Edge computing is an IT architecture that processes different types of data decentrally from the network.
This means that data that is newly generated in a smartphone, PC or server is processed directly in the network periphery without first being sent to a data center.
Advantages and disadvantages of decentralized data processing
Decentralized data processing has several advantages.
The biggest advantage is the fast conversion of the data. In addition, not all components of decentralized data processing need to be permanently connected to the Internet, because most components continue to work offline, even if only temporarily.
The fast data processing on the one hand and the relative independence from an Internet connection on the other hand make decentralized data processing particularly interesting for companies located in rural areas that do not have optimal network connectivity.
Another advantage of a decentralized data architecture is the fact that sensitive data, such as addresses of companies or customers, remain within the network periphery and do not have to be transferred to the cloud.
However, the principle of decentralized data architecture also has disadvantages.
For example, the method of decentralized data processing usually has a bottleneck in terms of capacity and memory when a large amount of data has to be processed.
It is also more susceptible to misuse, since the decentralized data architecture is largely dependent on the end device.
The components of a decentralized IT architecture
To be able to use the decentralized data processing method, the following requirements must be met:
– A virtualized platform in which the data is processed and then sent to the network services, servers, or the storages.
– Owning a terminal device that has sufficient computing power to process a virtualized platform so that the data is converted directly.
– The virtualized platform must be implemented as distributed computing.
Is fog computing the same as edge computing?
Finally, the topic of fog computing should be addressed, as it is often difficult to distinguish between the two terms edge and fog computing.
When dealing with the topic of decentralized IT infrastructures, we often encounter the term fog computing. Also, the method of data processing seems to be similar for edge and fog computing, so it comes to a question if they have the same meaning.
This question would have to be answered in the negative because there is a technical difference between edge and fog computing. Whereas in edge computing the data is processed directly in the network periphery, in fog computing the data processing takes place in several small data centers.
The data centers operate in local networks and each center only evaluates a part of the data.
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