The impact of Edge Computing on society
What is Cloud Computing?
What is the cloud computing difference anyway? Cloud computing allows you to work off of cloud; a remote server with massive storage space. Cloud is not only used for saving data.
Cloud computing uses the internet to run your software, applications, and network from a remote cloud server offsite.
You can read more about cloud–computing and cloud–storage on our blog page.
In today’s piece, we will be discussing what edge computing is and answering the question, “why does it matter?”
What is Edge Computing?
Stackpath defines edge computing as “Edge computing is a distributed architecture that reduces latency by housing applications, data, and compute resources at locations geographically closer to end users.”
Simply put, edge computing processes data in local devices, rather than in cloud where it would take more bandwidth and time to send back to the device.
The original intent for using it was to reduce bandwidth costs for IoT devices over long distances.
But now with the huge upsurge of internet-connected devices (the IoT), and real-time applications, edge computing is required for local processing and storage competencies needed for these apps.
Examples of Edge Computing Uses:
Some of the practical uses are listed below. The most relatable example is your iPhone’s facial recognition. If the facial recognition algorithm had to run through Cloud, it would take forever for your phone to unlock. That’s why the edge computing device is your iPhone itself!
In the case of surveillance cameras, particularly when the use of several cameras is required simultaneously, running a live feed through Cloud would reduce its quality, as well as increase its latency. With a live feed, latency should be practically zero. Edge computing will run its feed locally, eliminating latency and quality issues.
Many mobile network carriers are already incorporating it into their 5G deployments to better improve their data processing speed instead of going through the Cloud.
- Facial recognition (iPhone)
- Virtual/Augmented reality Apps (Instagram filters)
- Surveillance/Security cameras
- Alexa/Google Assistant
- Industrial automation
Which is better?
It’s not a matter of which is better, but what is the intended use? For massive amounts of data storage or for software and apps that don’t have real-time processing needs, Cloud would be the solution.
It’s also not a question of edge vs hybrid data centers, rather, creating a hybrid environment to house both edge and cloud capabilities effectively to optimize the benefits of each.
Key Benefits of Edge Computing:
Some of the key benefits are listed below:
- Reduced bandwidth costs
- Real–time computing power
- Substantially reduced latency issues
- Accelerated performance experiences
- Operation efficiency
Edge Computing Issues
As with many new technologies, there are security risks that exist. These risks are mainly posed by the use of several edge devices that may not be as secure as the Cloud.
That’s why Demakis Technologies is trusted by many businesses. We safeguard all edge devices by ensuring data is encrypted, and the correct access-control strategies are used to prevent problems. When necessary, we also employ VPN tunneling as an additional security measure.
The Future of Edge Computing
The benefits of edge computing are extremely valuable for the anticipated growth of real-time and augmented reality (AR) applications that require instant processing (that edge does locally).
Whether you are a retailer, warehouse, app creator, or any other business, and you recognize a need for edge computing technology to be ahead of the game, Call us to set up a FREE consultation to discuss your business’s needs. We will tailor the right solutions for your business.
Welcome to the future of the edge computing world. Are you ready?
