Research from Strategy Analytics says edge computing is now used, in some form, by 44% of firms.
The report, Edge Computing: Decentralizing for Performance in the IoT, found the drivers for the adoption of more efficient use of network, as less traffic traverses it to central locations, less network congestion, lower latency and faster compute response times.
“While the cloud represents an increasingly common model for analysing IoT data, enthusiasm is growing for edge computing, where data can be analysed and filtered at the edge of the network,” said Andrew Brown, Executive Director Enterprise and IoT Research.
Challenges, challenges
David Kerr, SVP Global Wireless Practice, sounded a note of caution, “There remain challenges that must be considered as well. These include immaturity of the current market and perceptions among customers that they have no need to change their current setup.
“Other issues include a lack of familiarity with edge computing for IoT environments and a lack of transparency over the additional costs that could be incurred.”
Microsoft blazes the trail
According to Janakiram MSV writing in Forbes this week, “Microsoft has a unique opportunity in the IoT and edge computing markets. With innovative products such as Azure IoT Central, Azure Sphere, and IoT Plug and Play, the company is moving forward to become the segment leader.”