Sunlight.io published Sunlight.io commissioned Omdia research into the challenges of deploying applications at the edge. The report brings to the fore that while edge computing isn't new in itself, recent digitisation and consumer demands mean enterprises are shifting to edge - driven by low latency, data gravity and data privacy requirements. But a lot is still undefined.

The research highlights that the highest rated driver for the adoption of edge computing was low latency - cited by 94% of respondents to Omdia's 2020 edge survey. Roy Illsley, Chief Analyst, IT Ecosystems & Operations at Omdia writes, "The latency driver is not a surprise as the concept of edge is that the compute is moved closer to the point of need so that real-time analysis/actions can be taken."

Manageability was cited by 72% of respondents surveyed as the top barrier for edge computing. Illsley writes, "Omdia considers that unless the ecosystem can address the edge management challenge in 2021, the edge adoption will similarly slow down because of the practicality of managing securely potentially thousands of edge devices."

Also discussed in the research is the move to Cloud native applications - identified as the fastest growing mode of application deployment. Illsley writes, "Omdia research shows that for edge deployments cloud-native workloads running inside VMs [Virtual Machines] represent the dominant approach. One of the biggest drivers behind this approach is the better security isolation that a VM provides compared to cloud-native, which is isolated on the namespace only."

Designed to perform anywhere. Sunlight makes applications, from edge to cloud, simple. Sunlight's NexVisor HCI (hyperconverged infrastructure) runs applications where the data happens. It makes applications like AI, Big Data, Analytics and Rendering run 3x faster compared to legacy virtualization, and because Sunlight has a tiny footprint - it's perfect for the edge. The NexVisor HCI is joined by the Sunlight Infrastructure Manager (SIM) and Marketplace to make it simple to deploy and manage infrastructure and applications in highly distributed Edge environments as well as in the Cloud - enabling true Edge ‘Software as a Service' models.

Sunlight founder and CEO, Julian Chesterfield said, "We commissioned this research to better understand the needs of enterprises deploying and managing applications at the Edge. The report makes clear that it's not just about the edge infrastructure itself - but also the manageability of the hundreds of distributed edge locations, validating our approach of building not only the industry's lightest hyperconverged stack, but our recently launched management framework. Edge should be as simple as cloud - and we're making it that way."

The research includes some of the other key edge drivers and barriers identified in the Omdia edge survey 2020. Download the full report.