Are You Edge? Edge Computing Use Cases Explained

Published On: 17th February 2023//5.4 min read//Tags: , , , //

Edge computing is one of the biggest IT trends of recent times. Companies of all sizes are focusing and investing heavily in it, as more data than ever is recorded and stored at an increasing number of locations and endpoints. But what exactly does “edge” mean, and what some typical use cases? It feels like the definition keeps on changing, and the concept is as mysterious as bitcoin, Facebook’s privacy policy, and the Krabby Patty recipe combined!

Simply: The edge is a location that sits within your network, but away from the network core. Since networks do not cover an infinite distance, there will be sites that are too remote, or generate too much data, to adopt a centralized or cloud system for controlling data and applications. This is what edge computing addresses, providing the compute and storage capacity to gather and process data right where it is generated.

For a more detailed description of edge computing and how it works, check out our Edge Computing Beginners Guide.

Edge computing use cases:

Optimizing cloud computing systems

Sending data to the cloud for storage and processing is great when there’s no concern for delays incurred from latency, and the volumes of data being sent are manageable. But this model of centralized processing can all quickly fall prey to network interruptions, and the limitations of available bandwidth.

Therefore, when data needs to be processed and analyzed quickly, and especially when the volumes of data are significant, the use of onsite, localized edge computing solutions is far more appropriate. Doing so all-but eliminates latency in areas where connectivity to a centralized location is limited or non-existent, allowing near-instant processing and decision-making and negating the need to maintain an expansive, costly and over-engineered network infrastructure.

Remote or branch sites

The network edge can be a frustrating place to sit. Either capacity is limited when processing applications and data, or huge costs are incurred creating a difficult connection to the cloud or corporate datacenter. Edge computing solutions help to overcome these challenges, allowing devices at the network edge to process data either by the device itself or by a local server cluster.

These solutions can also be very lightweight, and are often hardware-agnostic, enabling them to be flexible enough to work with different types of systems without experiencing compatibility issues. Organizations can re-purpose existing hardware to build highly available clusters at each edge location without needing to spend considerable amounts refreshing the IT infrastructure across their entire estate.

Connecting IoT sensors and devices

We are learning more and more about our world, processing data from the farthest reaches of the globe, and beginning to adopt IoT technology into our lives in an effort to automate services. By decentralizing data processing, we open up the possibility of creating massive intelligent networks, by using edge computing solutions to connect IoT devices.

Edge computing use cases involving IoT can be found in most industries. Today, these devices and sensors are in machinery in factories, on hospital patients needing their heart rate monitored continuously without being wired up to a machine, and in self-driving cars, trains, and other vehicles for public and private use.

In all of these scenarios, processing and sending data securely, quickly and accurately from the devices with zero latency is paramount to eliminate delays, ensure high availability, and guarantee the safety of those reliant on them.

What does edge computing look like for real companies?

RWE Renewables keeps their offshore wind farms operational

RWE logoFrom keeping generators up and running, to securing sensitive data and monitoring and controlling remote cameras, there are a plethora of edge computing use cases for businesses that allow them to keep their edge sites up and running 100% of the time while avoiding physical maintenance.

Take energy giant RWE for example, which has a substantial number of wind power sites at the network edge. By deploying StorMagic SvSAN, RWE successfully ensures high availability at every wind farm, can manage all the sites from one centralized location, and can run applications that ensure the wind turbines keep rotating, even if there’s no wind, to avoid permanent damage to the generators. Read more about their story here.

Sheetz boosts resiliency and keeps the doors open on hundreds of convenience stores

Sheetz logoA retail store is a perfect edge computing location and use case. A nationwide retailer needs local IT at each store to handle applications such as POS and CCTV.  Sheetz, a convenience store retailer in the eastern US, has hundreds of locations that require onsite, localized IT to deliver services. That IT infrastructure needs to be resilient to prevent unexpected downtime and subsequent temporary store closures and lost revenue.

Sheetz took StorMagic SvSAN and created a highly available cluster at each of their 600+ stores, allowing them to centrally manage multiple in-store applications quickly and affordably, and drastically reduce the number of hardware failures. Read more about this case study here.

Lisbon Airport maintains uptime for their vital docking systems

ANA Aeroportos de Portugal logoAirports have a huge number of monitoring systems, sensors and applications to ensure the smooth and safe operation of flying millions of passengers in highly complex aircraft. It is therefore an obvious edge computing use case, and Lisbon Airport is no different. Seeing a footfall of over 20 million passengers, and having to meet their own punctuality targets to keep the airport moving, Lisbon Airport relies heavily on its Advanced Visual Docking Guidance Systems (A-VDGS).

This technology not only helps pilots to quickly and efficiently dock their aircraft, but it also ensures passenger safety, keeping planes clear of obstruction, and allowing jetways to reach the plane doors. All of this generates a lot of data. Using SvSAN, the airport’s A-VDGS now benefits from highly available virtual storage that provides full redundancy and disaster recovery, all at a fraction of the cost of VMware vSAN. Read more about Lisbon Airport’s story here.

Find out more

Are you making the most of edge computing technology? Is it a good fit for your organization’s use cases? Check out the SvSAN overview page to find out more about simple, cost-effective virtual storage; download the SvSAN data sheet for a detailed breakdown of the solution, its features and capacities, or book a demo with the team to see how edge computing could transform your organization’s remote locations.

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