The edge is where the magic happens

In previous blogs I’ve already expressed my firm belief in 5G and the crucial role it plays in the advancement of driverless cars, the industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and other exciting use cases. Even if 5G is powerful on its own, taken together with other emerging technologies, its impact will reach exponentially further. Mobile edge computing is one of those technologies that go hand in hand with 5G to enable new use cases and that rise on the investment priority list of many companies across industries.

Many of the 5G based applications – think of e-health, connected cars, tracking services, augmented reality, etc. - require ultra-reliable low latency communication (URLLC). A signal or data packet which needs to travel between a mobile device and the cloud usually travels several hundred miles to be processed in the data center, which leads to a round trip time of several dozen milliseconds. For many innovative applications, that is just too much.

Moving to the edge

That is where mobile edge computing comes in, referring to the use of the network’s edge – where things and people produce and consume data – to provide cloud services. The benefits are plentiful: low latency, lower bandwidth cost since a lower amount of data needs to be processed in a centralized or cloud-based location, reduced network congestion and improved availability of applications and IT assets. Edge computing could even solve some of many organizations’ compliance concerns with data sovereignty laws as it allows to keep intellectual property on-premise.

In short, edge computing opens the door to a myriad of new services and revenue streams. But each industry will have to develop its own perspective on the merits of edge computing and on which characteristics it will benefit from most. One thing is for sure: 2020 may be the year in which things get real for edge computing. The untapped potential is huge. Gartner predicts that by 2022, 70% of data will be created at the edge, up from 40% today.

The mobile factor

However, to deliver on its promise, edge computing must also fulfill an additional condition. Due to the mobility of end user devices, a possible edge cloud must also be mobile. This means that an application or service running in an edge cloud needs to be migratable without any visible downtime for the user. Because an agile/mobile cloud can now be accessed through different endpoints, it is therefore increasingly referred to as a mobile edge computing (MEC). Since URLLC is a key requirement of 5G, the concept of the MEC becomes one of the most important tools of 5G. For example, while an autonomous vehicle is moving, the location of the controller has to move too; or at least there is the need for a very fast handover to another controller.

What’s next?

A major stimulus for the adoption of edge computing will be the creation of an ecosystem of partners bringing together telecommunication companies, hardware suppliers, software vendors and consultancy partners to develop and support new enterprise applications. In the meantime, we already see vendors increasingly introducing form factors set up specifically for edge computing, including processors that can better withstand environmental factors such as high temperatures and vibrations. Definitely a promising evolution too!

Last but not least, CIOs must step up and prepare their organizations. They must build a fit-for-purpose cloud strategy, bring together product, IoT and IT teams and start reskilling people. No emerging technology can create business value on its own, so everything must be put in place to see what the edge can delivery to your organization.