The edge is an exciting opportunity for solution providers and technology leaders alike. Leaders like Dell Technologies and Intel are paving the way with technology that addresses each new obstacle as it comes to light. And both come with admirable goals of changing and enriching lives leveraging technology. We are excited by the prospects that come with innovations at the edge and to be delivering it on next-generation solutions. In addition, the Gartner Group suggests 75% of all data will be processed at the edge by 2025, and IDC predicts the Edge computing market will reach $250.6 billion by 2024.
With all-new pursuits, there are a few obstacles to address. Dell Technologies provided their perspective in a blog entitled "Edge Computing: The New Frontier." We saw much value in the content and summarized the points we believed most valuable to our audience in the following. First of which, on the way to the edge's bright future, technology leaders have a few challenges to address, including the large and varied data that is being generated, the challenge of structured vs. unstructured data, the vast variety of business applications being utilized, uncovering the valuable insights in the data, and managing edge-associated costs.
Five Crucial Factors of Successful Edge Computing
In the face of the edge's unique challenges, technology leaders need to take a new approach. First, they must understand that, although cloud computing has legitimate advantages, edge computing brings its own set of strengths. The future is not a question of deciding between either-or but learning how to leverage both. Therefore, astute technology leaders may need to rethink some of their assumptions and consider where the edge brings the most value.
Consistency
It's not that cloud environments will lose their purpose and go away. On the contrary, consistency in the way both environments operate and are managed will be paramount. If data needs to flow smoothly between the cloud and the edge, it will require a consistent architecture underneath on which to operate.
Technology Integration
Other core-driven computing trends like AI and ML are growing in importance. However, a key imperative to these technologies is capturing large volumes of data. That's where edge computing will become crucial because nowhere is it easier to gather fresh, relevant, and plentiful data than at the edge. Therefore, while AI and ML are currently centralized functions, look for their processing to move outward to edge-based platforms.
Security Challenges
The trade-off to decentralizing applications is inevitable security concerns. The edge, by its distributed nature, creates more network exposure to be evaluated and addressed. Therefore, as companies migrate to the edge, they need to rely on partners who can provide solutions with intrinsic security built-in.
Supply Chain Management
Many security threats lurk in the supply chain of hardware solutions. The best integration partners will track every platform build from the component level up to solution delivery. Being diligent in these efforts will minimize risk and protect their customers' brands.
The Edge as a System
What can be both fascinating and challenging about edge computing is that no single technology is driving it all. Instead, the best edge deployments are a system of technologies working in concert. And the use cases across industries are as varied as the industries themselves.
Moving Your Organization Further - Using the Edge
Most leaders are always looking to save time, money, and human capital. The question is, do you have a strategic system integration partner in place to make it happen? To learn more, check out our guide to What to Look for In a Systems Integration Partner.
According to estimates from IDC, the number of edge applications will have grown by 800% by 2024. Suffice to say, processing the data at the edge will become the norm rather than the exception. Finding the best way to tap into the value of the edge for your organization will require expertise only robust partners can provide.
As a valued partner to Dell Technologies, UNICOM Engineering stands ready to build and deploy edge solutions for our OEM customers. For more information on how they can help your organization "find its edge," contact UNICOM Engineering today!