What Is Edge Computing? Components, Examples, and Best Practices
Edge computing is a distributed computing framework that enables data to be processed closer to where it is created.
Edge computing is defined as the practice of processing and computing client data closer to the data source rather than on a centralized server or a cloud-based location. At its simplest, edge computing brings computing resources, data storage, and enterprise applications closer to where the people actually consume the information. This article explains edge computing in detail and shares some useful best practices for edge computing in 2022.
Table of Contents
What Is Edge Computing?
Edge computing is the processing and computing of client data closer to the data source rather than a centralized server or a cloud-based location. At its simplest, edge computing brings computing resources, data storage, and enterprise applications closer to where the people actually consume the information.
Edge Computing Architecture
Data is at the core of any functioning business. Over the years, the unprecedented volume of computing power and connected devices have accumulated vast amounts of data, causing a massive strain on the already congested internet. This massive accumulation of data leads to bandwidth and latency issues. Unlike traditional enterprise computing, where data is produced at the client’s end or the user’s computer, edge computing offers a better alternative to move away from managing complex data to close proximity of the original data source.
From reduced load on the internet to fewer latency issues, faster response times, lesser security risks, better-performing applications, deeper insights, and critical data analysis to improved customer experiences, edge computing is the logical solution that every modern business needs.
An effective way to understand the concept of edge computing is through the help of this relatable example and explanation by Michael Clegg, vice president and general manager of IoT and embedded at Supermicro. He says, “By processing incoming data at the edge, less information needs to be sent to the cloud and back. This also significantly reduces processing latency. A good analogy would be a popular pizza restaurant that opens smaller branches in more neighborhoods since a pie baked at the main location would get cold on its way to a distant customer”.
See More: Future of Edge: 4 Trends to Watch for in 2022
Basic Components of Edge Computing
Edge computing pays significant emphasis on locations. Accessing in-depth data from multiple locations equips businesses to deal with the demands of future customers. It enables businesses to analyze critical data in real-time without sending it thousands of miles away. Moreover, it is a crucial step forward for companies looking to create high-performance applications with low latency.
Edge computing was prominent even before we started using IoT. Its roots can be traced back to content delivery networks (CDN) and has since evolved into the undeniable necessity it is today.
Components of Edge Computing
Edge computing functions in sync with three main components. Let’s discover the pivotal role each one of these plays in shaping the edge infrastructure.
1. Internet of things (IoT)
The usage of IoT devices has significantly exploded in the last few years. In parallel, what has also increased is the amount of bandwidth that they consume. The sheer volume of data generated from these devices impacts a company’s private cloud or data center, making it difficult to manage and store all the data.
The non-exhaustive possibilities of IoT have gotten many businesses excited. IoT has been a driving force for computing at the edge in many ways. Edge computing primarily resides in an IoT environment, where data is stored at a remote location far away from the central data server. When it comes to the efficient programming of IoT devices, the need for speed is real. This is why IoT and edge computing are a match made in heaven.
Businesses deploying IoT in edge computing capabilities close to devices gain the prowess to respond to new data in a matter of seconds. Businesses that fail to get onboard with edge networks will miss out on acquiring many benefits in terms of cost, efficiency, and better connectivity.
2. Communication networks
The rise of 5G has opened the gates to many exciting innovations and developments. However, the emergence of new, wireless devices, including IoT, bogs down the capabilities of the network, making it challenging to manage the enormous influx of virtual data. Thankfully, two powerful technologies–5G communication networks and edge computing–are making our lives better. The nexus of edge computing and 5G networks is driving the digital transformation for modern businesses today.
Companies can now harness the power of comprehensive data analysis by adopting a massively decentralized computer infrastructure in edge computing. But how do these two mighty forces work? The edge computing framework keeps data close to the source, whereas 5G technology’s lightning-fast speed gets the data to its desired location as quickly as possible.
Edge computing has the ability to unleash the full potential of 5G. It enables data localization and ultra-low latency and addresses security and privacy concerns, thereby reducing the load on networks. When combined with 5G, edge offers the ultimate user experience for rich media, bringing the vision of virtual reality/augmented reality (VR/AR), gamification, drone control, connected cars, and real-time collaboration to life.
3. Cloud computing
For the longest time, centralized cloud computing has been a standard in the IT industry and continues to be the undisputed leader. However, it is easy to get confused between cloud and edge computing. A predecessor to edge, cloud computing is a huge tool for storing and processing computer resources in a central data center. On the other hand, edge computing is a distributed model that is most likely to be used by those applications and devices that require quick responses, real-time data processing, and key insights.
Edge Computing vs. Cloud Computing
Touted as the new big thing, edge computing is on its way to becoming the next step in the evolution of cloud computing. Does that mean that edge will replace the cloud? Well, that’s unlikely to happen. Edge is more like an extension to the cloud. A report by Gartner says, “Edge computing addresses the limitations of centralized computing (such as latency, bandwidth, data privacy, and autonomy) by moving processing closer to the source of data generation, things, and users”.
Together, they can work to provide productive solutions based on data collection and the goals and usage of different organizations. Edge can be a great addition to the cloud, and both combined can provide real-time insights about various performance initiatives. While IoT and web hosting find edge beneficial for faster performance, they still require a reliable cloud backend for centralized storage.
See More: How Edge and 5G Can Unlock the True Potential of AR and VR
Examples and Use Cases of Edge Computing
We live in an intelligent world amid smart devices and rapidly evolving technology. As a result, many of us do not even realize that we are surrounded by edge computing in our day-to-day lives. Everything from remote office work to remote surgeries, smartphones to smart cities, self-driving cars to voice-controlled devices are possible thanks to edge.
Edge computing is essential because it paves the way for improved and innovative ideas for businesses to operate with maximum operational efficiency, increased safety, and better performance at an enterprise and industrial level. Edge computing is viable across every industry vertical, be it banking, healthcare, retail, or mining.
While there may be dozens of examples and use cases for edge computing, here we highlight some of the most relevant ones:
1. Manufacturing
Edge computing in manufacturing units facilitates continuous monitoring by enabling real-time analytics and machine learning. This helps gain insights into product quality with the help of additional sensors employed in factories. The end goals include faster decision-making about the factory facility and manufacturing operations, capitalizing on unused data, and eliminating safety hazards on the factory floor.
2. Oil rigs, mining, and gas industry
Infrastructure such as oil rigs, mining, and gas units require continuous monitoring to prevent dangerous events. Edge computing ensures that safe practices are followed in maintaining such units, even at remote locations. It allows real-time analytics processing and delivery of data in an optimized manner, thereby reducing reliance on the cloud. Data gathered from the edge can optimize operations, enhance productivity, look after worker safety, and reduce energy consumption to a great extent.
3. Financial services
Edge computing could be a game-changer for the banking and financial sector. It is a well-known fact that banks hold vast amounts of personal data that require higher bandwidth capacity and storage space for safekeeping. Moving data processing close to banks could generate faster and secure banking experiences for customers. Banks can also utilize edge computing to analyze ATM video feeds in real-time and guarantee additional safety.
4. Healthcare
Edge computing offers a lot of scope and opportunities for the healthcare sector, including medical monitoring devices. It can help transform inpatient-outpatient record services. When devices such as health tools measuring heart rate, temperature, glucose monitors, sensors, and other medical equipment record data, edge computing, in combination with automation and machine learning, could immediately identify patients exhibiting problematic symptoms and take action to help them in real-time.
5. Retail
Retail businesses also produce a huge chunk of data from sales details, surveillance footage, inventory IDs, and other business details. Edge computing can channel this data into the right direction by personalizing customers’ shopping experiences, predicting sales and customer preferences, chalking out details for specialized offers and new campaigns, and optimizing vendor orders.
6. Autonomous vehicles
The new era of self-driving cars demands a quick response. Taking autonomous vehicles to the edge involves receiving information about speed, traffic conditions, traffic signals, pedestrians, vehicle speculations, road conditions, and other vehicles in real-time while the vehicle is in motion. Edge computing is driving the innovation of autonomous vehicles as it promises zero latency. Delays in information in this regard could be all the difference between endangering a life and saving one.
7. Gaming
One of the critical requirements for online as well as cloud gaming (a type of gaming that streams the live feed of the game directly to devices) requires high-speed functioning. These often struggle with high lag and latency issues, causing major delays in gamers’ reactions. Edge computing can benefit gaming by creating edge servers closer to the gamers, thereby reducing latency and providing a rich and immersive gaming experience.
8. Smart cities
Smart cities are dependent on enormous amounts of data. Edge computing can power all the elements of a smart city, including autonomous cars, smart street lighting, smart factories, smart power grids, and public transport to be monitored for greater efficiency.
9. Video streaming
From cable to streaming, the means of consuming content have rapidly changed over the years. While HD video streaming requires high bandwidth, consumers, on the other end, need a smooth streaming experience. Content delivery can be improved significantly by moving the load nearby and caching content on edge.
See More: Why Kubernetes Is Vital for Moving Cloud Native Technologies To the Edge
Top 10 Best Edge Computing Practices to Follow in 2022
Edge computing has radically redefined the way businesses function today. It enables an enterprise towards digital transformation. An October 2019 report by IDC predicts that by 2023, more than 50% of the newly deployed infrastructure will be in increasingly critical edge locations rather than corporate data centers, up from less than 10% today.
However, understanding the when, where, why, and how of edge computing can be tricky. Here are the 10 best practices to ace your edge-enabled digital transformation efforts and aid you in learning how to drive tangible business value in terms of operational efficiency, easier maintenance, creating opportunities for deeper insights, and much more.
Edge Computing Best Practices for 2022
1. Assign clear ownership
Before starting an edge computing project, it is essential to determine each party involved and whether they are aligned with the end goals. Edge computing deploys information technologies (IT) that look after managing technologies for information processing. Next, it involves communication technologies (CT) — people responsible for processing and communicating information.
Finally, it entails operational technologies (OT) — those responsible for managing and monitoring hardware and software at the client endpoints. What’s challenging here is to encourage collaboration and cooperation between these parties. Breaking down silos is crucial in this case, as one party cannot understand the requirements or perform the duties of the other.
2. Educate key personnel
When it comes to understanding edge computing in detail, all three parties (mentioned above) must know how to implement the process. Together, these three parties are not only responsible for implementation but are also required to work in collaboration to support edge computing resources in developing long-term strategy, vision, budget plans, and the overall course of action. Onboard skilled employees from within and outside the organization to form the right team with clearly defined objectives and outcomes. These teams can become the building blocks for your edge project, right from setting up operations to maintaining efficiency and running everything smoothly.
3. Deploy edge as an extension to cloud
Contrary to popular belief, edge and cloud are not fighting among themselves for the top spot. Instead, edge can be deployed as a complement to cloud. Alongside cloud, edge computing can boost an organization’s digital transformation journey. Implementing edge in isolation is not ideal — when implemented together, edge and cloud can effectively scale business operations. Utilizing edge computing and cloud as a combination can lead to positive results, especially in the case of large-scale digital transformations.
4. Understand data analysis situation & project environment
The influx of data grows exponentially from various sources such as IoT, sensors, applications, and devices. As a result, it is necessary to analyze data quickly to determine the scope of your project and improve customer experience. This is especially true for facilities in remote or rugged units with low connectivity and poor infrastructure. When selecting a platform, it is necessary to target the ones with simplified security and lesser downtime.
5. Engage with a trusted partner
Needless to say, it is of utmost importance to engage with a vendor that has a proven multi-cloud platform portfolio and an exhaustive range of services aimed at increasing scalability, enhancing performance, and strengthening security at edge deployments. Another good practice is to ask your vendor critical questions about security, performance, size, and cost of the engineering team and ROI realized. It’s also perfectly acceptable to request product vendors for a quick demonstration of their security capabilities and management.
6. Address security concerns
The point of security deserves special attention. Businesses should integrate a security strategy to edge just as they would for their overall cyber security landscape. Establishing enterprise security practices alone will not suffice, nor will relying on patch management solutions every time an error is discovered. A smart strategy will help create a secured and unmessy landscape. When considering security for edge computing, every nook and corner requires the same level of security and service visibility that gets included in the central data center. Start by employing security best practices such as multi-factor authentication, malware protection, endpoint protection, and end-user training.
7. Think zero trust
The risks of cyberattacks, including ransomware, have become a cause of immediate concern for edge owners and operators, particularly due to the distributed nature of its architecture. When looking for ways to reduce the risk of breaches, think zero trust model. Edge locations easily fit and comply with the zero-trust security model. Apart from safeguarding edge resources from various cyberattacks and threats, businesses must implement data encryption in transit and at rest.
8. Establish architecture & design
When making design-related decisions, it’s best to go through some existing use cases and take enough time to get clarity. Not every business will have the same needs, goals, and budget. It’s important to remember that the use case referred to will impact the overall architecture and design of the edge computing landscape. Another great option is to invest in those technologies that can work from anywhere, be it on-premise, cloud, or at the edge. Containers and Kubernetes are examples of lightweight application technologies that promote application development from cloud to edge.
9. Use cloud-native programming approaches
Cloud-native approaches are often employed in a distributed computing environment to tackle issues originating from inconsistent development platforms and security frameworks. For this, it’s best to classify and containerize workloads around a set of microservices. Use APIs to support interoperability and offer new services that were previously not supported.
10. Consider service level agreements, compliance, and support
Lastly, it is crucial to look at service-level agreements (SLA) and compliance upfront. In today’s fast-moving business world, a slowdown or downtime can dent your business substantially. All the collected data and information needs to be protected from falling into the hands of an unsafe party. Hence, it is critical to consider everything from maintenance to resiliency, security, scalability, and sustainability. In addition, it’s also essential to ensure that the edge computing landscape is strong enough to tread through technological changes and simple enough to upgrade with time.
See More: Edge Computing: Why the Future Is Now
Takeaway
Edge computing has brought a seismic shift to business as we know it. It’s an exciting prospect providing tremendous opportunities to unlock the potential of data. While centralized cloud has been the go-to option for years, edge computing is the future. Life at the edge can help enterprises save time and money, establish autonomous systems, improve response times, and deliver more profound insights. It opens up new ways of making shopping, entertainment, and healthcare more convenient, farms and factories more efficient, and customer experiences more delightful. Edge computing is indeed a technology on the rise and is leading us to a new era of data analytics.
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