As the world’s thirst for data transmission continues to skyrocket — urged on by greater adoption of 5G, big data, and, most recently, artificial intelligence — edge cloud solutions are growing by leaps and bounds. Why? Cloud infrastructure located at the network’s edge brings computing resources physically closer to the end user, resulting in lower latency, reduced transmission costs, and fewer traffic delays.
What is Edge Cloud?
Edge Cloud is a fully managed infrastructure as a service (IaaS) solution for organizations that require data proximity and enhanced control. Maintain greater physical control over your data with on-premise deployment to gain access to the cloud while maintaining compliance with security or data sovereignty regulations. With data processes closer to the source, latency is reduced enabling superior application performance.
What’s Driving Edge Cloud Solutions?
Data is the cornerstone of modern business operations, offering crucial insights and empowering real-time management of essential processes. Businesses are immersed in a growing tsunami of data as the number, type, and uses for data grows.
Rather than transmitting data to a central data center for processing and analysis, edge cloud solutions move storage and computing resources closer to where the data is generated. This gives businesses faster data processing speed with quicker access to key analysis since the data doesn’t need to travel as far. In short, edge cloud solutions enable enterprises to analyze and act on data more quickly, reducing the need to transmit large volumes of data to centralized data centers in distant locations.
In addition, edge cloud solutions can enhance security by limiting the distance sensitive information must travel, thereby minimizing threat exposure. Increasing data security is a major concern for businesses globally, given the growing incidence of cybercrime. This security concern was reflected in a recent LinkedIn follower survey, conducted by LightEdge, in which 58% of respondents said heightened security was top of mind when asked about edge cloud.
Industries Eager to Go to the Edge
Many industries have found edge cloud solutions attractive, particularly for businesses in verticals that demand fast data processing. Retail, financial services, manufacturing, and healthcare are among the industries increasingly turning to edge cloud infrastructure. Other industries showing significant interest in edge cloud include energy & utilities, telecommunications, and government & defense.
Deployment of Edge Cloud Solutions — Not a One-Size-Fits-All
Edge cloud infrastructure can vary dramatically in scope and scale, ranging from several servers and some storage in a protected enclosure atop a utility to a vast array of sensors feeding real-time information to retail store operators. In fleet management, for example, it might be rugged edge computers deployed in fleet vehicles, allowing organizations to collect a variety of rich information, such as mileage per gallon, vehicle speed, on/off status of a vehicle, engine speed, etc., while in manufacturing, on-site edge computing can alert operators to potential production problems or safety issues.
While no two edge deployments are exactly alike, most share similar key characteristics, including:
- Location – Edge cloud infrastructure will generally be placed near whichever end devices they are networked to.
- Size – Edge cloud solutions will have a much smaller footprint while having some of the same components as a traditional data center.
- Data – Edge cloud infrastructure typically processes mission-critical data that requires low latency.
Beyond these key characteristics, the set-up for edge cloud solutions can vary widely, making strategy and planning critical to edge cloud deployment success.
Edge Cloud Solution by LightEdge
Engineered, delivered, and maintained by LightEdge, our Edge Cloud solution allows for on-premise deployment, enabling access to cloud capabilities while ensuring compliance with strict security and data sovereignty regulations. By processing data closer to the source, LightEdge Edge Cloud minimizes latency, resulting in superior application performance and an optimal user experience.
Explore Edge Cloud solutions more confidently with LightEdge. Learn more about our solution here.
