Is this the Era of Edge Computing?

By 2022, more than 50% of enterprise data will be created and processed outside the data center or cloud, up from less than 10% in 2019, according to research firm Gartner. Various trends have contributed to this tectonic shift, including the proliferation of the internet of things (IoT), digitization, automation, hybrid IT, and the growth of remote computing. Most of these emerging trends and technologies are creating more and more data and, subsequently, are driving new demands in analytics and access to real-time insights.

As a result, edge computing is becoming central to almost every digital strategy and is thus increasingly gaining a mainstream status in bringing IT infrastructure to where data is collected, irrespective of how remote the location is. By 2030, the global edge computing market is expected to reach USD 155.90 billion, growing at a CAGR of over 38.9% during the forecast period2. Edge computing is a great fit for a variety of use cases, but at the same time, it requires a purpose-built solution optimized for high performance and low latency, which is also sturdy and reliable. Therefore, while implementing edge computing, it is important to have the right infrastructure at the edge to fully harness the promise and potential of data. 

The Rise of Edge Computing 
Organizations have begun to understand the benefits and opportunities behind edge computing and consequently, seek to capture, share, and learn from data residing on the edge. Without edge computing, some organizations may miss an opportunity to harness data from every point in the information chain- from the data center to the cloud to the edge.

IoT is a driving force for edge computing. Whether the IoT is used for operational, industrial, medical, or even military requirements, edge computing can help organizations capture mission-critical insights in real time at the IT edge or in remote locations. Another interesting example that requires edge computing is smart video. In retailing, for example, through edge computing vs. sending data to the cloud, retailers have real-time access to data, so the business can know what is happening throughout the store environment, both inside the retail storefront and in off-site areas such as inventory centers and shipping and receiving docks, and use that data quickly make decisions. Integrating this information with in-store smart shelves, point-of-sale and stock-out data can help generate a richer and more accurate picture of why certain merchandise levels are diminishing faster than others. This can help the retailer plan better and even anticipate demand.

Edge computing can also help with faster and more informed decisions, however, the system needs to provide high performance, low latency, reliable connectivity, and the ability to support very large data sets of unstructured data.

Right Edge Infrastructure Solution is Essential 
The growing importance of edge computing use cases accentuates the importance of the right infrastructure solutions that meet the performance, utility, and resiliency requirements. It should be easy to deploy and also offer cloud-like benefits such as cost efficiency, flexibility, and scalability even when a network connection may be expensive, intermittent or non-existent. 

Organizations are turning to edge computing to extract real-time insights and help make smarter and faster decisions closer to where the data is generated. As a result, they are capturing data beyond data centers. As new IoT and remote use cases come to the foreground, edge computing will continue to gain momentum and will require solutions that deliver the performance, resiliency, flexibility, and agility demanded by edge computing applications.

(The author Khalid Wani is Senior Director – Sales, India, Western Digital)

Khalid Wani