Why there's a shift from cloud to edge computing?
"Cloud Computing" is a convenient buzzword to describe data storage and delivery, mainly over the Internet. The shift from cloud computing to edge computing is happening now in several industries.
Edge computing is a new way to bring computing and data storage closer to where it's needed so that data can be processed at the source instead of being sent back and forth over long distances. As a result, your applications won't have to wait for remote servers.
Source: Edge Computing Several factors drive the transition from centralized cloud computing to distributed edge computing. The most important are:
- Compute resources move closer to data sources, resulting in higher bandwidth and reduced latency.
- New technologies like AI and IoT require lower latency than the cloud can provide.
- 5G connectivity will enable more devices to become edge nodes.
- Security concerns are pushing businesses to move data out of public clouds.
- Cost savings come from eliminating the need for backhauling data and reducing network traffic.
Factors spurring the movement from cloud to edge computing
Source: Edge Computing
One factor is the cost of transferring data from edge devices to the cloud. The network connection from the edge device to the cloud has a cost associated with it (often called the last mile cost) that may not be trivial. The need to move data from sensors on a factory floor to an IoT platform in the cloud may require a dedicated fibre optic cable that is expensive to maintain and upgrade.
Another factor is the latency of transferring data over the Internet. Consider a self-driving car on its way to an intersection with traffic lights that have malfunctioned, requiring cars to make their own decisions about when it's safe to proceed through an intersection. If the vehicle has no internet connection, then it will have no access to traffic camera feeds or other means of gathering data about what other cars are doing at that intersection. In this case, the vehicle must rely entirely on its sensors, which may not provide sufficient information to arrive at a safe decision.
A third factor is privacy concerns. Some companies prefer not to send sensitive data over the public Internet because they fear someone might intercept it en route or be hacked while storing it in a public cloud or corporate data centre. Companies with stringent compliance requirements have found that keeping their internal and customer data within their firewalls.
Source: Average ROI on edge computing from 2019-2022
Get ready for changes in cloud and edge computing soon
Data is being generated at an unprecedented rate. We will need to store this data for future analysis. But, how will the companies get access to this data? By moving it closer to the source of generation. Faster, cheaper, and more secure. All of these are benefits that edge computing offers to end-users. Edge computing is a distributed computing paradigm that brings computation and data storage closer to the location needed to improve response times and save bandwidth.
The applications of edge computing are diverse — it can be used for anything from autonomous cars collecting data from vehicle sensors to factories using robots on the factory floor or even smart cities collecting traffic data in real-time. Its versatility is that edge computing allows companies to connect devices without an internet connection.
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