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Introduction

Over the years of computing, the processing and storage of data systems that are used in the interconnected computers have been based on the technology of cloud computing. Cloud computing has been based on the centralized data storage systems where all the devices performing some internet operations depend on the efficiency of the cloud service provider.

Since the data has often been centralized, various concerns including the security and the speed in operation have been raised regarding this setup of infrastructure. Since the data is centralized, a single breach can sabotage a large number of users. Moreover, people’s right to privacy may be violated since the service providers have an opportunity to access and monitor people’s details and demographic characteristics.

Latency to the information required may be experienced when the data is being transmitted from the cloud to the end-user due to factors such as the traffic and the distance. 

The introduction of edge computing has proved to be effective in the problems associated with cloud computing. Let’s have a look at what edge computing is and the advantages.

Edge Computing From a Broad Perspective

The introduction of edge computing has led to the successful proximity of internet data to the end-user. This is done by installing the edge devices close to the end-user by different service providers. A system of interconnected nodes enables the transfer of data from one edge device to the other, hence resulting in the ease of accessing information.

The response time which has been a critical concern especially to the heavy commercial consumers has been solved by this great technology of edge computing. Since the edge devices are close to the end-user, the time of travel of the information from one end-user to the other or from an end-user to a system of AI in the edge devices is minimized. Besides, the traffic that exists in cloud computing is eliminated since the decentralized edge devices serve few users, consequently, the efficiency in the response time and rate.

What Is So Unique in Edge Computing

The system of a computer program that functions to avail data to users at their location and delivers it, can be referred to as an edge device. 

Most service providers such as the CCTV cameras, traffic systems in roundabouts and other critical points that heavily depend on the real-time processing of data find the edge computing useful in these functions. The CCTV cameras collect a huge amount of data that can be as high as 10 GB per second especially in a moving car for about a mile. For the data to be transferred to the cloud for the AI (artificial intelligence) to assist in its processing, there can be latency experienced in the process resulting in poor decision making especially in the self-driving cars or the AI dependent systems.

 Edge devices enable the real-time processing of the data in huge volumes and at the shortest distance hence the elimination of the latency experienced when cloud computing is adopted. Cloud computing might be efficient in the operation of huge data for its capacity and the extent of specialized and sophisticated hardware installed in it, the edge devices are unchallenged in the operation of real-time data.

Edge Devices in a Gaming

Edge devices have led to success in the gaming industry. The feedback required that should be as immediate as possible in gaming has not been easy with the initially existing cloud computing. The ability of the cloud computing system to process data which is in real-time has led to excellence in the gaming industry. These systems are normally referred to as game-lets. The large programs and software that operate the gaming are installed in the edge devices, these edge devices possess sufficient hardware and the favorable operating systems that enables the ease in the operation of the gaming systems. 

Since the edge devices are located within short distances from the premises of the end-users, the rendered application can be installed in the end user’s phones and computers for operation. They can be installed in these devices in lightweights where the bulk of the data is processed within the edge devices. The transmission of these data is done within the fastest speed possible since there is no latency and the traffic is reduced. The distance of transmission is as well minimized as much as possible.

Edge Computing in Commercial Businesses

Most companies, organizations, and service providers may require access to a huge amount of data provided to their clients and customers. This may be in situations such as the online businesses, cybercafes as well as companies that heavily depend on the internet sources of data. 

Edge devices are always situated within the end user’s premises. When they are located near these businesses, organizations, and commercial firms, the transmission time is eliminated hence the data reaches the desired location with no transmission distance. The real-time processing of the data has as well enabled the fast delivery and the processing of the information. The huge bandwidth required by these commercial organizations can be pushed to the desired limits that suffice the given demand by the users.

Certain unique features exist within these edge devices that enable have a better response time. The edge devices act as data centers that avail the desired quantities of the data to the end-users for ease of use. The commercial service providers normally operate on a given niche of data, for instance, the gaming service providers use the centralized sources of specific data for the desired functions and operation.

The increasing demand for data broadband and efficient bandwidths has posed immense pressure for more reliable means of accessing the data. The formally existing cloud computing has not been sufficient in these services. The edge devices assist in reaching the desired limits of the broadbands in the commercial firms without the problems of latency and privacy issues.

The use of the internet and the demand for storage space has been on the rise. It is projected that in 5 years, the demand for storage services will increase to 30% more than the current demand rate. Since cloud computing possesses limited infrastructure for the increasing demand for storage, the pressure to suffice this demand has led to the seeking of favorable alternatives to supplement the existing cloud computing. Edge devices are often scalable since several service providers get involved that facilitate the economies of scale. When these different services from the various service providers are interconnected, the access to internet information has been made easy through the edge devices and in unlimited quantities since there are unlimited service providers with these edge devices.

Key Challenges to the Edge Computing

Different service providers utilize different machine learning ideas as well as the disparity in the logic used in different nodes. Due to this disparity and difference in the coding style, the access to some edge devices can be an impediment to access. For instance, security purposes in some fraud sensitive edge devices cause latency which is normally not the case with cloud computing where the data is centralized, and they experience the same layout topology. 

Heavy power consumption is as well a key challenge to the use of the edge devices. The numerous installed edge devices require energy to aid its functioning and the transmission process to the information, unlike one centralized cloud which is the only station consuming much energy.

Varying security requirement. For safety purposes, different service providers may demand security checks when accessing the data within their devices, this as well causes delay to the end user unlike in the cloud where the system topology is uniform and only a one-time verification is required. 

How Safe Is the Data in Edge Devices?

The paradigm of the distributed data means access to the numerous sources of data leads to the contact of different security conditions. This Implies that within a given region of cyber-attack, the security system in one or more edge devices can sufficiently contain the threat. This can, therefore, alert the other service providers to block the threat when the computing systems are sufficiently interconnected and the information relay is sufficiently enabled for efficiency in operation.

When the edge device systems are being trained, their encryption is often varying regarding the constraints when accessing the various resources in the systems, for the high level of security as demanded by some edge devices, the choice for the access of the information can greatly be limited through the security methods adopted within the computer systems.

The simple technique behind this is the change in the security layout, the initially centralized cloud computing systems where all the data possesses a uniform security model for operation is decentralized into a trust model where the various edge devices are located at different locations and their operators and service providers possess varied ways of enhancing their security details as well as giving the ease of access of the data.

This is as well an immense advantage in the edge computing that is purely dependent on the security detail. Within an edge computing device system within a given location, the service provider can have the freedom of changing the ownership of the collected data from the service providers themselves to the end-user without the seeming possibility of the breach of the security details of the given system.

What Extent of Access Can Be Achieved Through the Edge Devices?

Well, the edge devices offer unlimited access to the unlimited data provided by different service providers all over the globe and the space for carrying out activities such as storage and the training of the AI (artificial intelligence) systems for the given data requirement. However, the different encryption models in these systems normally offer the disproportionately distributed data access and control efficiencies regarding the security requirement of the different service providers and the level of the infrastructure installed to operate the given service requirements.

In the cloud computing, the devices used in terms of the hardware and the quality of the services are normally robust and leads to high efficiency in the operations carried out on them, however, the different installation packages and the hardware infrastructure has posed a disproportionate situation that has resulted to the unevenly distributed levels of access and the ease of operation, consequently, leading to some degree of latency in the access situations and the interconnected operations. Therefore, the slowing down of the scaling can be a point of great concern.

How Reliable Are the Edge Devices?

The systems that provide these services such as the cloud and the edge computing systems are prone to the human error of crashing down at some point in its operation time. The centralized cloud computing system however robust it might seem often experiences the data security breaches that in some cases can lead to it crushing. This may in turn delay or halt the internet services provided by the system. On the other hand, the edge computing devices are effective since it is quite an impossible form for a number of them to go down at the same time.

The crushing of the edge computing devices can be as low as one or two devices at a time. This process that is expected to result in the latency of the information relay can be solved by the installation of backup systems in the associated edge devices within the same location or region. This can lead to the unaltered access to the given information desired even when the given installation devices are down.

The interconnected service provision systems can as well enable the information relay systems. For instance, when the systems of the edge devices are installed in a similar topology of operation, the end-user can be informed of the inherent delay that might arise to their activities as a result of the breakdown of one or more edge devices that they are depending upon.

How Fast Is the Edge Computing System?

As stated earlier, the cloud computing systems of devices are often availed near the end user’s premises, this normally eliminates the transmission distance required for the data to be effectively relayed. The service providers avail the analytical tools within the edge devices, these tools when availed close to the end user’s premises, facilitates the faster relay of the information required by the end-user. It is projected that when the edge devices are designed in the same topology, they can function more efficiently than the traditional cloud computing that is commonly being adopted.

The efficiency of these edge devices is so high since they can operate sophisticated analytical tools that are availed within proximity to the end-user, resulting to ease of operation by the end-user.  

Conclusion 

The growing demand for internet services has necessitated the improvising of superior technology that suffices the various demands. Edge computing is a major milestone in the field of computing, for instance, the speed of access, the eliminated latency, operation with the real-time data, and the eliminated traffic by the users makes the edge computing superior to the cloud computing. Therefore, investors and the various private sectors with an aim to venture into these services should have a consideration of the edge computing services. 

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