EDGE COMPUTING

WHAT IS EDGE COMPUTING?

 

In the beginning, Edge Computing there was One Big Computer. Next, we had personal computers, which was the first time regular people really owned the hardware that did the work. Edge Computing

Right now, in 2018, we’re firmly in the Edge Computing cloud computing era.

Amazon, the largest by far of these “public cloud” providers (as opposed to the “private clouds” that companies like Apple, Facebook, and Dropbox host themselves) had 47 percent of the market in 2017.

The advent of edge computing as a buzzword you should perhaps pay attention to is the realization by these companies that there isn’t much growth left in the cloud space. Almost everything that can be centralized has been centralized. Most of the new opportunities for the “cloud” lie at the “edge.”

So, what is the edge?

The word edge in this context means literal geographic distribution. . It doesn’t mean the cloud will disappear. It means the cloud is coming to you.

LATENCY

One great driver for edge computing is the speed of light. Multiplayer video games implement numerous elaborate techniques to mitigate true and perceived delay between you shooting at someone and you knowing, for certain, that you missed.

 

Voice assistants typically need to resolve your requests in the cloud, and the roundtrip time can be very noticeable.

The more processing Amazon can do on your local Echo device, the less your Echo has to rely on the cloud.

PRIVACY AND SECURITY

Simply by doing encryption and storing biometric information on the device, Apple offloads a ton of security concerns from the centralized cloud to its diasporic users’ devices.

You didn’t have to cobble together the hardware, software, and security best practices to keep your iPhone secure. You just paid $999 at the cellphone store and trained it to recognize your face.

The management aspect of edge computing is hugely important for security. Think of how much pain and suffering consumers have experienced with poorly managed Internet of Things devices.

If you doubt me, just look at the success Google, Microsoft, and Mozilla have had in moving browsers to an “evergreen” model.

Think about it: you could probably tell me which version of Windows you’re running. Edge computing will be more like Chrome, less like Windows.

BANDWIDTH

Security isn’t the only way that  will help solve the problems IoT introduced. The other hot example I see mentioned a lot by edge proponents is the bandwidth savings enabled by .

If you buy a dozen security cameras, you have a bandwidth problem.

WHAT ARE WE GIVING UP?

I have some fears about edge computing that are hard to articulate, and possibly unfounded, so I won’t dive into them completely.But the big picture is that the companies who do it the best will control even more of your life experiences than they do right now.

When the devices in your home and garage are managed by Google Amazon Microsoft Apple, you don’t have to worry about security. You’ll just take what you’re given and use it the best you can.

it’s up to the big companies to decide how much control they want to gain over their users’ lives. Yes, it’s kind of a relief to take your hands off the steering wheel and let Larry Page guide you.