Industry executives and experts share their predictions for 2023.  Read them in this 15th annual VMblog.com series exclusive.

Facing a Softening Economy with Edge Computing

By Rafael Umann, CEO at Azion

In 2023, two trends – the softening economy and the rise of edge computing – will intersect in surprising ways. While many companies began moving to the edge to improve performance and reliability, it will soon play a new role: building and maintaining consumers’ trust during an economic downtown. As budgets tighten and users reevaluate their need for many products and services, embracing the edge will be essential to providing users with maximum value.

Here is how this might happen:

1. Edge Developers Will Embrace Open Standards and Frameworks

Developers who create apps through platforms that don’t offer easy portability will have little recourse if those platforms decide to increase prices or make other significant changes. Vendor lock-in is unacceptable for companies that must carefully plan their budgets. As a result, in 2023, expect a strong focus on ensuring that edge web apps rely on open standards and frameworks. This focus will increase interest in WebAssembly, Jamstack, and other technologies not tied to a specific provider. Building apps using these technologies allows developers to shift from platform to platform as needed to optimize cost and performance.

2. The Web Will Double Down on Premium Experiences

For websites offering paid content tiers (such as articles behind a paywall), it will be more critical than ever in 2023 to provide a truly premium experience to those who pay and to ensure that the purchase or subscription fee still seems worthwhile to these users. Unfortunately, the process of verifying premium users often introduces complexity and can result in security flaws. Expect to see methods like facial recognition or paywall token checks moved to the edge so that premium users can access content quickly and reliably at scale.

3. Consumers Will Demand Hyperlocalized Content

As usual, consumers in 2023 will scour websites for the best possible discounts and offers to get the most for their money. However in 2023, they will be keen to find more local deals to ensure that they truly are getting the best value in the area. As a result, hyperlocalized information will grow in popularity and help companies that provide it to stand out. Edge computing will play an essential role in making this happen by automatically detecting a user’s location and presenting a personalized experience. As a result, companies will be able to maximize engagement without having to tax central infrastructure.

4. As Patience for Poor Performance Wanes, Safeguarding Will Shift to the Edge

Every year, consumers grow less accepting of anything that results in slow or unavailable web applications. In 2023, this will be especially true as users with reduced purchasing power cut back on spending and cut ties with providers that experience recurring outages or whose websites are frequently slow. A critical factor in improving reliability is preventing malicious actors from wreaking havoc. Many companies will use security features built into edge computing platforms to automatically detect and block website access requests from locations, ASNs, and IP addresses associated with malicious activity.

5. Communicating in Real-Time Will Become Top Priority

While minimizing outages is essential and will continue to be a priority for businesses, it will no longer be enough. In 2023, maintaining open, real-time lines of communication with users will be essential as they become more conscious of how they spend their money and time. Edge technology will enable companies to set up and automatically update error pages in real time so that users are never left uncertain about what’s going on, and the company can devote its focus to fixing issues.

It’s undeniably challenging to meet rising consumer demands during periods when careful budgeting and planning are necessary, but edge computing provides a solution. In conjunction with serverless architecture, the edge can automatically handle many of the biggest roadblocks threatening a site or app, letting developers focus on providing the best experience possible.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Rafael the CEO of Azion. He is a serial entrepreneur and energetic leader with 20+ years of innovation in deep-tech – including software-defined networking and Edge Compute. He is an open source enthusiast and contributor, as well as a business agility influencer.