Edge Computing — Enabling Real-Time Data Processing
With the ongoing boom in AI, IoT, Cloud and other similar technologies, comes the incessant need for robust, efficient, and seamless data processing methods. And this, in turn, underlines the significance of Edge Computing in our times, and those to come.
As noted by the State of the Industry report, 2018, about half of the enterprises across the world are on track to implement IoT by 2022. This, in turn, further substantiates the need to understand, learn, and implement edge computing, to innovate processes which in sync with the ever-changing business ecosystem.
What is Edge Computing?
True to its name, Edge Computing indeed refers to the practice of processing data at the ‘edge of the network’ or closer to the logical extremity. Technically, in applications developed using edge, the data is stored closer to its intended destination, as opposed to the centralized storage.
The Edge Computing Promise
Now, the question is, what’s is so special about edge computing, and why we need it in the first place.
Primarily, edge computing ‘shortens’ the route that the data has to travel, which has a range of benefits, both theoretical and practical.
● Privacy — A majority of the raw data is retained close to the source, and not sent to the associated cloud platforms. Understandably, this enhances the privacy of the entire data system, since the data remains in the private network and does not pass through a public internet network.
● Reliability — Given its localized storage and development protocol, edge computing is possible even when the servers, cloud or otherwise, aren’t accessible for whatever reasons.
● Speed — Among other things, Edge enables a real-time response, thereby enhancing time to market, ROI, and more.
The Scope of Edge Computing
Having discussed what it is, and its plausible benefits, the question now is whether edge computing is pragmatic. Let’s look into how edge computing can transform our existing industries.
Construction Industry — Smart Grids
Smart Grids are communication channels, which enable the construction industry to use WANs for linking power centers, the building, and edge-based energy applications.
As edge plays an increasingly crucial role in this industry, we are now witnessing the rise of a new category of IoT, namely the Industrial Internet of Things or IIoT.
In this context, edge computing facilitates the substitution of fossils fuels with cleaner energy resources, as well as sustainable power consumption using analytics data.
Logistics Industry — Fleet Management
Partly because of the rise of e-commerce, modern warehouses are becoming smarter and implementing IoT for efficient fleet and stock management.
IoT edge computing, as well as, mobile edge computing enables automated supervisions, vehicle-to-vehicle communication, automatic vehicles, and so on. This empowers the management, not only to organize better but also to meet the unprecedented logistics complexities of our digitizing world.
State Machinery — Traffic Management
The number of vehicles on our roads, at any given time, is increasing exponentially. And, increasing alongside are the difficulties of using manual, or semi-automated traffic management systems.
Against this backdrop, automatic signaling systems is one of the relevant applications of edge computing. Moving beyond, it is also possible to innovate smart traffic management applications, as well as produce data for analysis. Together, they can go a long way in helping planners mitigate the existing, or emerging, traffic management issues.
To conclude, edge computing-based applications can be monitored in real-time. As a result, the problems can be nipped at the bud. In all, edge computing is a cornerstone to a profitably automated industrial world of the future.
