Member Article

Edge computing in the workplace: the killer apps on the rise

*Implementing Edge Computing into the workplace is enabling organisations to no longer be impacted by latency or poor or unreliable networks *

The use of Edge Computing to push applications, data and services away from centralised nodes to the logical extremes of a network is on the rise. While some organisations are struggling to even understand the concept and its applications, others are steaming ahead in terms of implementing the newest technology transforming business processes and decisions, according to Y Soft Corporation, a leading enterprise office solution provider.

From a growing load on cloud infrastructure, to an increase in the number of different applications, there are many drivers contributing to the rise of the Edge, and it is thought that the Edge market is expected to grow to $6.73 Billion by 2022.

Ondrej Kracijek, Chief Technology Strategist at Y Soft says “Encouraged by the dawn of ubiquitous connectivity, delivered by emerging standards, such as Wi-Fi 6, 5G or long range / low energy networks and the availability of a wide range of applications, it’s clear that this technology is here to stay and is set to have a dramatic impact on all industries. From healthcare and manufacturing to legal and the public sector the technology enables businesses of all sizes to enable autonomous operational decisions to be made while providing savings on bandwidth volume and costs. Latency and issues such as poor or unreliable networks no longer impact business processes.”

Ondrej explains how Edge Computing offers a new model for running apps outside of the cloud because it is great for apps which require speed, reliability and security: “With near real-time speeds and having the data and processing close, we can reclaim the user experience and make it bearable again, without suffering from long round trip times between user devices and the cloud.”

So, with all of this technology available and the rise of 5G connectivity, what are the killer uses of Edge Computing?

Autonomous vehicles Perhaps the most obvious application of Edge Computing is autonomous vehicles. Generating a huge quantity of data, connected autonomous vehicles (CAV) are a prime example of how applications may benefit from the edge data being processed closer to where it’s created, such as the motor, generator, pump and sensors. The need for constant connection and reduced latency is apparent, just imagine what would happen if a CAV lost connection on the highway. According to Gartner, 50% of motor vehicle manufacturers will apply advanced analytics to CAV data to identify and correct defects by 2020.

Manufacturing Edge Computing can improve existing manufacturing processes by making them more intelligent and autonomous while providing responsiveness and agility. From increased reliability, providing real-time insights, to minimising failure and costs for storage and bandwidth, edge can improve the efficiency and use of IoT in manufacturing.

Healthcare From gathering and analysing data from patients locally to patients wearing devices to diagnose certain conditions, healthcare is embracing technology enabled by Edge Computing. As resources become more stretched providers are looking to technology to deliver services to patients. For example, wearable devices that diagnose or monitor conditions can reduce the number of GP appointments required and given that appointments are often in short supply, this is invaluable.

Printing By using Edge Computing for print jobs, organisations can securely solve issues of lag and bandwidth cost while ensuring continuous business critical operations. Latency is eliminated as printing is processed on site, with total bandwidth reduced. Print jobs are processed locally with all data remaining on the company’s network so only metadata is sent over the network. With continuous connectivity there is no risk of down time, data loss or printing errors.

These are just a few examples of the applications of Edge Computing and as the technology continues to rise in the coming years, we will see more and more inventive applications of the technology and see many processes improving and speeding up as a result.

Ondrej concludes, “The future of the Edge will come with many apps, but with printing used across industries such as healthcare, manufacturing and education, the impact of this change will indeed be killer. Are you ready to take your print management to the Edge?”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Y Soft .