Why Cloud is Making Computing
at the Edge Relevant Again
David Linthicum
Edge computing isn’t new, but it’s
cloud element that gives you the abil-
ity to leverage edge systems as if they
were centralized makes all of the
difference.
It’s been a common problem for years. If you gather
large amounts of data from a device or other source,
and you need to process that data instantly, then
moving it to a centralized database each and every
time introduces latency.
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IoT must deal with this issue time and again. For
example, say there is a machine on a factory floor that
analyzes the quality of an auto part that it makes. If
the part is not up to specification, as determined by
an optical scanner, then it’s automatically rejected.
While this keeps a human from looking at the part,
and thus slowing down the process, it also takes a
great deal of time. The system must transmit the data
and image back to the centralized database and com-
pute engine where a determination is made as to the
success of the manufacturing process. Then the
results are communicated back to the machine.