The Three Key Enterprise Applications of Edge Computing Are Closely Related to Cloud, Industrial Internet of Things, and 5G

From cloud computing, Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), artificial intelligence, big data analysis to 5G networks, edge computing can be said to be the expansion and extension of IT environments and computing technologies that seek common ground in differences. In 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the world, and emerging ecosystems have emerged, edge computing is entering a critical transition phase, becoming a “new” imperative for an enterprise’s overall strategy.

Edge Computing is a distributed network architecture that allows data to be processed and analyzed closer to its source, moving resources such as computing, storage, and network bandwidth as close to users (or endpoints) as possible to alleviate bandwidth constraints and reduce data errors and transmission delays.

According to the latest research by Frost & Sullivan, industrial enterprises are turning to edge computing to save network bandwidth, promote operational security, improve data transmission efficiency and reduce organizational costs. Edge computing is expected to become a "basic technology”, which will be adopted by up to 90% of industrial enterprises in 2022. The Multi-access Edge Computing (MEC) market is expected to reach a compound annual growth rate of 157.4%, with annual revenue increasing from $64.1 million in 2019 to $7.23 billion in 2024.

At present, as the network connects the industrial environment more closely, edge computing will become an important hub, managing enterprise automation equipment and remote capital equipment monitoring, and processing equipment (stranded assets), automated robots, and self-driving cars. and data access and traffic management in smart factories, helping large enterprises and telecom service providers to build Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) to deploy enterprise-specific wireless networks to accelerate Industry 4.0, automated mining, precision agriculture, smart healthcare, The development of emerging technologies such as smart retail.

Frost & Sullivan analysts further pointed out that the combination of the newly launched 5G technology and multi-access edge computing will create more opportunities for telecom service providers to innovate products and expand business opportunities. Cooperate with capable cloud service providers to design solutions for technologies such as AR/VR, robotics, self-driving cars, and drone delivery. Under the public cloud architecture, provide enterprise users with 5G-based end-to-end services, and edge computing is also a consumer an important bridge between consumers and service providers. There are three mainstream applications of edge computing at this stage:

Cloud Computing and Edge Computing Are Inside and Outside of Each Other and Complement Each Other

Cloud computing provides enterprises with computing, storage and network services. In a hybrid cloud architecture, edge computing is the intermediary between devices, clouds or data centers. It is mainly used to access device data and provide instant analysis as a transmission pipeline between the data source and the cloud to reduce round trips. Delays that may occur in data centers and various clouds. Since the edge can process and filter the data that needs to be sent to the cloud, it can also reduce bandwidth costs. The local processing characteristics of edge computing help enterprises gain local data and dominance.

In the future technical environment, edge computing can be regarded as an extension of the cloud architecture. In the hybrid structure, the functions of traditional cloud computing and edge computing can be combined, and both parties can make up for their respective weaknesses. Taking autonomous driving as an example, the reason why humans cannot fully rely on self-driving systems is that the systems must make lightning-fast and 100% accurate decisions. If a child suddenly rushes into the street, there should be no delay before the system sends the command to brake the car.

Among them, cloud computing needs to be connected back to the centralized data center, and it takes more time to process data at the other end. Conversely, the characteristic of edge computing is to process data at the "edge" of the network, saving the time of connecting to a "distant" data center, not only avoiding unnecessary communication and storage costs, but also applying machine learning and AI to identify Business-impacting data patterns that shorten response delays to reduce the risk of car crashes.

For retail, medical and other industries where IoT is relatively mature, edge computing can help reduce latency. Taking the retail industry facing the post-pandemic era as an example, making full use of edge computing in operational processes such as automated checkout, product tracking, sensor tracking and supply chain reporting will improve the consumer experience. In healthcare, edge networks collect data from wearable devices to understand treatment methods, support remote diagnosis, monitor patients, and help maintain patient health.

The General Trend of IT and OT Integration, Edge Computing Has Become A Common Language

Edge computing can be said to be one of the cores of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), and it is also an important key for enterprises to accelerate their journey to Industry 4.0. Taking factory equipment management as an example, using edge computing as a gateway to multiple devices, it must track, monitor and manage all connected fleets of devices to ensure that IoT devices are indeed functioning securely in configuration and deployment, the edge It must provide secure access to docked devices, monitor operational health, detect and remotely troubleshoot, and even manage software, patch updates and hardware maintenance. From device deployment to decommissioning, each device will undergo lifecycle management through edge computing device management services.

In the past, information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT) belonged to two different disciplines with their own management goals. As cloud-based IoT deployments become more and more massive, IIoT devices and connected machines have become network virus intrusion points with the new target of malicious attacks, the need for integrated management of IT and OT is gradually derived, and edge computing has become a common language between the two. individual burdens of the personnel. At this stage, industrial companies including manufacturing, transportation, oil and gas, and smart buildings will rely on edge computing platforms to realize the next generation of automated smart production.

5G + Edge Computing Join Forces to Create A Delay-Free Audio And Video Entertainment Experience

5G networks are transforming the manufacturing, healthcare, retail and automotive industries. The infrastructure running on telecom provider facilities connected via 5G networks has low latency. Telecom providers are moving towards a multi-tenant, managed infrastructure layer that bridges the gap between cloud and end users. Public cloud providers including Amazon, Google, IBM and Microsoft are actively partnering with telcos to instead bring some managed services to 5G-based edge locations.

In recent years, cloud computing has been integrated into almost everyone's life. We place an order for shopping from an app on a smartphone, and receive the item a few hours later at the specified time and address. We use Netflix to watch series and movies on our phones and Spotify to listen to music almost anywhere in the world.

Next, 5G and multi-access edge computing will affect the technological innovation progress of enterprises and consumers in the next few years, especially 5G applications such as games and AR/VR/UHD streaming media for the vast consumer market. What is expected is an audio-visual entertainment experience with richer sound and light effects and no delay.