Is it possible that edge computing will replace cloud computing in the coming years

With the continuous adoption of cloud computing, mobile networks, big data and SDN, the number of Internet users has soared. In order to catch up with the fast changing trend of wireless connectivity and the Internet, the company strives to adopt more clouds for different business operations. For many years, cloud computing has provided a secure, controllable, and reliable remote access method. However, it does lack the speed to process data collected from the edges of the network (i.e. the points where the enterprise owned network connects to third-party networks). In recent years, edge computing has solved this challenge because it provides better latency.

Let's take a look at some differences between edge computing and cloud computing, and whether it can replace cloud computing:

What is edge computing?

It can be defined as data computing processing that is far away from centralized infrastructure and close to the network logic edge facing a single data source.

It can also be described as a distributed IT network architecture that can perform mobile computing on locally generated data. Therefore, it does not send data to the data center, but rather disperses computing power to ensure real-time processing without delay while reducing network storage and bandwidth requirements.

To give a good example, consider a autonomous vehicle. For any autonomous vehicle, road safety is the most critical aspect of driving. In order to drive safely, these autonomous vehicle must be able to identify obstacles or people in real time and brake when encountering obstacles. This will require visual processing of information and rapid decision making, which needs to be done using edge computing. It takes about 100 milliseconds to transfer data between the sensors in the car and the cloud data center, which may seem fast, but it is not the case while driving. This delay or data transmission time has a significant impact on the response of autonomous vehicle. In contrast, edge computing can help improve the performance of autonomous vehicle by speeding up processes and reducing network load. Here, speed has become one of the key highlights of edge computing and other technologies.

What is cloud computing?

We have already used cloud services in our daily lives, from banking to playing online video games and watching Netflix. Cloud is a set of different hardware and software that work together to deliver many computing functions as online services to end-users.

Migrating to cloud computing services instead of building internal data centers reduces the company's significant investment burden in setup and maintenance. Cloud computing has a wide range of applications and many benefits, such as:

Scalability: It enables companies to start with small-scale deployments in the cloud and effectively scale over time. It also allows businesses to expand their scale by adding additional resources when needed, enabling them to meet rapidly changing customer needs.

Maintenance: In the case of having an internal data center, the company must maintain the data center on its own. However, with the help of cloud computing, cloud providers can maintain their own systems.

Cost saving: In terms of expanding computing power, companies can greatly reduce operational and financial costs.

Resource pool: Multiple users can share the same space and allocate and distribute resources as needed. Users from all over the world can use these services equally.

Edge computing and cloud computing: is edge better?

With the growing demand for real-time applications, the adoption of edge computing has increased significantly. Although centralized cloud computing systems can simplify collaboration and access, they are far away from data sources. Therefore, this requires data transmission, which can result in information processing delays due to network latency. Today's technology expects low latency and high speed to provide a better customer experience. Therefore, people are unable to meet all the needs of cloud computing.

Although cloud has some advantages, edge computing has more advantages than cloud:

speed

All the raw information used by the cloud is collected through edge devices, which collect and send data to it. Edge devices only play a limited role in sending raw information and receiving processed information from the cloud. However, the exchange that occurs can only be used in conjunction with applications that allow time delays.

Therefore, edge computing provides better speed with lower latency, thus providing an opportunity to interpret input data near the source. This provides a wider range for applications that require real-time services.

Low connection cost and better security

Edge computing allows companies to filter data at the source, rather than in a central data center. This can reduce the opportunity for companies to transmit sensitive information between devices and the cloud, thereby better protecting the security of the company and its customers. Reducing data mobility also lowers costs as it eliminates the need for storage.

Better data management

According to data, it is expected that connected devices will reach around 20 billion euros by 2020. The method adopted by edge computing can solve some systems with special needs, thus releasing the function of cloud computing, so that it can be used as a general platform. For example, the best route to reach the destination through a car's GPS will come from analyzing the surrounding area, rather than analyzing the car manufacturer's data center, which will be far away from GPS. This can reduce dependence on the cloud and help applications run better.

The final idea

Although edge computing has more advantages than cloud computing, it is wrong to say that edge computing will completely replace cloud computing. Choosing which company would be better, they will make this decision based on their own needs. Choosing between these two is like choosing between a luxury sports car or a more spacious family car. It depends on what a person wants. Identify your needs, compare them with costs, evaluate them, and then choose which one is the best choice.

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