Latin America. When the Mars Rover communicates with NASA engineers on Earth, they can't wait for the approximate 13 minutes a signal takes to go from Mars to Earth (and vice versa) for each task. Because of this, NASA needs computing power at the edge to operate the rover in real time. Autonomy and speed of decision-making are critical. That's the essence of edge computing.
With edge computing and the Internet of Things, IoT, devices and computers work together unattended, connecting to cloud data storage and processing capacity when needed. And while the tech industry calls it "the edge," companies simply call it "improving business faster and more competitively," says Bask Iyer, VMware CIO and GM of Edge Computing and IoT for Dell Technologies. "Edge is important, because people are trying to make decisions in real time," he says.
1. Edge Computing and IoT accelerate innovation in real time
Companies are under extreme pressure to modernize and innovate their technology environments. They are expected, if not required, to offer immediacy with their solutions, operations and customers. With edge and IoT solutions, companies can accelerate innovations with real-time troubleshooting and data transfer.
"The main benefit you get with edge technologies is speed or reduced latency in networks. The world is getting faster and faster," says Iyer. People are also looking to do more at the edge for data privacy, regulation or cost issues.
For businesses looking to digitally transform with rapid automation, smarter operations, and short response times, the edge and IoT deliver real-time insights and intelligence.
2. Edge and IoT enable intelligence
Edge and IoT capture data from the physical world instantly. However, as Iyer points out, "This information must be handled intelligently. You can call it artificial intelligence or machine learning, but applying those technologies to interpret all this data at the edge is another use case."
"A real-world example would be something like oil rigs. They are in the middle of nowhere and have to function on their own. There are no data centers nearby. There are no IT people there. It has to work all the time, be resilient, have intelligence, but it also has to be connected to public and private clouds," says Iyer.
The data generated by edge and IoT helps companies improve business agility, be more efficient and deliver better customer experiences. The edge is where computation acts on data in real time. Edge and IoT enable companies to analyze the physical world to be more innovative, successful, and proactive for their customers.
3. Edge and IoT enable flexibility and agility
Edge and IoT solutions can enable companies to remotely manage, monitor and secure thousands of locations and millions of devices. These services enable business continuity with the ability to run applications and analytics at every point in a company's digital journey.
"We used to start with mainframes, and everyone thought everything would be done only on centralized mainframes. Then, everything changed and the mini computers came, then came the PCs, then the centralized clouds. We thought that everything would be done only in the cloud, but we still have to wait for what will come," says Iyer.
The truth is that a lot of computation will be done at the edge, as well as in the private cloud and public cloud.
Edge and IoT unite the worlds of operational technology and IT. Done correctly, it allows for broader management, predictive decision making, and elimination of threats and anomalies.
With consistent infrastructure and operations that integrate the edge and hybrid clouds, enterprises can:
- Be faster
- Have more efficient costs.
- Have and provide greater security.
Edge and IoT give businesses the power to modernize and innovate to address the problems of tomorrow today.
