Enabling a “Programmable World” through edge computing

Experts from Accenture have unveiled this year’s Tech Vision study, which highlights some major shifts in how businesses and consumers are interacting with the digital world. 

The report explores the phenomenon of a future “Programmable World” in which our physical and digital environments will be deeply enmeshed. We are increasingly able to control and customize our physical space through technologies such as IoT. These advances present considerable opportunities for businesses. 

These tech megatrends speak to a rapidly accelerating area of work at Red Hat: edge computing. The technology assists real-time applications with analyzing and processing data, using smart devices that are in close proximity to the source such as IoT devices or local servers. 

Data shows us that the edge computing market is growing at an impressive compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 32.8% in the period 2018 to 2025. It affords businesses a plethora of benefits and opportunities. 

Edge vs cloud 

We are often asked whether edge is likely to replace cloud. In reality, each technology serves a different purpose and they can work well together. 

Edge processing is ideal when instant actions or decisions are needed - when even a few milliseconds of delay would jeopardize a process. With the evolution of the connected and autonomous vehicles, devices and things overcoming delays in processing, network latency, and transfer of data in real-time presents significant challenges. The following examples are what we call the art of the possible in edge. 

Let’s start with an autonomous vehicle. A vehicle sees a dog chasing a ball onto the road, so it has to apply the brakes instantaneously. In this scenario, sending live video to the cloud and then waiting for cloud to trigger to stop can create latency in the results. Edge computing can enable the live video to be processed faster within the device in real-time with action taken without any adverse effect. Video analytics at the edge is revolutionizing the automotive industry. 

Edge processing delivers low latency levels and allows our client to anticipate replacements and repairs, which has led to an increase in uptime of 97%. Cloud models work best for tasks such as back-end processing and analytics, where time is less crucial. 

Business benefits of edge computing

Productivity

Edge computing delivers huge productivity benefits. Another scenario would be in manufacturing. A potential client can save thousands of hours of workers’ time throughout the inspection process. Before deploying edge, hundreds of manual inspection points take up to one third of total production time. Adding additional sensors in the factory and enabling real-time analytics saves thousands of hours and improves the detection of defects in their production.  

Edge computing offers organizations the ability to manage their resources more efficiently. In the hospitality industry, edge can be used in every restaurant to assure autonomous operations and provide analytics in the cloud. For example, a restaurant will be prompted to cook extra French fries at peak times. This intelligence allows the chain to make best use of its resources. 

Security 

Privacy and security are ongoing business concerns. Many of our clients opt for edge solutions as they keep data away from centralized servers and therefore offers enhanced security controls. This is particularly relevant in industries such as manufacturing, where exposure to cybersecurity risks can have catastrophic effects. Just picture a hacked robot within a car factory and you can imagine the damage it could cause.

Scalability 

Like cloud computing, firms can expand their use of edge devices so that they are only using and managing what they really need. This is a major benefit for firms wishing to optimize their costs and scale. 

Enabling a connected world 

Accenture’s Tech Vision study found that IoT and 5G will be key catalysts for growth in the near future. They also present challenges as they generate huge volumes of data at staggering rates. To remain competitive, businesses will need to consider the “travel time” of their data - in many cases, every second counts. 

We are facing our next digital frontier - digitization of our physical world. Emerging technologies such as edge computing have the potential to realize everything that this new connectedness has to offer. 

We are thrilled to partner with Accenture on making the Programmable World a reality for our clients. The deployment of edge computing looks different for every organization and use case, so if you’re curious about its potential for your business, then please do reach out to me directly.