T. Gilling
Jul 20, 2017 · 2 min read

Very good summary. I generally like to refer to ‘proximity computing’ or ‘edge computing’ simply as a ‘local cloud’, that is cloud computing that is delivered from data centres that are located within close geographic proximity to the end-user (i.e., local) . A ‘local cloud’ is therefore different, in terms of its typical distance from its end-users, to the ‘normal cloud’ or ‘distant cloud’, which provides so many of our current on-line services from the ‘other side of the world’. Of course, a ‘local cloud’ is, from a functional perspective, essentially the same as a ‘distant cloud’, except that it is not on the ‘other side of the world’, it is, figuratively speaking, just down the road. As the ‘local cloud’ improves and matures we will be able to reliably push more and more of our personal computing activities (i.e., what we do with our personal computing devices) to the ‘local cloud’. Many modern digital services are highly interactive and require low latency communications in order to work as intended. A ‘local cloud’ that provides personal computing services from data centres located within close geographic proximity (i.e., from data centres located within hundreds of miles, rather than thousands of miles, of its end-users) will be able to meet such latency demands and, thereby, support highly interactive digital services. A perfect storm of digital innovation is rapidly approaching, a storm that will shift personal computing squarely into the 21st century. When ‘local cloud’-based services are combined with next-generation communications, starting with 5G, we will finally have all that we need for a world-changing paradigm-shift in the nature of personal computing.

If you are interested, I have written a few essays around this subject:

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T. Gilling

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…is a forward-looking information technologist and the author of The STREAM TONE: The Future of Personal Computing? (www.TheStreamTone.com)

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