What is edge computing?

Edge computing is a networking model that uses servers situated close to the company’s own premises – on the “edge” of the corporate network – rather than relying on centralised cloud data centres that might be located in another city or even another country.

Below is a list of the most commonly asked questions related to edge computing. Feel free to use the jump links to navigate to each section.

Table of contents

• What are the key features of edge computing?
• What problems does edge computing solve?
• What scenarios are ideal for edge computing?
• Is edge computing faster than cloud computing?
• Is edge computing cheaper than cloud computing?
• What are the limitations of edge computing?
• What’s the difference between edge computing and fog computing?
• How is edge computing connected to 5G?
• Will edge computing replace cloud computing?
• Is edge computing secure?
• Is edge computing a good career focus?
• What is the future of edge computing?

What are the key features of edge computing?

The defining factor in edge computing is geography. Edge servers can run the same workloads as regular cloud servers, and may even use identical hardware. However, because the edge computing centre has a closer, more direct connection to the company network, it can offer very fast data processing with minimal latency. An upstream link to a conventional cloud back-end means that significant data can still be forwarded to a central site.

What problems does edge computing solve?

Companies are collecting and processing more and more data. Sending all of this information to a remote data centre is slow and resource-intensive. Edge computing is a quicker, more efficient way to gain the benefits of hosted apps and services, making it practical to process live data or sensor feedback in real-time and obtain a near-instant response to events and trends.

Edge computing also combines cloud-type processing with an assurance that data isn’t being transferred to a different country – an important consideration for data protection and regulatory compliance.

What scenarios are ideal for edge computing?

Edge computing can benefit areas as diverse as financial services, manufacturing, retail, security services and healthcare. It can also help in any situation where a company needs fast access to networked information, by storing that data close to the location where it’s needed.

Other roles for edge computing may arise where the link to the main cloud hub is not reliably available, such as industrial deployments in remote areas of the land or sea – or even in smart vehicles that access edge systems via mobile networking.

Is edge computing faster than cloud computing?

Edge computing servers aren’t necessarily any faster than the servers used in cloud computing. In fact, a local edge computing facility will probably have less horsepower on hand than a major cloud hub. However, because information can be transferred at high speed between the business and the edge server, data-intensive tasks can be completed more quickly.

Is edge computing cheaper than cloud computing?

That depends on how it’s implemented. Several cloud providers operate edge-computing hubs in major cities around the world; for a business located near one of these centres, edge computing can be cheaper than regular cloud computing, as there is less need to transmit and store data at the central cloud location.

Companies may alternatively choose to deploy their own edge systems by leasing capacity from a local network provider or installing their own hardware at a colocation facility. In this case, the up-front expense and ongoing computing costs can be considerable – but the investment may still pay for itself through benefits to the business.

What are the limitations of edge computing?

By definition, edge computing needs to be physically close to the corporate network. That may not be possible for companies in sparsely populated locations.

Local edge-computing sites are also usually smaller than central data centres, so there may not be as much processing or storage capacity available to deal with sudden spikes in demand. If a company is running its own offsite edge servers, it may have limited physical access to the hardware – which means it needs to plan ahead for maintenance, upgrades and fault management.

What’s the difference between edge computing and fog computing?

The term “fog computing” is sometimes used to refer to a network architecture with multiple edge sites. This is typically seen in distributed networks where it’s impossible for a single edge computing centre to be geographically close to all devices or gateways. A fog model may also include intermediary computing resources situated between the edge systems and the central cloud hub.

How is edge computing connected to 5G?

5G mobile networks aren’t as fast as a fixed-line connection, so 5G isn’t normally the first choice for connecting to an edge-computing facility – but it may make sense if network clients are spread across a wide area.

Consumer 5G networks also use edge architectures to cache internet data near subscribers. This enables them to deliver high-bandwidth, low-latency services to 5G users, which would otherwise be inefficient or impossible.

Related reading: What is 5G?

Will edge computing replace cloud computing?

Edge computing may be perfectly sufficient for many companies’ needs. However, the larger scale of a cloud data centre is better suited to demanding tasks such as bulk data storage or high-performance hosted computing. Most companies that benefit from edge computing will use them alongside, rather than in place of, cloud services.

Is edge computing secure?

A third-party edge computing service should have strong security against external threats. However, if you’re using edge computing to process data from a fleet of IoT devices, it’s your responsibility to make certain that those devices are themselves secure.

If you’re operating your own edge-computing setup then security becomes even more important. Because the edge systems sit between the corporate network and the cloud, any compromise could lead to a catastrophic exposure of sensitive data, and potentially allow unauthorised access.

Is edge computing a good career focus?

Edge computing doesn’t need to be a sole career focus. The technologies involved overlap considerably with general network architecture, cloud computing, IoT and app development; if you have experience in any of these fields, there are numerous courses you can take to extend your skills into edge computing. Several universities and major technology providers offer academic and professional qualifications in edge computing-related fields.

Online learning platforms eDX and Udemy both offer courses:

• edX: LinuxFoundationX: Business Considerations for Edge Computing
• Udemy: Introduction to Edge Computing

What is the future of edge computing?

The major change we’re likely to see in the coming decade is the growth of AI in edge computing applications. Machine-learning techniques are already widely used in Big Data analysis; as the technology advances and edge resources become more powerful, it will be increasingly viable to apply AI at the edge of the network, to gain deeper and more wide-ranging insights with lightning-fast response times.

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