Edge computing is a key technology helping businesses with their digital transformation. Here we explore the advantages and disadvantages every business should be aware of.

1. 3 Advantages
(And 1 Disadvantage)
Of Edge Computing

2. © 2020 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
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Text
IntroductionIntroduction
Edge computing is a key technology helping businesses with their digital transformation.
Here we explore the advantages and disadvantages every business should be aware of.
By now, we’re all well used to cloud computing, and recognize the many ways in which
cloud computing benefits businesses and makes our everyday lives easier. Could edge
computing have a similar impact?
3 Advantages (And 1 Disadvantage) Of Edge
Computing

3. © 2020 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
What is edge computing?
Edge computing refers to the processing of data on devices such as smartphones. Unlike
in cloud computing, where the data is processed in remote, far-off data centers, edge
computing gives devices the ability to carry out some or all of the data processing right
then and there, at the point at which the data is collected.
This is all possible because devices are getting more and more powerful (in part thanks to
AI), meaning they can handle more data processing tasks. In other words, the device no
longer has to send every little piece of data – whether it’s useful or not – to the cloud.
Think of all the data an office security camera gathers in the course of a night. Hours and
hours of footage, with the vast majority of that footage showing empty corridors and
rooms. Sending all of that data, which probably has little or no value, is a waste of
bandwidth. But an AI-equipped security camera, which has the ability to analyze images
right then and there, would be able to detect unusual activity and prioritise that data.

4. © 2020 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
Key benefits of edge computing
1. Saving bandwidth
The proliferation of smart devices means we’re creating an extraordinary amount of data.
But not all of that data is critical. Revisiting our security camera example, if you have
multiple cameras on a site, and each one is constantly streaming data to the cloud, then
that’s using a lot of bandwidth for potentially not very useful data. But if the cameras are
intelligent enough to process the data at its source, they can stream only the most
important footage to the cloud, while discarding the rest.
2. Reducing latency
Another advantage of devices being able to sort critical data from the not-so-critical data
is a reduction in latency (i.e., the time it takes to send data and receive a reply). With cloud
computing, the device may be sending information to a data center on the other side of
the world for processing, and this often results in a brief delay. This doesn’t always matter;
for example, most of us don’t mind that it typically takes Alexa a few seconds to reply to
our question about today’s weather.

5. © 2020 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
Key benefits of edge computing
But that lag time is far less acceptable in the context of, say, a self-driving vehicle out on
the road. If another car runs a stop sign, do you really want your autonomous vehicle to
have to send that sensor and visual data to the cloud, then wait for a decision on what to
do next? Not so much. With edge computing, critical data – data that's absolutely vital to
real-time decisions – can be processed on the spot, resulting in faster decisions—the
closer the processing, the quicker the response time, essentially. Meanwhile, the data
that’s not so time-critical (for example, fuel performance data) can be sent to the cloud for
later analysis.
3. Enhancing security and privacy
Edge computing reduces the amount of data that has to travel over a network, which is an
obvious bonus from a security perspective. There’s also the fact that data is distributed (in
this case, located on multiple user devices) as opposed to being stored in one place. This
is all good news, providing manufacturers of smart products make securing that local data
a key priority.

6. © 2020 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
Key benefits of edge computing
What about privacy? In theory, with less data being uploaded to the cloud and more data
being processed on the device, users of smart devices will have greater control over their
data. Imagine, if your Amazon Echo speaker is able to process and respond to your
weather forecast request without that data being sent to a central Amazon server, then
that’s one less bit of data the company has about you. That’s the idea, anyway. In reality,
companies are unlikely to give up their vice-like grip on something as valuable as user
data. But as edge computing evolves, we may (if we’re lucky) see more options for opting
out of sending our data to the cloud.

7. © 2020 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
A potential pitfall to be aware of
That’s the positives taken care of. What about the negatives? In my mind, there’s one
potential downside to edge computing: namely, that important data could end up being
overlooked and discarded in the quest to save bandwidth and reduce latency.
Data that isn't vital for real-time decisions may have other uses. For example, if an
autonomous vehicle is traveling along an otherwise empty road, it may seem like that
visual and sensor data is pointless. What can be learned from an empty road? Quite a lot,
potentially. That seemingly useless data could still provide information on road conditions
and how the vehicle behaves under those conditions – and this can help regulate other
autonomous vehicles traveling the same route in the future. A balance is needed between
maximizing the opportunities provided by edge computing while still recognizing the
value of data.
Edge computing is just one of 25 technology trends that I believe will transform our
society. Read more about these key trends – including plenty of real-world examples – in
my book, Tech Trends in Practice: The 25 Technologies That Are Driving The 4th Industrial
Revolution.

8. Bernard Marr is an internationally best-selling author, popular keynote speaker, futurist, and a
strategic business & technology advisor to governments and companies. He helps
organisations improve their business performance, use data more intelligently, and
understand the implications of new technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data,
blockchains, and the Internet of Things.
LinkedIn has ranked Bernard as one of the world’s top 5 business influencers. He is a frequent
contributor to the World Economic Forum and writes a regular column for Forbes. Every day
Bernard actively engages his 1.5 million social media followers and shares content that
reaches millions of readers.
Visit The
Website
© 2020 Bernard Marr , Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved© 2017 Bernard Marr , Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
© 2020 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
Bernard Marr is an internationally best-selling author, popular keynote speaker, futurist, and a
strategic business & technology advisor to governments and companies. He helps
organisations improve their business performance, use data more intelligently, and
understand the implications of new technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data,
blockchains, and the Internet of Things.
LinkedIn has ranked Bernard as one of the world’s top 5 business influencers. He is a frequent
contributor to the World Economic Forum and writes a regular column for Forbes. Every day
Bernard actively engages his 1.5 million social media followers and shares content that
reaches millions of readers.
Visit The
Website

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