WHY THE EDGE MATTERS

WHAT TO CONSIDER WHEN BUILDING A STRATEGY FOR THE EDGE COMPUTING

Edge computing is a distributed computing paradigm the brings processing power closer to data sources. Bringing compute horsepower closer to the edge means low latency and a significant reduction in bandwidth requirements for organisations.

Though relatively new on the scene, edge computing is already being hailed as a transformative foundational technology that can be used in many applications. Frost & Sullivan estimates that 90 percent of industrial enterprises will utilise edge computing by 2022, spawning a wide range of use cases, including robotics, autonomous vehicles, and smart factories.

Why do you need to capture, store and analyse data closer to the sources instead of processing it in a centralised data centre?

Dr. Chris Cooper, General Manager, Lenovo DCG Middle East and Africa, Lenovo DCG, explains why: “Today, more and more of our data is generated outside of the traditional data center and network perimeter - instead, data is coming from the edge of the network – connected devices, remote workers, IoT sensors and more. To be able to use that data in the same way that we can use data in the data centre – applying analytics, automation of decisions, gaining actionable insight etc – we need to move to a distributed model of computing, where more of the computing power and processing is available closer to point of data generation.”

Talal Shaikh, Director of Undergraduate Studies at the School of Mathematical and Computer Sciences, Heriot-Watt University Dubai, says edge computing helps businesses make faster data-driven decisions in response to their consumers’ needs. For instance, edge computing can help detect high traffic areas at the store,

Dr. Christopher Cooper Talal Shaikh Adrian Pickering

and hence, the staff can learn about fast selling products and replenish stock on time – ultimately improving customer experience and profitability.

“With edge computing, accumulated data does not need to go back to the central server for the device to know that a function needs to be executed. That results in operational cost savings and reduced storage requirements,” he says.

According to Adrian Pickering, regional general manager, MENA, Red Hat, implementing edge solutions can help IT teams identify the architectural design changes needed to mirror shifts at the application layer. Breaking data centres down in this way can result in a faster, more consistent user experience, with low-latency, highly available apps for organizations in any industry.

“Greater resiliency, real-time decisionmaking, the ability to conduct on-site data analytics and aggregation, and enhanced sensitive data security are all advantages - and edge computing can also provide benefits in a large variety of use cases, including utilities, transportation, healthcare, energy, retail, and telecommunications. The majority of organisations across all verticals expect cost reductions and savings via edge computing, which can help create the infrastructure to accommodate specific customer demands that traditional IT models cannot address,” he adds.

What are some of the popular use cases of edge computing today?

Azz-Eddine Mansouri, General Manager at Ciena Middle East, says one of the use cases is related to the remote monitoring of assets in the oil and gas industry where edge computing will provide real-time analytics and processing much closer to the asset, without the need to rely on a good connectivity to a centralised cloud. “Furthermore, edge computing is also a core technology to foster the adoption of smart grids and can enable enterprises to better manage their energy consumption, which will also drive the advanced adoption of green energy.”

Edge computing is necessary to address shortcomings in cloud-based applications and services with respect to performance and regulatory requirements, says Antoine El Hakim, Edge Business Development Manager for MEA at Schneider Electric. In short, cloud computing can’t always meet the required demands in terms of response time that critical applications require. Companies that face government regulations regarding where data is stored may also find cloud computing can’t deliver the local storage they need.

“It’s an issue because the trend toward digitization to improve efficiency and business performance is fueling demand for applications that require peak performance, particularly Internet of Things (IoT) applications. IoT applications often require lots of bandwidth, low latency, and reliable performance while meeting regulatory and compliance mandates, making them classic candidates for the edge,” he says.

THOUGH RELATIVELY NEW ON THE SCENE, EDGE COMPUTING IS ALREADY BEING HAILED AS A TRANSFORMATIVE FOUNDATIONAL TECHNOLOGY THAT CAN BE USED IN MANY APPLICATIONS. FROST & SULLIVAN ESTIMATES THAT 90 PERCENT OF INDUSTRIAL ENTERPRISES WILL UTILISE EDGE COMPUTING BY 2022, SPAWNING A WIDE RANGE OF USE CASES, INCLUDING ROBOTICS, AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES, AND SMART FACTORIES.

Azz-Eddine Mansouri

Antoine El Hakim

Christian Bartosch, Partner & Associate Director at Boston Consulting Group, points out edge computing has already seen proposals for a multitude of use cases. The most successful use cases, which have been deployed on near-edge or on-premise edge computing often make heavy use of AIpowered image processing and pattern recognition such as video-based quality management in manufacturing because it is often not economical to provide the latency and bandwidth required for such applications from the core of the network. Other examples also include the use cases of Augmented Reality or Virtual Reality in gaming and guided tours as seen in South Korea, he says.

Early adopters

Edge computing is steadily gaining steam and early adopters include manufacturers, retailers and healthcare providers.

“Edge computing is key in industrial automation as it helps machines carry out near-real-time analysis on the production floor, which in turn creates an opportunity to enhance operational efficiency and profit margins vastly. As with most industries in need of digital transformation, retailers are in need of innovating their customer experiences. In this regard, retail organisations are investing aggressively in edge computing. Examples include digital mirror and smart dressing rooms that provide different clothing options without needing the consumer to try on the items,” says Shaikh from HeriotWatt University.

Cooper from Lenovo DCG says healthcare providers are moving to adopt edge computing. “Healthcare has obviously come to the fore because of the pandemic, where healthcare providers and health authorities need to access patient data, record test data, and process samples, while operating from temporary sites. During the pandemic, we have seen temporary facilities such as field hospitals, COVID testing centers and immunization centers set up in locations like showgrounds, exhibition centers and even car parks. With edge computing, healthcare professionals can access data at these ties, quickly and securely, even though they may be miles from an established healthcare facility.”

Core hurdles

One of the main challenges related to edge computing adoption is the number of physical edge cloud data centers that will have to be built, which is estimated to be three to five times the number of existing centralised data centres. “These centralised and decentralised data centers will have to be interconnected to create a hybrid and multi-cloud environment that must be easily managed and orchestrated. This is because the physical location that hosts the application or virtual RAN function will depend on its specific performance requirements,” says Mansouri from Ciena.

Pickering from Red Hat comments across the region and beyond, edge computing is mainly a problem of highly-distributed scale, which is a key adoption barrier. Irrespective of business or sector, scaling out to many small sites can be more complex than adding the equivalent capacity to a single core data centre, while the increased overhead of physical locations can be particularly difficult for small companies to manage.

“At the same time, edge computing sites are usually remote, with limited or no on-site technical expertise. If something fails on-site, infrastructure that can be fixed easily by non-technical local labor and further managed centrally by a small number of experts located elsewhere is a fundamental requirement. It’s also important to note that site management operations need to be highly reproducible across all edge computing sites to simplify management and enable troubleshooting, while a greater risk of malicious or accidental situations can arise because physical site security is often much lower,” he concludes.