What is edge computing? Why does it matter?
Nov 22, 2019
Question: What
is edge computing, and why does it matter?
Answer:
Edge computing is a new way of processing data that fits our
current mobile environment.
To truly understand and
appreciate edge computing, let's take a brief look of how we
handled processing data in the early days of the
Internet.
Over 20 years ago, speeds to
the Internet were much slower. I can remember it taking over an
hour to download a single song to play on my computer.
Instead of relying on the
Internet, we accomplished intense processing task locally on our
computers, laptops, servers, etc.
It was the most efficient
option to get things done using computing technology.
As connections to the Internet
grew in speed, so did the desire to find ways to process data
efficiently.
Instead if having big,
expensive devices that sat near users, what if that processing
power moved to a centralized location where several users could
take advantage of?
Cloud computing is born. As a
result, more applications and computing power move away from the
users to these centralize locations.
Although this was an important
move, it became apparent that this wasn't the most efficient
option.
Speed to process and use data
is still king which got the tech industry to streamline cloud based
delivery mechanisms.
This is where edge computing
comes into play. Computing
power is now transitioning from the cloud to “the
edge”.
Netflix, Hulu other Over the
Top (OTT) services are a good examples of edge
computing.
Instead of storing shows in one
central location (ie New York), computing resources are used near
the end user to pull and deliver content.
Edge computing is only possible
due to faster connections to the Internet.
It will play an increasing role
in future technologies like autonomous vehicles, smart cities and
devices.
Question originally
answered on Quora
https://www.quora.com/What-is-edge-computing-and-why-does-it-matter-1.
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