Edge Computing

Edge computing is basically computing that takes place at or near the physical location of the user or the source of the data. By placing the computing services closer to the end-users, they can benefit from more reliable and faster services, while providers benefit from the flexibility of hybrid cloud computing.

"a part of a distributed computing topology in which information processing is located close to the edge—where things and people produce or consume that information."

Gartner

Edge computing is transforming the way data is being handled, processed, and delivered from millions of devices around the world. It powers forward technologies like 5G, video processing, analytics, autonomous cars, and even AI.

Lowering the costs while increasing the bandwidth

Think about devices that monitor manufacturing equipment in a factory, or a Wifi-connected video camera that sends live footage from a remote location (office, military base, etc.). Handling the data from a single device is not a problem, but managing the data from hundreds or thousands of them at the same time will affect the quality of the data due to latency problems, and also have a tremendous cost in bandwidth.

Edge-computing hardware and services help solve this problem by processing and storing the data locally. They can process data from an edge device, and then send only the relevant data back through the cloud, or send data back to the edge device in case of real-time application needs, reducing the overall costs of the service and increasing the bandwidth for every device.

The benefits of Edge Computing

Cost efficient. Edge computing can mean faster, more stable services at a lower cost for users and providers.

Reducing resources and enhancing the user experience. For users, edge computing means a faster, more consistent experience with minimal interference, while for enterprises and service providers, edge means low-latency, highly available apps with real-time monitoring that save resources and money.

Reducing network resources. Edge computing can reduce network costs, avoid bandwidth constraints, reduce transmission delays, limit service failures, and provide better control over the movement of sensitive data.

Security and data analysis. Other benefits of edge computing include the ability to conduct on-site Big Data analytics and aggregation. It reduces the risk of exposing sensitive data by localizing computing power and enables companies to enforce security practices or meet regulatory policies with relative ease.

What's the catch?

Requires planning ahead. Edge infrastructure isn’t always simple to implement and manage and requires careful planning.

Difficult to manage several locations. Scaling out edge servers to many small sites can be more complicated than adding the same amount to a single data center, and can be very difficult to manage for smaller organizations.

Remote sites.Edge computing sites are usually remote, which means they have very limited technical support available. You need to plan an infrastructure that is easy to fix on the premises in case something fails.

Complicated site management. Site management operations need to be highly reproducible across all edge computing sites to simplify management, allowing for easier troubleshooting.

Physical site security. Physical security of edge sites is often much lower than that of core sites and has to account for a greater risk of malicious or accidental situations and use failsafe mechanisms.

Want to be part of the Edge computing revolution? We can help.