6 minute read
GETTING AN EDGE
from AN OPEN APPROACH
by cxoinsightme
EDGE COMPUTING, WHICH ACCELERATES THE DECENTRALISATION OF IT ENVIRONMENTS, IS QUICKLY EXPANDING ACROSS INDUSTRIES, DRIVEN BY NEW USE CASES.
Edge computing can help organisations optimise the quality of service (QoS), which is the primary business value that every organisation looks for. According to the latest IDC MEA
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Datacentre and Infrastructure survey, which was concluded in Jan 2022, almost 30% of CIOs stated that they have adopted edge computing for their current projects. This was merely 6% almost a year before (in IDC MEA
Jan 2021 survey) and almost 68% of organisations had no plans.
“Adoption of edge computing across the META region is in its infancy, but fast-growing phenomenon as organisations are steadily investing in this technology. To lower transmission costs, minimise latencies, and make more efficient use of apps, organisations have started to leverage edge computing and are hosting their services closer to the data sources at edge locations,” says Manish Ranjan, Senior Program Manager for Software and Cloud at IDC Middle East, Turkey and Africa.
He says use cases in the region are still evolving. Businesses generating an abundance of data and running analytics and AI are challenged with scalability. In addition, assets with limited connectivity require the ability to process data and act even in a disconnected state. To address such challenges, organisations are leveraging the benefits that edge computing offers. Most organisations either use or plan to use edge computing for production asset management, predictive maintenance, security and surveillance, smart buildings, and fleet management.
Gartner estimates that by 2025, 75% of enterprise-generated data will be processed at the edge.
The edge generally consists of harsh, unreliable, and unstable environments, but there is still a demand to make mission-critical and time-sensitive decisions at the edge. This requires new approaches and a new level of computing and innovation.
“Companies of all sizes require powerful infrastructure solutions to help generate faster insights that inform competitive business strategies,
Manish Ranjan
directly at edge sites,” says Alaa Bawab, General Manager, Lenovo Infrastructure Solutions Group, Middle East and Africa. “As Lenovo we are developing purpose-built edge infrastructure solutions that bring the compute power that is typically found in data center environments to the edge. Edge solutions need to combine versatility, ease of deployment and management, and secure connectivity to account for their edge-of-network location.”
Sakkeer Hussain, Director of Sales and Marketing at D-Link Middle East and Africa, says edge computing can play an important role to create enhanced methods for boosting operations, increasing business efficiencies, monitoring safety, increasing performance, automating processes etc. It brings processing capabilities closer to where it is required. Before deploying edge computing, the key parameters that businesses should consider include deciding the level of intelligence that should be integrated into the IoT devices and how these devices will be classified together. It is important to have a clear plan for desired objectives and outcomes.
“It is also key to ensure advanced analytics and reporting are integrated into the IoT devices to gain better accuracy for automation. The approach for edge computing can range from onprem, hosted on-prem to managed by ISPs or cloud providers,” he says.
New use cases
The demand for edge is generating new use cases, businesses models, and innovative solutions, as edge computing is helping enterprises to address a variety of existing challenges, from costs to latency, across a wide range of IoT applications.
Alaa Bawab Sakkeer Hussain
Ahmed Eid, Director of Presales, MERAT, Dell Technologies, says by providing better performance and near real-time experience, edge computing is proving to be valuable for analytics and machine learning, allowing it to have transformative potential for many industries and areas.
“Smart cities are generating many new use-cases for edge, from faster autonomous vehicle support to smart households and traffic management. There are also various new and continuously developing use-cases in different industries. For example, remote monitoring and predictive maintenance in manufacturing are gaining pace. Facial recognition for personalised advertising, and AIpowered surveillance for security are also advancing in the retail industry. For healthcare, remote surgeries, patient monitoring, and telemedicine are being facilitated more seamlessly,” he adds.
Edge computing is also rapidly gaining currency in many fields including manufacturing, healthcare, retail and utilities.
“Chain retailers increasingly use data to offer new services, improve in-store experiences, and keep operations running smoothly. But most stores aren’t equipped with large amounts of computing power. And for pharmacies that keep patient records, data security is a paramount concern. Edge for retail could mean anything from a store
Ahmed Eid
manager who uses AI tools for staff scheduling, a pharmacist with a tablet who can visit patients in their homes, or restaurant workers prepping mobile orders ahead of the lunch rush,” says Adrian Pickering, Regional GM of Red Hat MENA.
Prem Rodrigues, Director for the Middle East, Africa & India/SAARC at Siemon, says many new consumer and industrial technologies will benefit from edge computing and edge data centres, including fifth-generation (5G) networks, Internet of things (IoT) and Industrial Internet of things (IIoT) devices, autonomous vehicles, virtual and augmented reality, artificial intelligence and machine learning, data analytics, and video streaming and surveillance.
“5G mobile networks will offer very high bandwidth (up to 20 Gbps) and low latency (less than one millisecond). Edge data centers will need to be installed at the bases of 5G towers to improve localised service to mobile customers,” he says.
The security challenges
Though edge computing offers many benefits to businesses, it also comes with increased cybersecurity risks.
“With ransomware, data breaches, and cybersecurity attacks on the rise, almost no technology is free from risk, and thus cybersecurity measures must be put in place for edge. Taking the case
Adrian Pickering
of edge computing, every edge device can be seen as a point of entry. This calls for the need to build in protection for data at the edge, with a plan that includes maintaining business and service continuity despite one or more edge sites being compromised,” says Eid from Dell Technologies.
Pickering from Red Hat says to overcome this challenge, organisations need to have controls and policies in place to ensure systems are maintaining a proper security posture, even when deploying applications in remote locations. According to Gartner, internet-connected devices on enterprise networks can be hacked in as little as three minutes, and breaches may take six months or more to discover. “Companies will need the ability to set policy that ensures that software is updated properly and that data security measures are put in place to prevent vulnerabilities.”
Common pitfalls to avoid
While edge environments will not differ too much from traditional centralised data centres in terms of essential infrastructure components, the edge facility will come with its own set of unique challenges.
Rodrigues from Siemon says the careful choice of IT infrastructure remains critical, with high-density cabling options, pre-assembled cabinets and infrastructure management tools key to ensuring reliable operation in support of growing and more demanding networks.
“There are some unique challenges that are posed by the deployment environment of edge solutions, ranging from harsh operating conditions and limited power availability in remote outdoor locations, to ‘indoor’ challenges like limited space or the need for quiet operations,” Bawab from Lenovo sums up.
