Fog computing is the new revolution
When a large architecture carries too much data, you have to make it smaller, more personal and connected only to users and devices needed. That’s how Cloud Computing narrowed down works, and Cisco & Princeton University see it as the future of Internet of Things. From billions of devices connected to the web, fog computing will select and communicate in a more efficient and individual way.
In simple words, devices connected with the cloud send requests for every data, communication or a measurement to the cloud and wait for the information to return. Fog computing is an idea of decentralizing the process, so each device would carry some amounts of crucial information so that there is no need to consult the cloud for details. Computing power would be carried within the device, located near the end-user. Instead of having storage in the cloud, communication via internet backbone and management controlled by network gateways, fog devices would have all the functional tools and connections within them. Resources, computing power and control would be closer to the device and the user.
The term “fog computing” is an idea taken from @Cisco company and their development of OpenFog Consortium funded along with Intel, Microsoft + Open Source, Princeton University AAS, @Dell, and ARM Holdings. The Consortium based in California works on bringing data & management to devices, without transferring it to cloud, where the data would be primarily processed and analysed. Fog computing is also called edge computing — as it stays on the edge of the cloud. This approach will improve efficiency and data transfer, local area network would be the place where all the processes are acted upon.
What major issues fog computing will improve when it comes to future technology? It is said to revolutionise Internet of Things in terms of communication and speed. First of all, connections might not depend on strong internet source — could they be offline or via bluetooth? There is a big chance, since devices would carry most of the computing power in themselves. What about machine-to-machine connection? Here, also efficiency of fog computing will come in handy, since devices sending data to each other, omitting the cloud will cooperate more fluently. Security is another reason why fog computing is developed by the largest companies. If the data is not transferred through a cloud, there will be a lower chance to break single nodes to connect to devices. Harder to localise and to hack connections that go through user-to-machine or machine-to-machine will solve some of the security problems that Internet of Things is concurring with.
