  Edge computing has become increasingly popular across many domains and
enterprises. However, given the locality constraint of edges (i.e., only
close-by edges are useful), multiplexing diverse workloads becomes challenging.
This results in poor resource utilization in edge resources that are
provisioned for peak demand. A simple way to allow multiplexing is through
micro-data centers, that bring computation close to the users while supporting
diverse workloads throughout the data, along with edges. In this paper, we
argue for a hybrid approach of dedicated edge resources within an enterprise
and on demand resources in micro-data centers that are shared across entities.
We show that this hybrid approach is an effective and cost-efficient way for
scaling workloads and removes the need for over-provisioning dedicated
resources per enterprise. Moreover, compared to a scaling approach that uses
only the edges across enterprises, micro-data centers also form a trusted third
party that can maintain important quality of service guarantees such as data
privacy, security, and availability.
