What Is Edge Computing and How Is It Reshaping the Future of IT?

Like the ‘Internet of Things’ and ‘Artificial Intelligence’, ‘edge computing’ has escaped the buzzword bubble and is now a tangible technology that is gaining significant traction. And with businesses across the globe keen on implementing the latest IT practices to stay ahead of the competition, this paradigm is only set to become more popular.

But what does edge computing really mean? How can the concept help organisations build relevant IT products and services? Let’s explore…

The drawback of centralised systems

In the early days of computers, there were centralised systems that performed the majority of work on-site. Today, we have access to personal computers, allowing us to take our self-contained device of computing power anywhere we go.

However, even though we use our own computers, we still access a plethora of centralised cloud-based services like Office 365, G-suite, and Dropbox on a daily basis. Additionally, AI-powered devices like Google Chromecast and Amazon Echo have also become an integral part of our lives.

And because these centralised data repositories are truly phenomenal, there are millions of businesses worldwide that rely on their infrastructure and computing power. But there’s a catch. Currently, there are only four global cloud providers — Amazon (with over 32% of the market share), Microsoft, Google, and IBM.

This means that all data is created and processed at centralised storage hubs by only a handful of providers, and there isn’t much growth left in the cloud space. Anything that can be centralised has already been centralised, and new opportunities now lie at the ‘edge’.

Defining edge computing

Wikipedia defines edge computing as ‘a distributed computing paradigm that brings computation and data storage closer to the location where it’s needed — to improve response time and save bandwidth’. In layman’s language, it simply means processing data closer to the source.

Let’s consider a simple scenario. Oil and gas failures can prove to be disastrous if not handled immediately. This means that their assets need to be monitored 24/7 and in real-time. One solution is to set up a centralised cloud monitoring system. But, because oil and gas plants are usually located in remote locations, quality connectivity to the cloud is not guaranteed. And, the response time of a centralised system might be delayed too.

However, by enabling real-time analytics and processing data closer to the asset, there is a lesser dependency on the cloud. This ensures a quick response time and low latency. And that is what edge computing can do for you.

The cloud remains the cloud — it simply comes closer to where you are.

The benefits of edge computing

Some people refer to edge computing as the ‘cloud killer’. However, in reality, it is simply an evolution of the cloud. Businesses will continue to use the cloud to create, process, and store operational data. But by using edge computing, they can also efficiently process data for time-sensitive applications.

Read the full article at: https://thescalers.com/what-is-edge-computing-and-how-is-it-reshaping-the-future-of-it/