What is edge computing? How will it supplement 5G?

We live surrounded by smart devices. However, they require connectivity to transmit data, allowing us to access emails, enjoy content streams, or achieve factory automation through IoT technology. These are all connected to networks that must respond immediately to data demands, but the reality is that they are centralized systems with limitations such as latency, bandwidth, and even data privacy and autonomy.

The deployment of 5G technology is expected to accelerate the flow of all this information and significantly reduce latency. But having new networks alone is not enough; It needs to be supplemented by edge computing. edge computing is a distributed computing paradigm that solves the limitations of centralized systems by making data processing closer to its source, in other words, to devices and users.

Mat í as D í az, the edge security director of BBVA's security architecture, said, "Processing data closer to the data generation site means processing information faster and making decisions faster."

Edge computing: What does it consist of?

In a centralized system, data must be propagated from the generation location (device) to the central node for processing, and then returned to its original location. This process involves a large amount of information and consumes a lot of bandwidth. Sometimes, when data is transmitted back and forth, it may cause delays, which can affect the normal operation of the device itself.

In addition, with the emergence of technologies such as 5G, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and blockchain, the amount of data used has doubled. According to IDC's estimate, by 2025, 41.6 billion devices will be connected to the Internet of Things, generating 79.4ZB of data. This means that processing them will require a significant amount of joint computing power. However, if you move to a distributed system with intermediate nodes, the workload of a large data center will be reduced, making it easier to process all these requests. Therefore, edge computing is the key.

Juan Carlos L ó pez, a professor of computer technology at the University of Castilla La Mana and a member of the Coit Council, said: "edge computing and other alternative technologies make data processing closer to where data is generated. They try to find solutions to these problems and provide alternative solutions for the operation mode to not only maintain efficiency, but also maintain scalability and sustainability."

Thanks to edge computing, "the possibility of the current centralized cloud model has been increased and expanded to support the development and deployment of Internet of Things devices and allow innovative applications, which has brought great development to digital business," added Ignacio Velilla, managing director of Equinix, a Spanish multinational enterprise specializing in Internet connectivity and data centers. Equinix is a multinational enterprise specializing in Internet connectivity and data centers.

Increase resource investment

The basic deployment of edge computing consists of a device that generates information. The device needs information from other sensors or devices to modify its behavior or make decisions. "Therefore, it is necessary to establish an infrastructure nearby to store and process all of this data. This way, each device can not only access its own data immediately, but also all other data to utilize the generated information," explained Velilla.

For D í az, it is necessary to link this process with resource investment. He said, "The company needs to have a good communication network and access points to implement our architecture, in order to use good machine learning and artificial intelligence algorithms and technologies to process data in real time."

A professor at the University of Castilla La Mancha agrees, "If we study massive data processing, which involves a large number of transactions and uses more complex algorithms, it is necessary to provide better services, fast solutions, and real-time decision-making. It will require greater computing power, shorter response times, and greater flexibility."

Advantages of edge computing in Banking

One of the basic functions that edge computing will provide banks is the ability to disperse their computing models and more directly contact their customers. The edge security manager of BBVA believes that "by eliminating latency and increasing computing speed, we will be able to provide customized products in a decentralized manner, improve fraud detection systems, and operate in financial markets while saving costs."

BBVA became a Spanish financial institution deploying 5G technology in its headquarters in 2019, and has been committed to building a edge computing platform for some time. "With the Ether platform, we have the ability to successfully meet the new challenges brought to us by edge computing. These pillars are localization, reusability, automation, elasticity and embedded security," D í az said.

According to D í az, the past few months have made us understand that we need to interact with customers wherever they are. For this reason, he believes that "we must use edge computing to contact our customers in a more flexible and secure way, and be able to interact with them face to face, so as to provide them with customized solutions and products."

Agility and security are two key factors in this new technology, which have successfully brought personalized needs to users. "Nowadays, we have a new service architecture that combines with our network to make the connection between us and our customers closer. Our applications are connected to distributed nodes that deliver content and process some of our services in an agile and secure manner," explained D í az. Looking ahead, he added: "In the coming months, we will develop a computing model based on edge computing, which will help to create innovative financial products."

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