Wednesday, August 24, 2016

Tabula Rosa Systems Blog Of 8/24/2016 - What Is Edge Computing?












Edge computing from whatis.com
Edge computing is a distributed information technology (IT) architecture in which client data is processed at the periphery of the network, as close to the originating source as possible. The move toward edge computing is driven by mobile computing, the decreasing cost of computer components and the sheer number of networked devices in the internet of things (IoT). Depending on the implementation, time-sensitive data in an edge computing architecture may be processed at the point of origin by an intelligent device or sent to an intermediary server located in close geographical proximity to the client. Data that is less time sensitive is sent to the cloud for historical analysis, big data analytics and long-term storage.
Transmitting massive amounts of raw data over a network puts tremendous load on network resources. In some cases, it is much more efficient to process data near its source and send only the data that has value over the network to a remote data center. Instead of continually broadcasting data about the oil level in a car's engine, for example, an automotive sensor might simply send summary data to a remote server on a periodic basis. Or a smart thermostat might only transmit data if the temperature rises or falls outside acceptable limits. Or an intelligent Wi-Fi security camera aimed at an elevator door might use edge analytics and only transmit data when a certain percentage of pixels significantly change between two consecutive images, indicating motion.
Edge computing can also benefit remote office/branch office (ROBO) environments and organizations that have a geographically dispersed user base. In such a scenario, intermediary micro data centers or high-performance servers can be installed at remote locations to replicate cloud services locally, improving performance and the ability for a device to act upon perishable data in fractions of a second. Depending upon the vendor and technical implementation, the intermediary may be referred to by one of several names including edge gateway, base station, hub, cloudlet or aggregator.
A major benefit of edge computing is that it improves time to action and reduces response time down to milliseconds, while also conserving network resources. The concept of edge computing is not expected to replace cloud computing, however. Despite its ability to reduce latency and network bottlenecks, edge computing can pose significant security, licensing and configuration challenges.
Security challenges: Edge computing's distributed architecture increases the number of attack vectors. The more intelligence an edge client has, the more vulnerable it becomes to malware infections and security exploits.

Licensing challenges: Smart clients can have hidden licensing costs. While the base version of an edge client might initially have a low ticket price, additional functionalities may be licensed separately and drive the price up.

Configuration challenges: Unless device management is centralized and robust, administrators may inadvertently create security holes by failing to change the default password on each edge device or neglecting to update firmware in a consistent manner, causing configuration drift.
The name "edge" in edge computing is derived from network diagrams; typically, the edge in a network diagram signifies the point at which traffic enters or exits the network. The edge is also the point at which the underlying protocol for transporting data may change. For example, a smart sensor might use a low-latency protocol like MQTT to transmit data to a message broker located on the network edge, and the broker would use the hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) to transmit valuable data from the sensor to a remote server over the Internet.
The OpenFog consortium uses the term fog computing to describe edge computing. The word "fog" is meant to convey the idea that the advantages of cloud computing should be brought closer to the data source. (In meteorology, fog is simply a cloud that is close to the ground.) Consortium members include Cisco, ARM, Microsoft, Dell, Intel and Princeton University.
========================================

Another Special Announcement - Tune in to my radio interview,  on Rider University's station, www.1077thebronc.com I discuss my recent book, above on "Your Career Is Calling", hosted by Wanda Ellett.   

In addition to this blog, Netiquette IQ has a website with great assets which are being added to on a regular basis. I have authored the premiere book on Netiquette, “Netiquette IQ - A Comprehensive Guide to Improve, Enhance and Add Power to Your Email". My new book, “You’re Hired! Super Charge Your Email Skills in 60 Minutes. . . And Get That Job!” has just been published and will be followed by a trilogy of books on Netiquette for young people. You can view my profile, reviews of the book and content excerpts at:

 www.amazon.com/author/paulbabicki

In addition to this blog, I maintain a radio show on BlogtalkRadio  and an online newsletter via paper.li.I have established Netiquette discussion groups with Linkedin and  Yahoo I am also a member of the International Business Etiquette and Protocol Group and Minding Manners among others. I regularly consult for the Gerson Lehrman Group, a worldwide network of subject matter experts and I have been contributing to the blogs Everything Email and emailmonday . My work has appeared in numerous publications and I have presented to groups such as The Breakfast Club of NJ and  PSG of Mercer County, NJ.


I am the president of Tabula Rosa Systems, a “best of breed” reseller of products for communications, email, network management software, security products and professional services.  Also, I am the president of Netiquette IQ. We are currently developing an email IQ rating system, Netiquette IQ, which promotes the fundamentals outlined in my book.

Over the past twenty-five years, I have enjoyed a dynamic and successful career and have attained an extensive background in IT and electronic communications by selling and marketing within the information technology marketplace.Anyone who would like to review the book and have it posted on my blog or website, please contact me paul@netiquetteiq.com.
=============================================================

No comments:

Post a Comment