Tech Trend: Edge Computing - The Future of IT
In this article, we will look at one of the new emerging technologies which has been named a tech trend to watch. We look at its core competencies and explore why this is a trending emerging technology.
Edge Computing: The Future of IT - Tech Trend
In this article, we will look at one of the new emerging technologies which has been named a tech trend to watch. We look at its core competencies and explore why this is a trending emerging technology.
Definition
Edge computing is a distributed computing paradigm that brings computation and data storage closer to the sources of data. This is expected to improve response times and save bandwidth. It is an architecture rather than a specific technology. It is a topology- and location-sensitive form of distributed computing. - Wikipedia
IMB defines Edge computing as “Edge computing is a distributed computing framework that brings enterprise applications closer to data sources such as IoT devices or local edge servers. This proximity to data at its source can deliver strong business benefits, including faster insights, improved response times, and better bandwidth availability.”
Edge Computing - What is it?
As we have discussed in several of our blogs, we are aware of the increasing use and growth of smart devices, which consequently puts increased pressure on the internet infrastructures needed to enable these devices. Increased demand for data is now required.
At the heart of the internet, multiple levels of (ISPs) internet service providers create an interconnected infrastructure that manages the vast amounts of data traffic from devices to the end user. The most local level of ISPs and the end users which can include smart devices, mobile phones, and IoT devices, represent the “edge” of the internet.
With the ever-increasing amount of information, organizations have seen the limitations of cloud computing in a variety of situations. Cloud computing used to be a cutting-edge technology to watch but it has become commonplace as major players dominate the field. Computer usage is also increasing as companies move to cloud solutions.
This increased pressure has meant that cloud-based businesses have had to look for new methods to assist their clients, and a decentralized method is required for the infrastructure needs. This has meant that the demand for Edge computing is at its highest. This demand will only continue to grow as 4G and 5G networks increase the number of connected devices.
Gartner stated that “ten percent of enterprise data is created and processed outside of centralized data centers, and by 2025, that figure is predicted to skyrocket up to 75 percent.”
Traditional methods send all device-generated data to either the cloud or a centralized data center. The physical location of data processing resources is the core of edge computing. The amount of data being sent can lead to issues with latency and bandwidth.
The Benefits of Edge Computing
Edge computing provides a more efficient alternative to the traditional method where it brings applications closer to data sources, by analysing and processing the data closer to the point of creation. Latency is reduced significantly due to data not being traversed over to the cloud, a data center, or to a network to be processed.
Edge computing and more recently mobile edge computing (on 5G networks) allows for a more comprehensive and faster analysis of data resulting in faster response times and consequently a better user experience and improved insight.
For organizations, edge computing can also reduce overall network traffic in order to improve their applications and software. Edge computing also offers greater security for a business’s networks and increases data privacy.
Edge computing takes advantage of growing in-device computing power to provide enhanced insights and predictive analytics in near real-time.
How? It does this by unlocking the potential of untapped data that is generated from devices that are connected. This advanced analytics capability in edge computing devices can motivate innovation, improve operational efficiency, improve quality and consequently increase value, and therefore service, to the end user.
Getting the best out of all these devices requires significant amounts of computation to be marginalized. Edge computing is seen as a reliable, efficient, and scalable solution to take data-based organizations, apps, and software to a whole new level.
Summary
Edge Computing is an exciting advancement in technology that organizations are beginning to adopt one such tech giant IMB which is supporting and offering an array of Edge Computing based solutions that other tech giants are following.
Is Edge computing the future of IT? It is a technology trend that has already made headlines and has caught the attention of many tech giants, it is a trend we are excited to see evolve and be a more visible technology globally.
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