EDGE COMPUTING

Edge computing is transforming how data generated by billions of IoT and other devices is stored, processed, analyzed and transported.

The early goal of edge computing was to reduce the bandwidth costs associated with moving raw data from where it was created to either an enterprise data center or the cloud. More recently, the rise of real-time applications that require minimal latency, such as autonomous vehicles and multi-camera video analytics, are driving the concept forward.

The ongoing global deployment of the 5G wireless standard ties into edge computing because 5G enables faster processing for these cutting-edge, low-latency use cases and application

Gartner defines edge computing as “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.”

At its most basic level, edge computing brings computation and data storage closer to the devices where it’s being gathered, rather than relying on a central location that can be thousands of miles away. This is done so that data, especially real-time data, does not suffer latency issues that can affect an application’s performance. In addition, companies can save money by having the processing done locally, reducing the amount of data that needs to be sent to a centralized or cloud-based location.

Think about devices that monitor manufacturing equipment on a factory floor or an internet-connected video camera that sends live footage from a remote office. While a single device producing data can transmit it across a network quite easily, problems arise when the number of devices transmitting data at the same time grows. Instead of one video camera transmitting live footage, multiply that by hundreds or thousands of devices. Not only will quality suffer due to latency, but the bandwidth costs can be astronomical.

Edge-computing hardware and services help solve this problem by providing a local source of processing and storage for many of these systems. An edge gateway, for example, can process data from an edge device, and then send only the relevant data back through the cloud. Or it can send data back to the edge device in the case of real-time application needs.

HOW DOES THE EDGE COMPUTING WORK

The physical architecture of the edge can be complicated, but the basic idea is that client devices connect to a nearby edge module for more responsive processing and smoother operations. Edge devices can include IoT sensors, an employee’s notebook computer, their latest smartphone, security cameras or even the internet-connected microwave oven in the office break room.

In an industrial setting, the edge device can be an autonomous mobile robot, a robot arm in an automotive factory. In health care, it can be a high-end surgical system that provides doctors with the ability to perform surgery from remote locations. Edge gateways themselves are considered edge devices within an edge-computing infrastructure. Terminology varies, so you might hear the modules called edge servers or edge gateways.

While many edge gateways or servers will be deployed by service providers looking to support an edge network (Verizon, for example, for its 5G network), enterprises looking to adopt a private edge network will need to consider this hardware as well.