Edge Computing has been attracting a lot of positive attention, especially with the spread of IoT. Often, Edge Computing is considered the opposite of the cloud, but it is not. In this blog learn the differences between Edge Computing, the cloud, and traditional on-premises technology; why Edge Computing is attracting attention; and what benefits it has.
Overview of Edge Computing and Why it’s Gaining Attention
What kind of Edge Computing is attracting attention? Let’s take a look.
Definition and Concept of Edge Computing
Edge Computing is a distributed open IT architecture that performs processing at the edge of a computer network.
“Edge” in Edge Computing means the edge, or edge of a computer network. If the center of the network is a data center or the cloud, the IoT devices – such as smartphones and tablets – are operating at the edge and are connected to the internet. By processing data near these edges, it’s possible to present the load from concentrating on network paths and data centers. Because of this, there is less latency and more efficiency when processing data.
Edge Computing is said to be characterized by its distributed processing capabilities. Instead of sending data to distant data centers, Edge Computing processes data on the device itself, or on a computer or server located close to the device. The purpose is to distribute the load and minimize communication delays by processing data nearby.
Why Edge Computing Matters
“Keeping your data close” is becoming increasingly important, but why?
As the amount of data communication increases, real-time data is becoming more and more important.
Amid the IoT era, the amount of data handled by various devices is increasing explosively. With that being said, the required processing speed and response are also increasing. A large-scale data center is required to handle a sizable amount of data, but it is more efficient to centralize processing at one location rather than have data centers at each location. This is one of the reasons why cloud computing has become popular.
However, it is inevitable that there will be some time lag when sending data to the cloud via the Internet, processing it, and returning it.
Sensor technology for robots and industrial equipment is evolving every day, and it is now possible to accurately capture a situation at any moment. However, if there is a time lag between data processing and response, sophisticated sensing technology will become meaningless.
High-precision IoT is required for devices that perform precise and complex movements. To respond to this, it is necessary to exchange information and data as close to real-time as possible. Edge Computing, which makes this possible, is attracting attention as a technology necessary for IoT to move to the next stage.
Differences from cloud and on-premises
So, what exactly is the “edge” in edge computing? As mentioned earlier, the purpose of Edge Computing is to eliminate delays in data processing responses and improve real-time performance. For that reason, critical information is distributed and processed at the “edge”, which on-site, rather than in the cloud.
For this reason, it is sometimes thought that Edge Computing has the opposite nature to cloud computing, which is a centralized processing type. But in the true sense of the word, cloud is contrasts with on-premises.
So, how does Edge Computing differ from traditional on-premises?
Edge Computing does not process all data on-premises. By separating what can be done at the edge from what should be sent to the cloud, makes it possible to maximize the benefits of each.
When a large amount of data needs to be processed accurately, or information that requires more real-time processing, it is done at the edge, or on-premises. Information that requires large-scale collaboration and aggregation, and is less affected by processing speed, can be managed smoothly by using the cloud. Because of this, it can be said that the original form of Edge Computing is “to accurately divide the roles of where to process information”.
5 Benefits of Edge Computing
What are the specific benefits of Edge Computing? The following five benefits outline the advantages of leveraging Edge Computing.
- Low latency: real-time data processing
When accessing the cloud, there is typically a time lag between the time the data is sent and the time it is processed and received. This time lag – or communication delay time – is known as latency. With Edge Computing and distributed processing, latency is reduced. This reduces delays in data exchange and enables real-time data processing.
- Traffic optimization and stabilization
The evolution and spread of IoT will further increase the amount of data communication in the future. There are predictions that there will be “data congestion” in communication routes and data centers if all of this data is aggregated in the cloud. Data congestion not only creates delays in data transmission and reception but also carries the risk of causing failure in cloud services.
By using Edge Computing, organizations can reduce the amount of communication by not sending all data to the cloud and processing critical data at the edge. This also helps reduce pressure on network bandwidth.
Optimizing and stabilizing data traffic is one of the significant benefits of Edge Computing.
- Reduction in communication costs
When transferring a large amount of data to the cloud, the cost of data transfer will also increase because of the increase in communication volume.
Combined use of Edge Computing will lead to a reduction in the amount of data transferred to the cloud and the amount of communication, reducing communication costs.
- Strengthen information security
Storing corporate and personal information in the cloud presents potential security risks, such as leaks or external attacks.
Edge Computing eliminates the need to send and receive data to and from the cloud when processing data at the edge, which helps reduce the risk of a data leak.
- Business Continuity Planning
Edge computing can also be a BCP (Business Continuity Plan). What if you handle all your data in the cloud and that cloud service goes down? The businesses rely on that data could go out of business.
With Edge Computing, organizations handle critical data at the edge, meaning if the cloud service goes down, operations will continue.
Introducing Edge Computing should be a priority and part of a business continuity plan for recovery and continuation in the event of an emergency.
There are many advantages to leveraging Edge Computing. The key is figuring out where and how you can benefit the most.
Source: Stratus
