Distributed Cloud Computing: Architecture, Enabling Technologies, and Open Challenges

Conventional cloud computing, where compute, storage, and networking resources reside in one or a few centralized data centers, has become unable to meet the stringent latency requirements of new applications. Along with that, the rapid development of 5G network introduces the trend of network cloudification and network service provisioning according to cloud service models. Therefore, the emerging distributed cloud model represents an evolution from conventional centralized cloud into geographically dispersed cloud computing services located as per application needs. In this article, we attempt to sketch a big picture of distributed cloud. We first interpret the concept of distributed cloud computing. Then, we describe an architecture of the distributed cloud along with the enabling technologies. We also carry out a case study on service deployment and discovery in a three-layer distributed cloud prototype and provide a preliminary assessment of service discovery time. Finally, we discuss open research challenges toward distributed cloud.