THE EDGE
oday’s centralised cloud
computing architectures
mean unprecedented speed,
scale and elasticity are at our
fingertips. In most conceivable instances,
the technology is adaptable, agile and
entirely fit for purpose.
T
It is not, however, optimal for cost-
effective, 5G-enabled Internet of Things
(IoT) use cases that require ultra-low
latency and extreme throughput.
This is where Edge Computing comes in.
Rather than transmitting data to the
cloud or a central data warehouse to
be analysed, processing can take place
at the ‘edge’ of a network, reducing
network latency, increasing bandwidth
and delivering significantly faster
response times.
This is a big deal for service providers
who are now in a unique position to shake
up entire industries (including their own)
and offer new, pioneering and profitable
services via distributed architectures.
revenue streams and reduce network
transport costs.
Consider applications that require
ultra-low latency (self-driving cars) or
high bandwidth (video surveillance).
By leveraging Edge Computing, service
providers can choose to bring these
services to market via Infrastructure-as-
a-Service (IaaS) or Platform-as-a-Service
(PaaS) options – all depending on how
deep they want to be in the value chain.
Services of this nature cannot be offered
via traditional public cloud.
Although we’re still in the early stages
of Edge Computing’s evolution, we
can confidently expect a host of
influential IoT use cases to break into
the mainstream in the coming years.
For example, the development of
Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality
(VR) and mobile gaming applications are
already enthusiastically incorporating
Edge Computing capabilities,
increasingly reaping the benefits of rapid
www.intelligentdatacentres.com
responsiveness in the face of high-
bandwidth usage.
Virtualised content delivery network
(vCDN) solutions are also easy to
monetise. Content providers get to
offload from their central servers and
service providers can save on backhaul
and transport costs. The customer gets
a rapid and seamless user experience.
Everyone wins.
Instead of being centrally anchored, this
type of architecture features components
presented on different platforms. These
components then cooperate over a
communication network in order to
achieve a specific objective or goal.
For example, it could entail distributing
selected network functions such as cloud
radio access network (C-RAN) for 5G, or
hosting IoT-related applications.
Thanks to its distributed nature, Edge
Computing can empower service
providers to offer new solutions and
services that simultaneously increase
ALTHOUGH
WE’RE STILL
IN THE EARLY
STAGES OF EDGE
COMPUTING’S
EVOLUTION, WE
CAN CONFIDENTLY
EXPECT A HOST
OF INFLUENTIAL
IOT USE CASES TO
BREAK INTO THE
MAINSTREAM
IN THE COMING
YEARS.
Bart Salaets, Senior Director Solutions
Architect EMEA at F5 Networks
Another eye-catching scenario involves
service providers deploying small Edge
Compute sites on enterprise campuses
to deliver private 5G connectivity and
services, thus deftly swerving the need
for traditional Local Area Networks (LAN)
and Wi-Fi.
Issue 14
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