Edge computing trends play a key role in business as edge deployments are now ubiquitous. With the list of edge computing devices, including smartphones, smartwatches and self-driving cars, growing at an exponential rate, business professionals need to stay on top of cutting-edge trends in 2022.
In fact, after a few years of development, edge computing looks set to make huge strides in adoption and investment in 2022. Here are the edge computing trends to watch.
Internet of Things
The Internet of Things (IoT) is undoubtedly the fastest growing edge computing device. IoT devices include: smart appliances, smartphones, wearables, gaming systems, and printers.
The popularity of smart devices themselves is expected to quadruple by 2025, and this growth will greatly expand the capabilities of edge computing. In fact, the growth of IoT may bring even greater benefits to the edge computing space, such as lower latency.
The rise of IoT devices will not only drive the growth of edge computing, but will also bring changes to various industries such as healthcare and education. In fact, IoT devices in edge computing deployments are now being leveraged by the healthcare industry to help keep track of changing data sets and remotely monitor facilities.
Customer Experience
One of the more unique ways edge computing is being used to help businesses is in the area of customer experience, where using the low latency of edge computing, companies are able to provide the best customer experience.
Enterprise groups such as Disney are using IoT sensors and edge computing to quickly transmit performance data from their rides. This data is used to make adjustments to optimize rides and attractions and ensure minimal disruption to park visitors.
On a more practical level, the speed gains that edge computing brings to businesses can significantly impact sales. A study by Deloitte found that for every 100 ms increase in mobile retail speed, sales conversion rates increased by 8.4 %. The reduction in latency can also help marketers and businesses process customer data in real time. This allows marketing teams to build more personalized and interactive customer experiences, such as advanced chatbots, and even offline interactions.
Security
As we enter 2022, cybersecurity is a rising concern, from cloud computing to artificial intelligence. Numerous various growing technologies, such as 5G and the Internet of Things, have their own cybersecurity vulnerabilities, and edge computing is being used to mitigate these potential threats.
Traditional centralized networks and data storage give attackers a single target center. In a sense, edge computing offers greater protection.
This does not mean that edge computing is perfect. In fact, much of 2022 will be defined by companies that work to address the security flaws of edge computing. a report by Kollective shows that 66 % of IT teams see edge computing as a threat to the enterprise.
One of the main threats posed by edge computing is its increase on physical data sources. Because edge computing relies on more physical resources being placed in the real world, physical attackers are given more targets to disrupt the network. If malicious actors somehow gain access to these devices, they can extract valuable information, tamper with or disrupt node circuits, or even alter entire operating systems and node software. Still, there is considerable disagreement on this topic. Some, like Kirk Wolfe, vice president of corporate development at Kollective, argue that edge computing concerns overshadow its benefits and may even slow adoption. Clearly, cybersecurity is an ongoing issue that relies on many evolving technologies, including edge computing. Expect these issues to be continually argued as the technology evolves.
Edge Computing in Healthcare
The healthcare industry has been at the forefront of IoT adoption, so it is only logical that they are at the forefront of edge computing technology.
Large hospitals are realizing that it’s better for operations to keep data like medical sensors, electronic health records and digital imaging systems around rather than pushing them to the cloud.
Workplace Security in Energy
One of the most actionable and important benefits of edge computing is its use in oil and energy-related industries.
These industries have traditionally relied on collecting and transmitting data to often very distant observation centers. This means that if there are sensors tracking pressure and conductivity, then more data is available.
