To counter current economic pressures such as inflation, scarce talent, and supply constraints, 80% of companies are increasing investments in digital technology, according to a report by Gartner. Driving these initiatives are IT leaders, who – depending on the industry they work in – are increasingly doing so in operational environments like factories, production sites, and even in remote locations. For IT leaders whose companies need to reliably access data, protect and manage applications, and deploy future software-based solutions, especially in these operational environments, edge computing has become the de-facto computing paradigm. According to Espalier.ai research, adoption of edge computing is projected to increase up to 46% through 2026, potentially transforming it into a $13.6 billion market.
Edge computing allows for data to be aggregated, organized, coordinated, and shared across systems and all the way up to the cloud, all while minimizing latency, security, and cost issues that often affect the ability to deploy reliable, repeatable solutions. Solutions are being deployed at the edge to improve customer experience, drive performance, minimize downtime, and create efficiencies safely in locations that are often resource-constrained. This reduces stress on IT teams. Edge computing provides a path for companies to successfully deliver improvements that expand the performance and capability of operations over time. In addition, by leveraging edge computing, hundreds of processes that were previously done manually can now be automated, enabling companies to change workflow processes and employees to work on more strategic initiatives.
Edge computing has three main benefits to IT leadership and their organizations: security, serviceability, and scalability. Read on to learn why.
Security
IT teams are now leaning on edge computing platforms to secure remote operations without compromising their IT standards for secure connectivity and data protection. Edge computing grants IT teams the capacity to protect aging assets with modern tools, without forcing them to upgrade or modernize.
While edge devices, such as sensors, can increase the surface area to be protected, edge computing provides IT teams with an added layer of security and protection, as data is securely managed close to where the data is collected and used: at the edge. By applying a “zero trust security posture” via edge computing, only the necessary amount of access is allowed to each device or node, making it easier than ever to tighten security measures. Features within purpose-built edge computing include secure trusted boot, host-based firewall, role-based access controls with enhanced password management and active directory integration, restricted USB ports, and secure, encrypted communication channels. Best-in-class edge computing comes with out-of-the-box security tools that meet IT cybersecurity and networking standards, extending cybersecurity posture out to the edge.
Serviceability
Edge computing is being deployed by IT teams not only for effectively deploying solutions, but also for managing them. As solutions are deployed, they must also be managed and maintained – ideally remotely or with minimal onsite IT resources. This can be a barrier for companies dealing with legacy systems. However, best-in-class edge computing is inherently serviceable and easy to manage, in addition to being autonomous to some degree.
IT teams can use edge computing platforms as standardized access points for servicing an operation, such as delivering software patches and other services critical to the operation. Additionally, virtualized edge computing platforms allow workloads, applications, and servers to be consolidated, reducing IT’s footprint and the corresponding cost of ownership.
Scalability
Edge computing is being leveraged to scale solutions across all types of IT operations. Gartner estimates that by 2025, 75% of enterprise data will be created and processed outside the data center and cloud and at the edge. As companies strive to remain competitive, they increasingly need to find solutions to solve for the incremental challenges and scale resulting solutions across their business – often with limited resources and time. An easy-to-manage, low-risk compute architecture that bridges from the Edge to the enterprise is needed, typically involving edge computing.
Edge computing creates a reliable way for IT teams to effectively scale solutions to other locations across a plant or the enterprise, delivering the full benefit of digital transformation initiatives. In addition, this prevents major problems down the road that can result from delayed analytics and diagnostics, and it also enables faster decision-making.
IT teams are under high stress to transform operations to more modern environments and platforms to ensure business success and continuity, adding additional pressure to already thinly stretched teams. Understanding and implementing edge computing will help IT teams establish highly reliable environments ideal for running critical processes and applications effectively, safely, and competitively.