Intelligent Data Centres Issue 29 | Page 35

FEATURE FEATURE
FEATURE FEATURE
Edge Computing is a way of storing data closer to the source and is ultimately creating efficiencies for business leaders by improving response times and saving bandwidth . James Petter , International VP , Pure Storage , discusses the importance of Edge Computing and the positive impact its having on technology development .

Embracing distributed Edge Computing to adapt to a new era of technology

Edge Computing has been around for a while and as technology evolved and connectivity improved dramatically , we ’ ve seen use cases and applications in almost every aspect of human life .

Distributed Edge Computing is one of the areas where we are seeing accelerated development . Distributed Edge Computing , which is essentially a computing paradigm that brings computation and data storage closer to the location where it is needed to improve response times and save bandwidth , has many guises – the Internet of Things ( IoT ), IT / OT convergence etc . – but in its purest form , it ’ s about how technology can be automated to improve human life . Sensors in the fields that help farmers keep track of the health of their crops , self-driving machines that work 24 / 7 on mining sites , automated factories that operate round the clock with minimal human supervision , little drones that surgeons can send into your body . The applications are limited only by our imagination .
The Gartner Hype Cycle in 2020 is of the opinion that Edge Computing is approaching the peak of inflated expectation , but I would argue that this is the next important step for technology development and with accelerated rollouts of 5G all around the world , we ’ re going to see Edge Computing really coming of age this year .
All transformational technologies take place in waves and what we ’ re seeing this year is the convergence of some really big waves coming together . Arguably , the biggest catalyst is the global pandemic . From a technology perspective , it has led to the biggest shift towards digitalisation that the world has ever seen . Whole industries have been disrupted as businesses www . intelligentdatacentres . com
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