What is edge computing?

Edge computing is computational processing at the edge of the network, at or near the source of the data, instead of processing within a centralized infrastructure. By processing closer to the end user, communication can be done faster and latency can be reduced.

The benefits of edge computing include flexibility, scalability and on-demand delivery of applications and data. Demand for edge computing is being driven by the exponential growth of data and customer’s expectations for faster and more personalized experiences.

How Does Edge Computing Work?

Edge computing is reshaping the way businesses handle data processing and analysis. By bringing computation closer to the source of data, it offers faster response times, reduced bandwidth consumption, and enhanced security. But how exactly does it function in practice? Let's break down the key stages of edge computing to understand its workflow:

• Data Generation: This comprises the edge devices like sensors and IoT tools that are part of your operations. They continuously generate data and collect insights from manufacturing equipment, warehouse systems, transportation fleets, etc.

• Local Processing: The data from edge devices is then processed locally by edge servers or gateways close to where it originates.

• Data Transmission: After local analysis, only the most critical insights are transmitted to your central servers, reducing bandwidth usage.

• Real-Time Analysis: Edge computing allows immediate response by performing preliminary examination at the edge. You receive alerts and can take quick action while issues are still minor hiccups.

Edge vs. Cloud vs. Fog Computing

When considering computing options for your business, three different, but closely related, options are available: edge, cloud, and fog. Let's explore how each works to help you determine the best solution for optimizing your business:

• Edge Computing: Processes data at the network's edge, near where it is generated within your business operations. Edge computing is the best option if you need low latency and real-time processing to keep your work flowing smoothly.

• Cloud Computing: Stores and manages data in large, remote data centers. It excels at large-scale storage and complex computations, but has higher latency. Cloud computing is better for non-real-time analytics and tasks unrelated to specific locations

• Fog Computing: Extends cloud capabilities with intermediary processing layers between the cloud and edge devices. Fog computing excels at balancing latency and processing power by handling some computations locally and others in the cloud. 

What Are the Top 6 Benefits of Edge Computing?

As consumers come to expect increasingly personalized and immersive experiences, applications require more data processing and logic in real time. Edge computing helps mitigate these obstacles by decentralizing the data processing. At its core, edge computing is the processing and synthesis of data closer to end users, where the data is created and compiled, rather than in the central cloud.

This distributed approach enables developers to execute complex logic at the edge for faster and more personalized user experiences. Edge computing also supports increasingly common API-heavy workflows by acting as a central tool to fetch data from multiple backends and services and stitching them together into one cohesive experience. The edge computing approach mitigates many of the challenges of cloud computing.

Benefits of edge computing include:

• Speed: Processing data closer to the source results in faster performance and response times with virtually no latency, which is necessary to enable real-time decision making.

• Cost: Offloading workloads from the origin and reducing roundtrips and ingress/egress costs helps reduce public cloud spend, which continues to grow with data exponentially.

• Privacy and security: Identifying and authenticating traffic well before it gets to your network ensures privacy of PII and sensitive corporate and customer data.

• Resilience: Edge computing has the ability to process some data even if the connection to the core goes down, so sites and apps can continue to deliver a seamless customer experience and generate revenue.

What Are the Use Cases Of Edge Computing?

Let’s explore the diverse use cases of edge computing across different sectors, to understand how this technology is transforming business operations and user experiences. From transportation and manufacturing to healthcare and smart cities, edge computing is driving innovation in the following areas:

• Transportation: Edge computing enables vehicle and infrastructure communication for real-time fleet monitoring, helping orchestrate logistics.

• Manufacturing: It allows real-time equipment insights and automation on the factory floor, ensuring production runs smoothly for quality outcomes.

• Retail: It provides personalized shopping and inventory visibility, improving customers' experiences both in-store and online.

• A/B Testing: Moving tests to the edge allows faster adjustments from feedback to enhance what you offer.

• Authentication: Edge computing speeds up login processes, securing data and reducing infrastructure costs for secure customer interactions.

• Waiting Rooms: Edge computing can assign waiting room tokens to manage spikes in traffic and improve service for customers visiting your sites.

• Content Stitching: Personalizes video streaming experiences by stitching content at the edge for faster load times and lower costs. For example, by combining local ads targeted at the end-user with their requested streaming content.

• Healthcare: Edge devices and sensors enable real-time patient monitoring and diagnostics, ensuring health care staff have all the most current data and insights needed to provide the best treatment.

• Smart Cities: Edge computing enables real-time and responsive services such as infrastructure monitoring, traffic management, and public safety systems.

• Industrial IoT: The enhanced efficiency from real-time equipment insights allows for predictive maintenance, and continuously improving operations.

• Farming: Edge computing allows farmers to optimize practices thanks to real-time feedback and analysis by IoT sensors on agricultural equipment, helping increase yields.

• Gaming: Keeping data processing close to the end-user reduces latency to provide the smooth, real-time play experience prized by gamers.

• Telecommunications: Edge computing supports network optimization  thanks to localized processing that minimizes latency.

Learn more about how Fastly helps the world's top brands deliver the fastest online experiences, while improving performance and enhancing security.

10 Steps to Implementing Edge Computing in Your Business

Despite its numerous advantages over traditional centralized models, implementing edge computing in your business requires careful planning and execution. Here are some essential steps to guide you through the process of successfully integrating edge computing into your organization's infrastructure and maximize its benefits for your business.

Clearly Define Objectives 

Make a list of the goals you wish to achieve by investing in edge resources. Gather stakeholder input to ensure the project focuses on the targets that truly matter to your business, employees, and customers. 

Form a Skilled Team

Assemble a cross-functional group representing IT, network support, and operational teams. Harness their combined expertise to guide the configuration of edge infrastructure and devices. Review examples of successful edge computing deployments to inspire planning for your needs.

Employ Cloud Synergies

While edge handling of real-time data processing takes the pressure off central resources, cloud services offer scalable storage of historical information. Get your team to brainstorm how workload and data flow between these two infrastructure types could optimize performance for your specific operations.

Analyze Data Needs

Take inventory of the sources generating your data and analyze their volumes, classifications, and typical flow patterns. This insight will help you determine where to position edge devices and resources. For example, high-volume IoT sensor data might best be processed locally, while structured records requiring long-term retention could flow to the cloud.

Choose Reliable Partners

Research vendors that provide proven edge solutions and arrange demonstrations to learn how their technologies function and integrate into environments like yours. When selecting partners, prioritize those that can ensure smooth setup and reliable ongoing assistance so you can focus on your core business. 

Prioritize Security Measures

Implement strong authentication, access controls, and encryption on all edge systems from the get-go. For sensitive data, consider additional measures like anonymization before transmission. 

Embrace Zero Trust Security

Start by separating your network into small zones, with strong authentication between each. Provide multifactor verification for all access, whether remote or on-premises. Make security teams co-owners of all edge devices to empower them to quickly patch vulnerabilities or respond to threats. 

Design Flexible Architecture

Develop a versatile edge architecture that accommodates various use cases and scales efficiently. Also, test various configurations to understand which are optimal for different use cases. 

Use Modern Development Tools

New cloud-native methods allow agile responses and maintain dependability as you expand and new opportunities emerge. So, ask your IT team to split large programs into microservices, each with a singular focus. They should also containerize services, so any program can run anywhere without dependencies.

Establish SLAs and Compliance

Define performance expectations and compliance standards upfront. This ensures your edge services are reliable and well-regulated. It also helps build trust with customers and partners.

Trust Fastly for Your Edge Computing Needs 

Edge computing solutions empower you to stay competitive and deliver exceptional user experiences by bringing data processing closer to the source and reducing latency. When it comes to edge computing, Fastly stands out as a leading edge platform provider, offering a broad suite of services designed to meet the diverse needs of modern enterprises. 

Fastly’s solution includes a global network with resources close to your end users to ensure low-latency performance for time-sensitive applications. Fastly offers the following features:

• Real-Time Control: Fastly offers real-time visibility, so your team can quickly update configurations per changing needs.

• Global Scalability: Scalable infrastructure efficiently accommodates peaking demands from all locations served by your business.

• Enhanced Security: Robust security features like access controls and encryption protect sensitive data throughout Fastly's edge network.

• Low Latency: You gain real-time responsiveness thanks to Fastly's edge worldwide presence, you can always be near your customers and employees.

• Easy Integration: Fastly's solutions integrate seamlessly into your existing technical workflows for streamlined simplicity.

• Comprehensive Support: Extensive onboarding, training, and 24/7 assistance enable smooth deployment and management of edge assets.

Learn more about Fastly's edge computing solutions by starting a free trial today.