Edge Computing

Edge computing is a distributed information technology (IT) architecture in which client data is processed at the periphery of the network, as close to the originating source as possible.

Data is the lifeblood of modern business, providing valuable business insight and supporting real-time control over critical business processes and operations. Today's businesses are awash in an ocean of data, and huge amounts of data can be routinely collected from sensors and IoT devices operating in real time from remote locations and inhospitable operating environments almost anywhere in the world.

But this virtual flood of data is also changing the way businesses handle computing. The traditional computing paradigm built on a centralized data center and everyday internet isn't well suited to moving endlessly growing rivers of real-world data. Bandwidth limitations, latency issues and unpredictable network disruptions can all conspire to impair such efforts. Businesses are responding to these data challenges through the use of edge computing architecture.

In simplest terms, edge computing moves some portion of storage and compute resources out of the central data center and closer to the source of the data itself. Rather than transmitting raw data to a central data center for processing and analysis, that work is instead performed where the data is actually generated -- whether that's a retail store, a factory floor, a sprawling utility or across a smart city. Only the result of that computing work at the edge, such as real-time business insights, equipment maintenance predictions or other actionable answers, is sent back to the main data center for review and other human interactions.

Thus, edge computing is reshaping IT and business computing. Take a comprehensive look at what edge computing is, how it works, the influence of the cloud, edge use cases, tradeoffs and implementation considerations.

How does edge computing work?

Edge computing is all a matter of location. In traditional enterprise computing, data is produced at a client endpoint, such as a user's computer. That data is moved across a WAN such as the internet, through the corporate LAN, where the data is stored and worked upon by an enterprise application. Results of that work are then conveyed back to the client endpoint. This remains a proven and time-tested approach to client-server computing for most typical business applications.

But the number of devices connected to the internet, and the volume of data being produced by those devices and used by businesses, is growing far too quickly for traditional data center infrastructures to accommodate. Gartner predicted that by 2025, 75% of enterprise-generated data will be created outside of centralized data centers. The prospect of moving so much data in situations that can often be time- or disruption-sensitive puts incredible strain on the global internet, which itself is often subject to congestion and disruption.

So IT architects have shifted focus from the central data center to the logical edge of the infrastructure -- taking storage and computing resources from the data center and moving those resources to the point where the data is generated. The principle is straightforward: If you can't get the data closer to the data center, get the data center closer to the data. The concept of edge computing isn't new, and it is rooted in decades-old ideas of remote computing -- such as remote offices and branch offices -- where it was more reliable and efficient to place computing resources at the desired location rather than rely on a single central location.