Four ways to know if you need edge computing: a developer’s perspective
By Marc-Elian Bégin, CEO and co-founder of SixSq
It seems everyone is taking a closer look at edge computing. Enterprise infrastructure is evolving with more cloud, more devices and more data processing requirements at the edge. The global market will inevitably see massive growth — there are strong indications of more than fivefold expansion over the next five years.
What is edge computing?
Edge computing is a method of computing that brings computation closer to where it’s needed. Instead of sending raw data to the cloud or a data center for processing, edge computing provides data processing power at the edge of a network — in other words, near where the data is produced and collected. The act of processing data at the edge is sometimes referred to as near-data processing.
Edge computing is a response to the explosion of data produced by “things” in Internet of Things (IoT) applications, as well as sensors, still and high-definition video cameras, actuators and other new digital sources.
Edge computing is not merely the provision of a standard gateway. It delivers intelligence in the form of specialist hardware and software: edge hardware, sensors and actuators, one or more apps, and a management platform.
Who needs it?
There are four great questions to reveal whether your organization needs edge computing:
- Does my company need to act in near-real time on data generated by sensors?
- Do we generate data that’s too big to transfer and store economically and sensibly to the cloud?
- Is the internet link between digital sources and the cloud unreliable or have a high degree of jitter?
- Does my company have a privacy or security issue when transferring or processing data in the public/private cloud?
If you answered yes to one or more of these, there’s a good chance your company needs edge computing.
Who is using edge already?
Organizations in every sector are already using or thinking about using edge computing. The list really is endless, but here are some easily recognized applications:
- Retail stores
- Factory floors
- Smart City applications like air quality, traffic monitoring, dynamic lighting
- Cruise ship management
- Robotics applications
- IoT applications
- Big data science applications
- Outpost deployments
- Field offices
- Emergency relief infrastructures
Assessing the potential benefits of edge computing is a big challenge for many organizations. Consider working with vendors or consultants who can demonstrate experience with these and other use cases.
Another useful approach is to partner with companies that are proponents of open source and open systems for edge computing. After all, edge computing offers opportunities for digital transformation; don’t be locked into a proprietary vision of the edge.
About the author
Marc-Elian Bégin is CEO and co-founder of SixSq. Founded in 2007, SixSq helps customers build edge-to-cloud solutions to deliver real and tangible benefits to society. Marc-Elian holds a B.Eng. in Mechanical Engineering from Ecole Polytechnique of Montreal, specializing in Aerospace. Bégin has worked with the Canadian and European Space Agencies, as well as CERN, on distributed software systems, grid and cloud computing development projects.
DISCLAIMER: Guest posts are submitted content. The views expressed in this post are that of the author, and don’t necessarily reflect the views of Edge Industry Review (EdgeIR.com).
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Article Topics
DevOps | edge applications | open source | retail | SixSq | smart city | use cases
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