The Value of the Network is Not Zero!

The cloud vendors have taken over the narrative and created the impression that it's all about the cloud (C) and the end points devices (D).  If there's 100 units of intelligence to allocate, the cloud vendors have made the discussion C + D = 100.  And in their mind, C >> D, meaning most of the intelligence is in the cloud and the devices should be as dumb (and cheap) as possible.  What's missing?

The Network (N) is missing.  With the prevalent narrative N = 0 by definition.

The network equipment vendors have failed to counter this argument and have let the N=0 mentality proliferate.

The proper equation is C + N + D = 100

Without arguing what the absolute values of the variables are, it is clear that N > 0.

For "the cloud" to be successful, the industry has to solve this equation and ensure that N is greater than 0.  A dumb cheap network benefits nobody.