Edge computing is quickly emerging as the next “big thing” in technology. From mobile devices and cell towers to refrigerators and industrial control systems, the data being generated at the edge by these platforms has enormous business value. Less clear right now is how best to unlock it.
In one form or another, edge computing has been around for decades. Industrial control systems, for example, are an early form of edge computing that populated manufacturing floors. Telecommunications has deployed content delivery networks since the 1990s. What’s changing now is the type of applications that need low latency and intense levels of data, which require both the amount of compute power that can be employed at the edge and the raw network bandwidth being made available. As these vectors continue to increase, it becomes more feasible to satisfy the requirements of a much wider array of innovative applications at the edge of the network capable of driving a broad range of innovative business outcomes.
Catalyst for Automation
Edge computing platforms have the potential to automate every business process imaginable using machine and deep learning algorithms deployed at the very edge of the network. According to a report by Forrester[1], the total edge computing market size is expected to grow from US$ 2.8 billion as recorded in the year 2019 to US$ 9.0 billion by the year 2024. Instead of waiting for data to be analyzed by an application residing in the cloud or local data center, algorithms will optimize business processes in real time based on events as they occur.
Everything from connected cars to innovative augmented and virtual reality applications depends on the ability to process and analyze data in real time at the network edge. Field service technicians, for example, will be able to leverage augmented reality applications to visually compare broken equipment to the actual state it should be in.
Harness the Power of Edge Computing to Stay Competitive
Business and IT leaders that fail to recognize the possibilities of edge computing will soon find themselves lagging behind. In some cases, it may be an existing organizations employing edge computing platforms to gain a competitive advantage. When used correctly, edge computing can result in efficiencies, new revenue streams, improved customer experiences, and even risk mitigation.
In India, as many organizations are on the journey to become 100% digital- there will be a need to adopt edge computing to automate business processes, in the near future. In fact, every instance of digital business transformation will soon be driven by edge computing platforms capable of processing data in real time. Gartner estimates that by 2025, 75% of enterprise-generated data will be created and processed outside the traditional, centralized data center or cloud. With many relying on cloud and hyper converged infrastructure to deal with this data explosion, a shift of computing to the edge can be highly anticipated. While the edge evolves and starts making its place in today’s world, we can expect it to become even more disruptive than existing cloud environments.
Although edge computing is not a new concept for many around the word, it is still at a very nascent stage in India and is on the path to break the traditional cloud computing limits. Rather it represents a profound transformation of business processes that will soon eclipse the cloud in terms of strategic importance. To conclude, edge computing will be a game changer for businesses around the world owing to its capability to derive insights from the data in real-time. This will help in increasing business efficiency while cutting costs as it will eliminate the need for ample cloud storage for data.
