You are likely hearing a new term now, edge computing. Technologists (and the press, let’s be honest) we to throw a word around before it is well-defined, and in that vacuum come a variety of guessed definitions, of varying accuracy.
The
term cloud computing is now as firmly lodged in our technical lexicon
as email and Internet, and the concept has taken firm hold in business as well.
According to my observation “no cloud” policy will be as prevalent in business
as a “no Internet” policy. Which is to say no one who wants to stay in business
will be without one.
Edge
computing is a term you are going to hear more of in the coming years because
it precedes another term you will be hearing a lot, the Internet of Things
(IoT). You see, the formally adopted definition of edge computing is a
form of technology that is necessary to make the IoT work.
And again as
a victim of the same, let me brand edge computing is a “mesh network of micro
data centers that process or store critical data locally and push all received
data to a central data center or cloud storage repository, in a footprint of
less than 100 square feet.” I think I did not lose you.
Meet Edge
Computing, processing data at the edge of the network where it is taken in has a number of
benefits, starting with reducing the latency and makes connected applications
more responsive and robust. Some applications might need immediate response,
such as a sensor for failing equipment or for detecting a break-in.
It also
takes the computation load off the data center if data can be processed and
reacted upon at the point of origin rather than making the round trip to and
from the data center. So it reduces the burden on both the data center and the
network.
You may hear
edge computing referred to by other names than micro data centers. They include
fog computing and cloudlets. Fog computing, or “fogging,” is a term used to
described a decentralized computing infrastructure that extends the cloud to
the edge of the network.
Cloudlets
are mobility-enhanced micro data centers located at the edge of a network and
serve the mobile or smart device portion of the network. They are designed to
handle resource-intensive mobile apps and take the load off both the network
and the central data center and keep computing close to the point of origin.
