COMPARE YOUR OPTIONS
Choose the approach that fits the project.
Buying, reusing or remotely accessing workstations can all be sensible. Compare them on the same scope and working pattern.
Buy or reuse local equipment.
Consider this for stable long-term work, existing spare capacity or specialist local peripherals. Include setup, support, repair and retained value.
Use an existing remote-access arrangement.
An organisation’s current workstation or IT provider may solve the immediate need. Review security, availability and responsibility before adding another service.
Request a managed project-workstation proposal.
This is worth discussing for temporary users, changing project teams or a need to coordinate configuration and access. Compare the full scope, not only the compute line.
Compare like with like.
Use the same users, simultaneous access, project duration, devices, applications and support assumptions. Cloud access still requires a suitable endpoint and connection.
| Consideration | Physical workstations | DIY cloud | GlideCompute project scope |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upfront cost | Purchase and refresh hardware | Setup and cloud engineering | Onboarding plus agreed service scope |
| Capacity changes | Order, install or reassign machines | Provision capacity, subject to quotas | Request capacity within agreed terms |
| Performance | Direct interaction; fixed hardware | Configuration and network dependent | Workload benchmark before deployment |
| Remote access | Needs a remote-access design | Needs identity and desktop architecture | Part of the agreed project environment |
| Maintenance | Internal team or existing IT provider | Your cloud operations team | Within the contracted service scope |
| Cloud expertise | Limited for local workloads | Usually significant | Operating responsibilities agreed in scope |
| Project peaks | Spare capacity or temporary purchases | Flexible with quotas and cost controls | Capacity and access subject to evaluation |
| Cost predictability | High for stable use; refresh spikes | Depends on usage and governance | Depends on proposal, usage and terms |
| Best fit | Stable, high utilization at one location | Teams with cloud engineering capability | Specialist teams prioritizing managed access |
START WITH THE PROJECT
What does your next project need?
Tell us what your team needs to deliver. We’ll start there. Share a short project outline. We’ll review the applications, people, timing and data requirements, then discuss the most useful next step. No model files are needed to start.
Discuss your projectConfigurations, application fit and start dates are confirmed in your proposal.