2023: A year on the edge

Edge computing isn’t new. But its rise and subsequent popularity has become a teachable moment for the wider tech world.

The lesson? Build something reliable that can adapt with new tech discoveries through the years, that’s capable of withstanding even the harshest of environments, and you will find longevity.

With the noise around 5G and demand for the Internet of Things (IoT) set to explode, no one can tell how big edge may become, or how quickly. But as worldwide data is expected to grow 61% to 175 zettabytes by 2025, I think 2023 will be the biggest yet for all things edge. Here’s why.

Proximity to source

To understand where edge compute power is heading, we need to go back to basics. When a major incident happens, like a national catastrophe or another big event, you might hear journalists talking about getting to the center of the story. Reporters are trained to get as close to the source as possible, to find, process and refine what has just happened so that they can break it down and present a picture for the audience to digest.

In layman’s terms, that’s what edge offers for data. It places content and processing closer to the applications and people who need them. It’s scalable, resilient, and secure. And in data terms, it’s affordable.

More IoT devices means more unstructured data

Imagine the most challenging jigsaw puzzle you’ve ever tried to complete, with thousands of pieces to find, orient and place, so that you can continue with the rest of the puzzle.

Those impossible-to-find pieces represent unstructured data. And unfortunately for most enterprises, there are more unstructured parts to deal with than structured (we’ll get to why later).

Already drowning in data, this is one of the biggest challenges that organizations of all shapes and sizes across EMEA face in 2023. And as we onboard more devices, we generate more data, without really considering how we can get value from it later.

Experts predict there will be more than 15 billion IoT devices in the world by the end of this year. And that’s said to double by 2030. Many of the companies who come to us at Dell OEM Solutions, are already concerned about this. Our work with technology partner 英特尔 is uniquely positioned to help these organizations manage their current and future data challenges.

5G force

There are many conspiracy theories out there about 5G, but this we know for sure: it is the fastest vehicle for sending and receiving data.

Thanks to its rollout, we can access significantly more edge computing at pace. Its coverage, lower latency, faster processing speed and high bandwidth are propelling IoT forward too. Meaning more IoT devices, generating more data.

In the years to come, 5G-enabled IoT will take us beyond the IoT applications we know today. Forecasters are already talking about the Internet of Behavior (IoB). Think smart cities, smart transport, smart healthcare, and even smart farms (because even small farms are large spaces that could benefit from better connectivity).

To cloud or not to cloud?

That’s a question that organizations of all sizes are likely to face in 2023. As the western world braces for recessionary pressures and inflation continues to rise, some businesses will inevitably need to tighten spending this year.

Whether this will affect cloud spending remains to be seen. But cloud storage can be expensive. Especially if you have a wealth of unstructured data that requires a multi-cloud approach. Think too many raindrops coming through a leaking roof, and not having enough buckets to catch them.

This recession comes off the back of the economic upheaval brought about by the pandemic, falls one year into the tense geo-political flux in the East, and amid rising energy costs. Just like households, enterprises are restructuring budgets and exploring less expensive alternatives. Turning to edge for computing and storage keeps data processing away from silos, which can defer unnecessary costs often incurred from cloud storage.

The year ahead

Only a few years ago, many companies, perhaps even yours, were building their own edge environments. Now you can choose what region your cloud, edge and on-prem computing and storage reside in. This new level of availability and the speed of 5G is undeniably attractive. And it’s already having an effect.

More than 50% of new business IT infrastructures will be deployed at the edge by the end of this year. Thanks to the rise of 5G, more of us will adopt edge computing for practical reasons so that their businesses don’t just stay up and running in their chosen locations – they do it faster than before.

Are you struggling with large volumes of data? I want to hear from you. Leave your thoughts and challenges in the comments, I’d be happy to respond.