As billions of devices come online and begin churning out zettabytes of data, today’s model of centralized cloud will need support from the edge. To explore this shift, The State of the Edge has partnered with Seagate on a new topical report about managing and activating information in a distributed world.
Over the last couple of years, edge computing has emerged from relative obscurity to become one of the most talked about trends in internet infrastructure. Some critics believe that there is no need for edge computing, but I firmly believe it will be one of the most significant technology disruptions in my lifetime—building upon and exceeding the massive transformations of the public cloud.
The disruptive potential of edge computing is fueled by the unprecedented growth of data, the imminent impact of 5G networks, the growing importance of latency and regulation in dealing with data, and the emergence of a distributed computing architecture that favors specialized hardware like GPU’s and offloads. As a result, infrastructure, in general, is starting to evolve at “software speed” – iterating rapidly and attracting a wide array of contributors.
Like most new ecosystems at early stages of development, the excitement and potential of edge computing is a complex set of definitions by a wide range of participants, adding to the confusion around this topic. This report seeks to rationalize the different factions and help the industry converge on a common definition of edge computing and its related concepts.
Although there is no single edge, nor a single type of edge computing, we all benefit greatly from a shared understanding and a strong dialogue. In this regard, the inaugural State of the Edge report (with its diverse group of supporters and authors) is built on a compelling premise: that collaboration and openness can greatly accelerate even the most complex ecosystems.
A fantastic example of this mindset is the Open Glossary of Edge Computing, which was developed for this report but has also been turned into an evergreen open source project where contributors are invited to provide suggestions, corrections and additions. Another example is the Edge Computing Landscape, to which anyone may suggest edits and additions. Already, many standards groups and organizations, including the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) and the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF), are contributing towards these efforts. This is a powerful trend to support, and I encourage you to get involved and add value wherever you can.
The opportunities in edge computing are immense. In a recent talk, Tim Hockin, a Principal Software Engineer at Google and one of the leaders of the Kubernetes project, proclaimed that it’s an “exciting time for boring infrastructure.” I couldn’t agree more. The level of innovation in every aspect of infrastructure down the component level is accelerating and we are witnessing a new renaissance.
Arm technology is at the heart of a computing and connectivity revolution that is transforming the way people live and businesses operate. Our advanced, energy-efficient processor designs have enabled the intelligent computing in more than 125 billion chips. Over 70% of the world’s population are using Arm technology, which is securely powering products from the sensor to the smartphone to the supercomputer. This technology combined with our IoT software and device management platform enable customers to derive real business value from their connected devices. Together with our 1,000+ technology partners we are at the forefront of designing, securing and managing all areas of compute from the chip to the cloud. For more information.
Edge Gravity by Ericsson is a global strategic partnership platform that creates turnkey, value-added services. Ericsson UDN is building the world’s first true edge delivery network at webscale, driving performance benefits and cost efficiencies. Together, we create a global edge network that offers the highest performance to consumers.
Packet is the leading bare metal cloud for developers. Its proprietary technology automates physical servers and networks without the use of virtualization or multi-tenancy – powering over 60k deployments each month in its 20+ global datacenters. Founded in 2014 and based in New York City, Packet has quickly become the provider of choice for leading enterprises, SaaS companies, and software innovators. In addition to its public cloud, Packet’s unique “Private Deployment” model enables companies to automate their own infrastructure in facilities all over the world.
Rafay Systems enables next generation performance improvements for SaaS applications delivered over the Internet. Rafay’s Programmable Edge™ platform equips developers with a disruptive set of tools to automatically deploy performance and geography sensitive applications, or micro-services, closer to endpoints. With a presence at the infrastructure edge, Rafay’s platform enables organizations to deliver a new set of experiences to their end customers.
Vapor IO is building the cloud of the future by delivering a suite of hardware and software for edge computing and operating the fastest-growing edge colocation business known as Project Volutus. The company’s technology enables highly-distributed micro data centers to be embedded in the wireless and wireline infrastructure, colocated with the last mile or Radio Access Network (RAN), State of the Edge 2018: A Market and Ecosystem Report for Edge Computing 74 and meshed together with software and high-speed fiber as part of the company’s Kinetic Edge, a technical architecture for city-scale edge computing.
EdgeConneX provides customized, purpose-built data center solutions that Empower Your Edge, bringing speed, agility and security to your business and your customers.
Pluribus Networks is delivering an open, next-generation software defined network (SDN) fabric for modern data centers, multi-site data centers and distributed cloudedge environments. The Linux-based Netvisor® ONE operating system and the Adaptive Cloud Fabric™ have been purpose-built to deliver highly secure per-tenant services across data center sites with simple operations and no single point of failure, all while realizing white box economics. Pluribus Networks is also embedded into industry-leading Network Function Virtualization Infrastructure (NFVi) and distributed cloud solutions that are being deployed in the networks of the world’s largest 5G service providers.
SBA Communications Corporation (SBA) is a leading independent owner and operator of wireless communications infrastructure across North, Central and South America. Founded in 1989 and headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida, SBA is listed on NASDAQ under the symbol: SBAC.
