Grab's Back-to-the-Future Moment: Why On-Premise is the New Cloud
We've all heard the gospel: the cloud is the only way. Infinite scalability, zero maintenance, pay-as-you-go. But sometimes, the old ways stage a comeback, and that's exactly what Grab, the Southeast Asian rideshare and delivery giant, just proved. They yanked 200 Mac Minis out of the cloud and planted them firmly in a Malaysian datacenter. And guess what? They're projected to save $2.4 million over three years.
Now, before the cloud evangelists sharpen their pitchforks, let's dig into the "why." Grab isn't just being contrarian; they're being smart. See, Apple's licensing for macOS in the cloud is…well, let's just say it's not the most flexible. They charge in 24-hour blocks. So, even if you only need that processing power for a few hours a day—during peak CI/CD pipeline activity—you're paying for the whole shebang. That’s like renting a stadium for a soccer game and being charged for the entire week!
Grab, being the data-driven company they are, crunched the numbers. They looked at their usage patterns: peaks during the day, quiet weekends. And the math just didn't add up. GitHub Actions, while convenient, were costing them ten times more on macOS than on Linux. Ten times! That's not a slight difference; that's a chasm. They even considered macOS virtual machines, but the performance trade-offs gave them pause.
So, they went old-school. They built a physical Mac Mini farm. Four 42RU racks, 200+ machines, spare racks for future growth. It's a tangible, breathing, whirring piece of infrastructure. And the results? A 20-40% improvement in their CI/CD pipeline performance. That's huge! It means faster development cycles, quicker bug fixes, and ultimately, a better product for their users. They’re using Jamf’s Mac management tools to make zero-touch provisioning of new machines seamless—the whole thing is a carefully orchestrated symphony of hardware and software. And I think it’s just…brilliant.
Remember Basecamp's move from AWS to their own hardware? They saved millions too. This isn't just about saving money, though. It's about control. It's about owning your infrastructure and tailoring it to your specific needs. The cloud is fantastic for many things, absolutely, but it's not a one-size-fits-all solution. According to Rideshare giant moves 200 Macs out of the cloud, saves $2.4 million - theregister.com, the move is projected to save Grab millions of dollars.
This kind of strategic thinking is what I find so inspiring. It's not blindly following the hype; it's about understanding your business, analyzing your data, and making informed decisions. It’s about choosing the right tool for the job, even if that tool is a bit…retro. What other assumptions are we making about technology that deserve a second look? Are there other areas where "old" solutions might offer surprising advantages in our increasingly complex world?
The Dawn of Hybrid Thinking
This isn't just about on-premise vs. cloud. It's about hybrid thinking. It's about understanding the strengths and weaknesses of each approach and blending them to create the optimal solution. It's a paradigm shift—excuse the cliché, but it fits!—away from dogmatic adherence to the latest trend and toward a more nuanced, pragmatic approach.
Think of it like the resurgence of vinyl records. Sure, streaming is convenient, but vinyl offers a richer, more tangible experience. Similarly, the cloud offers scalability, but on-premise offers control. It's about finding the right balance. So, what does this mean for us? It means questioning assumptions, challenging conventional wisdom, and embracing the power of hybrid solutions. But more importantly, what could it mean for you and your organization?
And while we're celebrating this victory for pragmatism, let's not forget the responsibilities that come with owning your infrastructure. Security, maintenance, power consumption – these are all things Grab now has to manage directly. It's a trade-off, but one that seems to be paying off handsomely.
Innovation Comes Full Circle
This isn't just a cost-saving measure; it's a testament to the cyclical nature of innovation. We swing from centralized to decentralized and back again. What was old becomes new, and what was cutting-edge becomes…well, just another option. This is the kind of breakthrough that reminds me why I got into this field in the first place.
