Much of today’s technology relies heavily on the internet in communicating data across networks. Many are working to find ways to achieve faster communication and computational speed.
You might be familiar with terms such as the cloud and IoT—the Internet of Things. The former refers to the servers that are accessed via the internet on which data is stored. Meanwhile, the latter refers to electronic devices that collect, communicate, and act on the data that they gather from their environments. The processing or analysis of this data may be done locally or transmitted to another device via the network. The quality of experience users get from such devices often depends on the speed at which they transmit and act on the data that they’ve collected.
Sensors are a key part of the IoT, as they communicate with other devices using the internet, constantly sending data to be processed. This is where edge computing comes into play. But what is edge computing? It’s a network approach that processes data closer to the source, reducing latency and improving response times. This is particularly crucial for applications requiring real-time processing, such as medical devices that monitor patient vitals or cloud gaming, where low latency ensures an immersive experience.
Sensors are a part of the IoT, as they communicate with other devices using the internet, constantly sending data to be processed. Nowadays, the data must be sent and processed as fast as possible, especially if the application requires immediate action or live monitoring. You may take medical devices that monitor patient vitals as an example. Another example would be cloud gaming, wherein the game is hosted on a central server while players are from distant places. In this case, low latency is needed for an immersive and responsive experience.
What Is Edge-Computing
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Edge-computing is a networking concept wherein smart devices, gadgets, and web applications are optimized by bringing data processing closer to the source of data. This is where the edge comes from as it means geographic distribution in this context. Therefore, instead of sending data to data centers to be processed, edge processes these locally. Most data would be processed closely or within the user’s device, IoT device, or an edge server. Overall, this would result in quicker insights, better response times, and better bandwidth. Services like Cox Edge and other reputable service providers offer this kind of IT solution for businesses.
Edge-Computing And Cloud-Computing
You may want to avoid mixing cloud computing with edge computing. While both are distributed computing systems, they solve different problems and offer different experiences. On one hand, you gain low latency with edge, but the same can’t be said for the cloud. On the other hand, cloud computing offers a more secure and greater storage capacity. Another difference is cloud computing is centralized, while edge is not.
You don’t have to choose between one or the other when it comes to these two, as they can complement one another. This would allow you to take advantage of the benefits that come with both solutions. For example, if you need more security and higher storage capacity, but wouldn’t mind high latency, then use cloud computing. Meanwhile, if you need low latency, then use edge.
Advantages Of Edge-Computing
Besides speed and better responsiveness, another advantage of edge computing is that it comes with more privacy, as you’re not giving your data to a third party. Another is reduced costs for transmitting data as you will be processing your data locally. Besides this, companies that use edge comply with data regulations easier as they’re in full control of their data.
Disadvantages Of Edge-Computing
However, it’s worth noting that edge can have some drawbacks such as a need for more hardware. This is because to process more data locally, the local systems would have to shoulder the data processing task. But as hardware costs are going down, smart devices are becoming easier to build. Another is that since smart devices don’t have developed security systems as good as cloud systems yet, they are more vulnerable to attacks and compromise.
Conclusion
The technology around you now depends heavily on data to perform tasks and give a good user experience. However, the pieces of data that your devices collect aren’t always processed locally within your devices, especially if said devices are sensors. These sensors may communicate with another device or server via the internet to process this data and deliver the expected results. Often this may be the case when the device collecting the data doesn’t have the power to process the data.
One concept created to decrease the latency between client and server over the internet is edge-computing. Through this, the data is processed locally or more closely to the client to deliver processed data sooner or even decrease the need for communication between client and server altogether. With the guide above, hopefully, you now have a better idea of what edge-computing is.
