What is Edge Computing and How it Differs From Cloud Computing

Edge computing is quite a simpler and new paradigm that not only provides location specific storage i.e. keeping the data near

Edge computing is quite a simpler and new paradigm that not only provides location specific storage i.e. keeping the data near to the required location but also does the computing near to location where it is required the most. Since the businesses are growing at a steady speed, the expectation for an instant response time is also rising. Acting as an intermediate layer between the Cloud and devices, Edge computing helps to achieve all this. It collects data from controllers, sensors and other devices connected to a system and then transmits it to a local computing system like a server or a laptop for initial analysis. Being close to the network, the processing and analysis of data starts without any delay unlike other data centers or the cloud.

Edge Computing

It is often compared with cloud computing, many also get confuse between the two. Here we will dive deep into Edge computing, why it is needed, a comparison with cloud computing and more. Read on to know.

The Need of Edge Computing

The need for real-time data analytics is mounting day by day across industries. Edge computing facilitates this requirement of the industries, by providing them a high speed computation and storage near to original data sources like sensors, HAVAC units, smart phones, robots, drones etc. This improves the operational efficiency and provide a better response time by reducing time and costs of transmission. Implementation of edge computing provides you many benefits some key benefits are as follows:

1. It provides you a real-time data accessibility.

2. It provides a better security to your data by reducing the risk of data theft or data loss.

3. A reduction in the time of data transmission enables a faster insight and intelligence.

4. It predicts, detects and prevents disasters pretty fast.

5. Because of a reduction in network traffic and latency the usage of resource is also optimized.

A study has reported that the demand of Edge computing will increase with the increased use of Internet of Things (IoT) devices. It also stated that by the end of year 2022, it is expected that the global edge computing market will reach $6.72 billion.

Edge Computing or Cloud Computing?

Before you make a choice you must know that cloud computing and edge computing are two different things. They cannot replace each other, neither they are interchangeable. Cloud computing is used to process data which is not time-driven, while Edge computing processes time-sensitive data. Edge computing is preferred by organizations in situations where they want to evade the latency occurred while communicating information to the centralized computing system in limited to no connectivity situation.

In other words, edge computing is always a good choice in remote locations, where the need of mini data center or local storage is raised. Edge computing is an answer to these situations.

Why and Where to use Edge Computing?

• Edge computing is used by organizations in need of real-time data and insights to make their operations more intelligent and efficient. Some common use cases of Edge computing include smart lighting, analysis of consumer behavior, and IoT data analysis and monitoring.

• Edge computing is helping industrial sector become more predictive and less reactive. Using the insight data collected from edge sensors industries can make better strategies for operations and maintenance.

• IDC has reported that the market of Multi-access edge computing (MEC), also called as Mobile edge computing, will reach $80 billion by 2021, with the raising need of faster response time and reduced data costs to support connected vehicles, smart cities etc.

• The role of Edge computing will be largely seen in autonomous vehicles, helping them in processing and transferring critical data in real-time.

• Edge computing will help AR-based applications to update virtual environments much quickly based on the user’s action.

Edge Computing and the Future of IT

It has been reported by many that increasing popularity of edge computing is the end of cloud computing. But the two technologies work parallel to each other to make things work better, as edge computing isn’t capable of handling all applications across all environment. In a nutshell, Cloud computing is going nowhere; it will stay and benefit the organizations alongside Edge computing.

The Bottom Line

Edge computing is unquestionably preferred over cloud computing, but they are two different technologies that have their own set of benefits. However, what’s new and better, is appreciated in the IT sector. Moreover, Edge computing is not the only solution, there might be more that you still don’t know. So, the good news is that cloud computing works alongside edge computing, providing the real-time solutions and data analytics to the organizations in need.

There are situations where one technology is proved better than the other; but here we have put more emphasis on Edge computing to help you know the benefits it offers. We will come up with another interesting piece, till than keep smiling and stay updated!

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