Edge computing-driven transformation of data, management, and applications

Big name companies are investing in edge computing developments. Bruce Davie, VMware’s VP and CTO, Asia Pacific and Japan, ranked Edge Computing along with the rise of mobile devices, cloud and AI in his list of “four super powers of technology”.According to Fujitsu CTO, Joseph Reger, “It is very obvious that you need to bring intelligence closer to [IoT] devices, and for that you must have a kind of distributed intelligence and that is going to reload the opportunities for digital transformation.Edge computing is a hot topic, and still on the ascendant. It is a vital part of the 5G project, but what exactly does it mean? Ask industry analysts and you might get a range of answers as Gerry Christensen, Founder and CEO of Mind Commerce found out.I had a conversation recently with another analyst. I think we were about 15 minutes into the discussion before I realised that she was thinking edge compute as in a smartphone or maybe a wearable or may be some kind of customer prem device, and I was thinking, an extension of core cloud computing.We will go with Christensen on that one. As an extension of core cloud computing, Edge computing becomes more fundamental and significant. It is about the distinction between data being processed centrally to provide information, and data being processed at the periphery to trigger action as in automated systems and IoT.For Sreelakshmi Sarva, Head of Product Strategy at NetFoundry, it’s just a form of cloud computing: “where, instead of hosting the workload in a specific CSP’s infrastructure, you’re hosting it closer to the users… mainly because of applications which require real-time data processing or low-latency type requirements.