Edge Computing: Key Global Trends 2020
Published on : Sunday 30-08-2020
Edge computing is identified as one of the top 10 critical drivers for IT over the next five years. Forrester, too, has cited the benefits of edge computing as an approach to achieve digital transformation.
Here are seven edge computing trends we can look forward to:
• The post-pandemic era will see businesses large and small rushing to digitalize and improve on existing modernization efforts. This will, in tandem with 5G rollouts and the maturation of Wi-Fi 6 and IoT, catalyze Industry 4.0 measures to tap on robotic process automation, AI and machine learning—all parts of the Cloud-Edge continuum of improving productivity, market responsiveness and self-adaptive business agility.
• IDC has predicted that by 2023, more than 50% of new enterprise IT infrastructure deployed will be at the edge rather than corporate data centers, up from less than 10% today; by 2024, the number of apps at the border will increase 800%. Post-COVID-19 economic concerns may push these estimates even higher.
• The economies of scale promised by the cloud are maximized when operated at a hyper-scale. Until recently, edge computing was considered a niche technology by cloud vendors and planners, due to modest expectations and the widely dispersed communications nodes assisting in the delivery of IaaS. However, implementation realities have led hyperscale’s to conclude that both centralized cloud and distributed edge are necessary. The relentless growth of cloud computing is, therefore, going to expand edge computing more affordably and painlessly than previously anticipated.
• As for connectivity, acquisition of massive data sets and computing power grow in speed, security, and affordability, edge computing will empower even small startups and SMBs to take advantage of data science and other technology enablers (previously the province of only the wealthiest conglomerates) to give large organizations a run for their money.
• Gartner stated that “edge computing would become a dominant factor across virtually all industries and use cases,” naming it one of the top 10 strategic technology trends for 2020. 2020. Complex edge devices, including robots, drones, autonomous vehicles, and operational systems, will accelerate this shift, with the foreseeable economic climate being conducive to hyperautomation, and human augmentation.
• By 2022, more than 50% of enterprise-generated data will be created and processed outside the data center or cloud. Organizations that have hitherto been focused squarely on cloud transformation will also find investment opportunities to tap into edge computing. Again, the estimate may need to be adjusted upward, given the current economic forecast up to 2023.
• An increase in attack surface will also necessitate more robust management of cybersecurity. Failure to keep ahead of the curve could result in edge computing being a victim of its success because hackers can harness the power of AI just as well as the rest of us, if not better — because they are not bound by data protection regulations or any laws of decency or conscience.
Overall, companies will be looking to achieve increased momentum quickly by adopting edge computing across industries, substantial and mid-sized companies. These early adopters are demonstrating leadership at the edge and showing other companies that now is the time to get on board or run the risk of potentially getting left behind.
