, which can be time-consuming and expensive.
2. The IT bottle-neck: On-premises software maintenance and upgrades require significant IT expertise and dependencies on specific IT staff. 
3. Difficulty with remote access: On-premises software can be difficult to access remotely, requiring a virtual private network (VPN) or other complex solutions.
4. Costly software fees for upgrades: New versions of software often require significant upgrade fees.

Because of these factors the reality is often that on-premises software don´t get updated and therefore runs with outdated versions, sometimes even non-supported. Additional challenges includes:

1. Lack of flexibility: On-premises software can be inflexible, as it is designed to work within a specific environment and may not be easily adapted to meet changing business needs.
2. Limited access to new features: With on-premises software, new features and functionality are only available with upgrades, which can be costly and time-consuming to implement.

In summary, on-premises software has traditionally led to static installations that don't keep up with the newest features and that have high cost of maintenance and support from IT. 

Making changes is hard and cumbersome. 

The Cloud Era

Cloud computing comes with a number of advantages particularly for software updates and the release of new features, because it allows you to easily deploy changes and updates to your software applications.

Here are some advantages of using cloud computing for software updates and feature releases:

1. Faster deployment: Cloud computing enables faster deployment of updates and new features. 
2. Reduced downtime: Cloud providers often provide rolling updates, which means that software applications can be updated without any downtime. This ensures that users can continue to access the applications while the updates are being deployed.
3. Improved collaboration: Cloud computing provides collaboration tools that allow teams to work together more efficiently, regardless of their location. This makes it easier to collaborate on software updates and feature releases, ensuring that everyone is on the same page.
4. Greater agility: Cloud computing makes it easier to experiment with new features and updates, because users can quickly create and test new instances of the software applications. This enables teams to iterate and make changes more quickly.
5. Improved security: Cloud providers often provide advanced security features, such as encryption and access controls, which can help protect your software applications from unauthorized access and data breaches.

In summary, cloud computing can help companies to deploy software updates and new features faster, with less downtime and improved collaboration. This can help companies to stay competitive and provide their users with a better experience.

The Crosser Platform - Cherry picking the best from the two worlds

Crosser was founded on the idea that it was possible to leverage the best of on-premises and self-hosted software and the best of cloud computing in a Hybrid-first architecture:

1. A cloud based Control Center where users log in and work.
2. A separate Crosser runtime environment we call the Crosser Node. All data processing takes place in the Crosser Nodes. Self-hosted by customers or as a managed service by Crosser.

The Smartphone Model

Crosser has adopted an approach that is very similar to the Smartphone industry that has a clear separation between the Smartphone OS (edge software) and the App Marketplace (Cloud) :

1. The smartphone has an OS but no apps (except preloaded apps) 
2. All the apps are in an App Marketplace/Store in the cloud
3. Users download only the apps they need 
4. New Apps or new versions of Apps are made available in the App Marketplace/Store constantly without users having to update their phone OS 
5. Apps are also updated in the background (if users permit it) without it affecting the apps being used 
6. Each user has a unique mix of Apps downloaded to their phones

The FlowCode Sync functionality is the core of the Crosser architecture with a similar model as Smartphones:

1. Each building-block in a data Flow is called a Module. A series of connected modules that addresses a use-case is called a Flow.
2. The Module library is cloud-based in the Crosser Control Center
3. The Crosser Nodes are empty from Modules and have only the core runtime capabilities when deployed
4. Only the Modules that are used in a Flow are deployed to Crosser Nodes
5. New and updated Modules are added constantly and are immediately available for usage on the deployed Crosser Nodes
6. Each Flow is treated as a separate “app” in the Crosser Node and runs in a separate process
7. One Flow can be updated without any impact on the other Flows running in the same Crosser Node
8. The loading of Module code and configuration settings for Modules and Flows is done dynamically as a background task. 

The Game Changer - Bringing the Cloud experience to the Edge

Imagine not being dependent on DevOps/IT more than once for a set of projects. Imagine installing only one (or more) docker images and then developing, testing and deploying dynamically for several projects at the same time, without updating or restarting the containers.

Imagine doing roll-backs with one click, test updates with live data before deploying and actually see how your projects perform before it is set into production. And imagine having the same ability for both cloud, on-premise and edge projects. In the same solution.

This is how the Crosser Platform works - and brings an incomparable value to global industries. Saving a huge amount of resources, time and costs for all types of IoT, integration and automation projects.

The value increases when projects include advanced analytics and machine learning, and Crosser handles that as well. Connecting to data sources, normalizing data, executing machine learning models and integrating to other data sources for actions, storage and visualizations.

Effortless is the new standard

When comparing the traditional way of deploying projects, with the new and effortless opportunity - one can just imagine the potential for the future. Saving time and cost throughout the full life cycle of your projects - regardless if it is in the cloud, on-premise or at the edge.

Summary

The complexity of a traditional IT-project needs to be simplified to meet the demands of the digital enterprise. More projects faster and with less resources is going to be the overall wish for the future.

That’s why industries from all verticals are looking towards Low Code Platforms with 3-level Hybrid Deployment options. So that their future projects, regardless if it is Factory Floor Analytics, On-Premise Integrations or Cloud Pipelines, will be as effortless as possible to complete.

Key Benefits of the Dynamic Architecture that leverages the best of Cloud and Edge:

• Keeps the Crosser Node small, efficient and more stable
• Deploying use cases goes faster with less resources 
• Reduces the IT workload 
• Make other teams more independent and productive
• Updates of a Flow doesn´t creates downtime for all Flows

Sign up for a live demo, or schedule a custom introduction to the Crosser Solution to learn more