Industry executives and experts share their predictions for 2022. Read them in this 14th annual VMblog.com series exclusive.
5 Edge Computing Predictions for 2022
By
Jeff Ready, CEO and co-founder, Scale Computing
It's
that time of year again where we look into our crystal ball and issue our
prognostications for the year ahead for what we think the future of the edge
computing marketplace might have in store. To compile this list, we canvassed
our in-house experts and consulted with customers and partners about the trends
they see shaping the edge marketplace in 2022.
1. Edge computing will unite IT and OT to drive industrial
transformation
Industries
like manufacturing rely upon a variety of operational technologies (OT) systems
to monitor and control devices and workflows in their environment -- everything
from simple temperature sensors to advanced industrial control systems. As
these old school industries begin to fully embrace IIoT devices, they must
figure out how to leverage all of the data that these systems generate without
burdening their existing networks. As Rob
High of IBM noted in our recent Spiceworks video meetup, "most IoT equipment these
days now includes some kind of general purpose compute embedded in the device
itself - we're seeing this with everything from cameras to industrial robots."
Edge computing enables data to be collected and processed closer to where it's
being generated so it can be immediately put to use. Scale Customers like Harrison
Steel are using edge-based systems today on the factory floor, collecting data thousands
of times per second to keep their precision machinery properly calibrated. We
have no doubt that the coming year will see this trend accelerate further as
other industries embrace edge systems so they can bridge the IT/OT gap.
2. New applications and use cases will fuel adoption of edge
computing
Practically
overnight, the global pandemic shifted how we work and businesses had to
quickly adapt to connect their remote workforce to the applications they rely
on to stay productive. If we learned anything from this experience, it's that where
applications are hosted matters a lot. In response, we've seen an influx of new
hybrid-based computing models such as metro-based data centers that have been
built in close proximity to where businesses and users live. As a result,
forward-thinking IT leaders are taking a more thoughtful approach to their
application portfolio by considering the trade-offs of latency, network
throughput, resiliency and privacy issues. As new use cases and applications
emerge, we anticipate that new hybrid edge models will evolve alongside of them
that promise greater flexibility and resilience.
3. Orchestrated edge systems will become a viable public cloud
alternative
Public
cloud services such as AWS, Azure and GCP have completely transformed how IT
services are managed and delivered. As Scale Computing's founder Jeff Ready is
fond of saying, "the cloud just means someone else's data center" and while the
cloud certainly has its advantages, it's not without its shortcomings. Which is
why we are poised to see new paradigms emerge by which businesses can
essentially build their own systems with similar capabilities of public cloud
infrastructure, but intended to be run at the edge of the network. By
clustering together fleets of autonomously managed edge computing platforms and
distributing them close to where users live, organizations will be able to
benefit from cloud-like convenience without having to compromise on
performance.
4. Edge innovations such as zero touch provisioning will ease the
IT staffing crisis
According
to a recent
Gartner report, businesses think that talent shortage is the biggest barrier to
the adoption of 64% of new technologies, compared to just 4% in 2020. This
means that in many cases, IT leaders hoping to deploy a new technology solution
might choose to instead delay an important initiative until they have the
requisite skilled IT resources in place. But what if you didn't need to have
dedicated IT staff at every remote or branch office location to keep the IT
ship upright? Zero touch provisioning, which enables a centralized IT staff to
remotely deploy and manage their edge-based systems from a single console,
promises to be a game changer in enabling resource-strapped organizations to
remotely administer their systems without having to hire additional specialized
IT workers.
5. Edge-enabled computer vision will create new opportunities
beyond surveillance
Digital
video surveillance systems are another aspect of operational technology that
live primarily at the network edge. These systems generate massive amounts of
data that typically require localized infrastructure due to bandwidth
constraints. While most of these systems are used primarily for surveillance
and loss prevention today, we expect to see a number of industries -- most
notably in the retail and manufacturing sectors -- begin to layer AI-based
computer vision technologies on top of these systems to deliver new
capabilities that will improve their operational efficiency and responsiveness.
From applying computer vision to track inventory in real-time to using video
analytics to generate visual heatmaps to enhance the in-store shopping
experience, these types of innovations will require a fast and flexible
edge-based infrastructure to realize their full potential.
While no one can say with
any certainty what the future will bring, the one thing that we can count on is
that for businesses to thrive, they will need to embrace technologies that will
enable them to quickly adapt to changing market conditions.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jeff is the CEO and co-founder of Scale Computing. Prior to founding Scale Computing, Jeff was co-founder and CEO of Corvigo, a Linux-based anti-spam appliance, where he oversaw the company from startup through funding to acquisition. After the acquisition, Jeff served as VP of Marketing at Tumbleweed Communications. Prior to Corvigo, Jeff was co-founder, COO and VP of Marketing at Radiate. Jeff holds a degree in Computer Science from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology.