Is Edge computing a different version of Cloud computing or is it an entirely new concept? In the era of the Internet of Things (IoT), cloud computing and edge computing are discussed mutually.
First, let us have a look at what exactly are these technologies.
Cloud computing involves storing, managing, and processing large amounts of data on remote servers and data centers, usually over the internet. Edge computing moves away from these centralized servers and does most of its processing right from computing, data storage to networking, much closer to the end-user.
As per the study conducted by IDC, “By 2020, 45 percent of all data generated by IoT devices will be stored, processed, and analyzed at the edge of the network or closer to it.”
Cloud Computing vs Edge Computing
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10] Data Processing: In cloud computing, most of the data processing is done through the existing IoT devices and implemented within the cloud, on centralized servers. Edge computing moves the data processing away from the centralized servers, closer to the end-users.
9] Network Latency: Edge computing addresses the latency issue faced by cloud computing due to a centralized server. It analyzes data in a manner that is closer to the source of data, speeding up the process, and giving faster results.
8] Redundancy: Since the processing is done at the edge, any possible disruption can be limited to one point instead of the entire network, as is the case with cloud computing.
7] Improved Performance: Edge computing gives an optimized performance than cloud computing. Data collection, transmission, and processing are done locally, in a matter of milliseconds.
6] Operational costs: Edge computing requires lesser bandwidth and less latency since there is no need to transfer massive amounts of data to the cloud, analyzing sensitive IoT data within a private network. It gives an optimum performance at lower operational costs.
5] Scalability: What the cloud lacks in speed, it makes up in power and capacity. With a centralized data infrastructure, it can expand its storage and processing capacity, helping smaller businesses add extra resources securely, as needed.
4] Security: Edge computing requires a more robust security plan with advanced authentication methods than cloud computing for preventing and defending attacks.
3] Programming: Several platforms can be used for programming, in edge computing having different runtimes as opposed to cloud computing which is generally created for one target platform, using one programming language.
2] Workload allocation: This is a serious challenge, in edge computing since there may be many layers with different processing capabilities.
1] Real-World Applications: Edge computing is more suited for real-time applications like autonomous vehicles, smart applications, online streaming platforms like Netflix, Amazon, etc., as compared to projects in large organizations with massive data storage that are better suited to be processed via cloud computing only.
To conclude, although it is easier to believe that edge computing can replace cloud computing, these two approaches complement each other and can help businesses to store and process data more effectively