Did you know that the world’s leading manufacturing facilities lose an average of 27 hours a month due to machine failures, and $532,000 for each hour of unplanned downtime?
Senseye Ltd., the leading AI-powered machine health management company, confirmed this in their recent report — The True Cost of Downtime 2022.
Monitoring machine health (and detecting abnormal events) in real time is essential! Thanks to edge computing, this is possible even with low latency. According to PWC, predictive maintenance, one of the many use cases of edge computing, extends the lifetime of aging assets by 20%.
Let’s put a glance around us to acknowledge the leading technologies that have challenged the status quo and helped deliver improved customer experiences by enabling edge computing.
(1) 5G in combination with edge computing
The latest generation of mobile communications technology, 5G, brings promises of unprecedented speed, better reliability, and enhanced security than previous generations.
5G in combination with edge computing can help forward-looking companies unlock the potential of untapped data created by the ever-growing connected devices. This in turn can help them embrace new business opportunities, deliver improved customer experiences and increase operational efficiency.
As edge computing allows for faster response times and improved reliability, it drives the need for cloud computing. By making it easier to process data at the edge, 5G will enable more efficient cloud computing. This will enable businesses to access the data they need faster, reduce latency, and improve customer experience.
As 5G continues to roll out and edge computing becomes more widely adopted, cloud computing will likely become even more powerful and efficient.
(2) Connected things – living on the edge
The emergence of the IoT has significantly transformed the way we interact with the world around us. The advancement of IoT has enabled edge computing, which provides a new way to process data closer to where it is being produced.
This type of computation enhances the speed and accuracy of the data analysis process by allowing for faster decision-making.
Edge computing also improves security by reducing the amount of data that needs to be sent to the cloud for processing. Additionally, edge computing can help reduce latency by processing data locally, rather than sending it to a remote server.
This is especially useful in applications such as autonomous vehicles, where real-time decisions need to be made quickly. As IoT continues to evolve, edge computing will become an even more important part of the technology landscape.
(3) Containers – deploy across the edge
Edge computing is driven by the need to process data quickly and efficiently. In this context, containers are playing an increasingly important role. These software packages contain everything needed to run an application, including code, libraries, system tools, and configuration files.
By using containers to deploy applications in edge computing environments, organizations can quickly deploy, update, and scale their applications without the need for extensive hardware investments.
Furthermore, containers can be used to securely isolate applications from each other, which helps to protect sensitive data. In addition, containers are portable and can quickly be moved to different edge computing locations, making them ideal for applications that need to be deployed across multiple locations.
Ultimately, containers are helping to drive the growth of edge computing by providing organizations with a cost-effective and secure way to deploy applications at the edge.
(4) Software-defined networking – driving edge
Software-defined networking (SDN) is playing an increasingly important role in edge computing by allowing for a more flexible approach to network management and control. It allows for greater scalability and the ability to quickly adapt to changing network demands.
In the edge computing context, this is especially important, as it allows for the efficient and secure transmission of data between devices located at a network’s edge.
SDN also makes it easier to manage and deploy distributed computing resources across a wide variety of devices and locations, making it easier and faster to respond to changes in the environment.
With this, SDN is helping to drive the growth of edge computing and enable companies to take advantage of the opportunities offered by this new form of computing.
(5) Digital twins organize cloud to edge
Digital twins, the digital replicas of physical objects, processes, or systems, are created through the use of sensors, 3D models, and data analysis to simulate and monitor their real-world counterparts.
As digital twin technology becomes more sophisticated, it is becoming increasingly important in driving the next wave of edge computing. The latter moves data processing and analysis closer to its source, allowing for faster and more efficient operations.
Digital twins can be used to monitor and analyze data from sensors on the edge of the network, making it easier to identify problems before they become more serious. They can also be used to optimize operations and make decisions in real-time.
This makes them an invaluable tool for industrial and enterprise applications that rely on edge computing. As digital twins become more widespread and powerful, they will continue to drive the next wave of edge computing.
(6) Service mesh and edge
A service mesh enables edge computing by allowing dynamic connections between services. Thus, providing a secure and reliable way for microservices to communicate with each other, making it easier to manage distributed applications.
With edge computing, services are distributed and deployed closer to the end user, which can lead to faster response times and improved performance. By using a service mesh, organizations can better manage and control the communication between services, ensuring that data is securely delivered and processed in the most efficient way possible.
Additionally, service mesh technology can be used to quickly deploy new services and applications, allowing organizations to take advantage of new technologies with minimal effort. Overall, service mesh technology is an important part of the edge computing ecosystem and can help organizations maximize the potential of their distributed applications.
By leveraging service mesh and edge computing, you can develop more powerful and efficient cloud applications and take full advantage of the scalability and flexibility of cloud computing for your business.
Finally, to get an edge…
In conclusion, many of the latest technological advancements are pushing cloud computing to the edge. 5G networks provide faster, more reliable internet access and allow for data to be transferred quickly and efficiently.
The internet of things (IoT) enables a wide range of devices to collect and exchange data in real-time. Containers help companies deploy applications in a scalable and cost-effective way. Digital twins create virtual replicas of physical objects to achieve greater efficiency.
Service meshes allow companies to manage microservices more efficiently. And software-defined networks (SDN) are allowing organizations to have greater control over their network infrastructure.
These technologies are helping bring cloud computing closer to the edge, allowing businesses to create innovative solutions and increase their competitive advantage.
As you enter 2023, you should design your IT landscape such that the edge meets the cloud. It’s no longer edge vs. cloud, rather it’s edge and cloud working as allies to help you get future-ready and unlock new possibilities.
To reap the benefits of the synergy between Cloud Computing and Edge computing, get in touch with our cloud computing experts, today!
