ICT and cloud computing in businesses today offers excellent enterprise solutions, but edge computing can help to take it up a notch by offering another smart solution for companies.
What is edge computing?
Edge computing is when the processing of data happens at the edge of a network, which is in proximity to the data source. Here, every device receives part of the data processing that the cloud performs, and this is then packaged for further processing and analysis at the edge. The device may be a:
- Drone
- Robot
- HVAC unit
- Smartphone
- Sensor
- Autonomous car
- Other intelligent device
Benefits of edge computing for businesses
- Improves security and compliance
Using edge computing, all sensitive information that relates to personal identification can be filtered for local processing while cloud processing is done for other non-sensitive data.
- Improved speed
Since edge processing doesn’t require a trip to the cloud data center, latency of data operations is reduced which reduces the time taken for insights to be generated from the data. Such instant data analysis is useful for application across industries and can help put a stop to autonomous vehicle collisions as well as equipment failures in factories.
- Reduced cost of IoT solutions
IoT solutions help to meet key network & infrastructure requirements, whether for business or for use in building a smart city or for smart energy management. Since edge computing helps in the processing and analysis of critical data in proximity to the concerned device, it results in lesser data flow between the network’s edge and the cloud. Careful selection of the data to be sent to the cloud and to be processed via edge computing helps to lower the cost of IoT solutions.
- Reliability of operations
With edge computing, smart devices and other manufacturing equipment can function uninterrupted even in situations of limited internet connectivity or when these devices are offline. This provides an ideal solution for quick analysis of data even from locations like ships, rural regions, or airplanes.
- Interoperability
Flash storage is needed for businesses, but edge computing helps in the conversion of communication protocols of legacy devices into a language comprehensible by the cloud and other smart devices. This helps to facilitate the interoperability of legacy devices with advanced IoT platforms so that businesses don’t have to invest in costly new equipment.
- Scalability and versatility
A traditional data center can act as an obstacle to business growth. With edge computing, IoT devices can be connected to micro data centers to facilitate the scalability of business operations while keeping costs under check. Greater scalability helps to make business operations more versatile.
