Page 17 - EngineerIT October 2021

DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION

Beyond recovery: building back

better with edge computing

By Tony Bartlett, Director Data Centre Compute

ocations seeking to drive recovery accelerated the need for digital transformation. The need for high performance, low
from the impacts of the pandemic latency and network connectivity has never been greater and will only increase. By 2024,
Lare turning to digital transformation IDC estimates there will be an 800 percent growth in the number of applications being
in their quest to ensure economic growth launched at the edge. 1
and accelerate the transition to carbon- Edge plays a key role in this digital transformation journey, providing network and
neutral societies. technology optimisation. The full potential of 5G speeds can only be realised if network
This is where the concept of edge latency is reduced by processing data close to the end user. In addition, by improving the
technology will find itself - right at the performance of applications and facilitating huge amounts of data to be processed in real-
heart of our recovery pathway. Edge is time, edge enables other next generation technologies such as IoT, AI and wearables.
revolutionising how we collect, store and There are benefits to real-time services across industries, ranging from manufacturing
process data, all central facets on our to healthcare, retail, vehicle automation, precision medical and robotics, cyber security and
global digital transformation journey. mobile virtual reality.
Edge computing is done by placing 2 Connected public transportation systems which have embraced edge are now able to
localised data centres at the ‘edge’ of a reduce passenger wait time by 30%, and public bus operators can improve service levels
network, eliminating latency. Instead of through fleet tracking, smart fare collection and live video monitoring.
transiting through a dozen centralised
data centres, data generated from all the Driving sustainability with edge
cameras, sensors and other Internet of New advances in technologies like edge are generally targeted at improving human
Things (IoT) tools powered by artificial welfare, but any improvement will fall short if it fails to help us address climate change and
intelligence and machine learning can be protect the environment.
processed directly at or near the source. The outcomes enabled by the combination of edge computing and 5G promises
At Dell Technologies we believe to yield more energy-efficient solutions than current technologies, and by improving
edge computing will support post- operational and infrastructural efficiency, and boosting de-carbonisation initiatives, it can
crisis recovery efforts, creating new play a leading role in helping countries shift to carbon neutrality. The real-time analysis of
opportunities for businesses, while data monitoring the health of trees, for example, contributes to forest preservation, alerting
helping them operate in more efficient to dangers from pollution, disease or water shortages.
and adaptable ways. By providing With the number of cars now set to reach two billion by 2040 , countries around the
3
instant processing and analysis, with world are investing in smart technologies like edge to manage increased traffic flows and
greater analytical speed, edge allows reduce travel time, removing up to 30 minutes from the daily commute. 4
organisations to automate operations, Finally, edge is enabling more efficient and sustainable energy production and
improve experiences, reduce energy distribution systems. Improving the two-way communication between utility and customer
usage and waste, and enhance safety with edge technologies, creates modern grid platforms able to deliver accurate real-time
measures. Edge, combined with IoT and forecasting of energy demand and affordable and reliable service. Delivering analytics at
5G, will vastly improve remote work and the edge also means energy companies can predict and prevent problems in real time,
will enhance manufacturing and industrial cost-effectively deploy resources in real time, and increase grid optimisation and reliability. 5
applications.
Real-time data analytics is already Realising the potential of edge technologies
enabling new levels of innovation and the Revolutionising where and how fast we can process and analyse data, edge technology
rise of smarter factories, where workers offers enormous opportunities for countries moving beyond the recovery phase and in
don’t go looking for parts, parts find search of long-term growth and sustainability.
workers, and where machines are able to To realise the full potential of edge computing, government, industry and academia
predict potential problems and schedule will need to work together. Achieving scalable and reliable infrastructure to deal with
their own repairs. huge volumes and complexity of data demands the development of new approaches to
balancing transparency, trust and security and will require investments to foster significant
Edge accelerates digital public-private collaborations. n
transformation References
COVID-19’s impact on how we work and 1. IDC FutureScape: Worldwide IT Industry 2020 Predictions. 2. https://res.cloudinary.com/yumyoshojin/image/upload/v1/pdf/
the ways in which public and private iot-business-2020.pdf. 3. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/04/the-number-of-cars-worldwide-is-set-to-double-by-2040
4. https://res.cloudinary.com/yumyoshojin/image/upload/v1/pdf/iot-business-2020.pdf. 5. The many use-cases for emerging
organisations have had to adapt, has technologies all depend on viable edge computing capabilities. (techhq.com)

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